The determinants of demand for public transport services in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract

The objective of the study was to establish the major factors influencing demand as well as develop a demand model for urban passenger transport services in Kumasi, Ghana. Data for this study were obtained from 400 commuters grouped into strata with definite characteristics such as income levels and trip making characteristics using the framework defined by Department of Urban Roads during two main field surveys using the simple random sampling technique. The analysis of the data showed that key determinants such as employment status of commuters, trip duration, and population influence the demand for public transport services in Kumasi. In addition, it was found that Taxi is the dominant mode used in Kumasi,  carrying about 44% of respondents. This is mainly because it is the fastest mode in the city. The minibus is the next patronised mode carrying 32% of the respondents while Metro Mass Transit buses were the least patronised, even though they have the capacity to carry more passengers. This is mainly because of the long travel time these buses offer to passengers. The study therefore recommends among others, the use of large  occupancy vehicles by providing them with exclusive lanes to help reduce travel time to make them the preferred option of commuters.

Keywords: Demand, Passenger Transport Services, Public Transport, Passenger-kilometres