Project R-5868

Role of informal public transport and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on poverty reduction among users of the system, Dar es Salaam city, Tanzania. (Research)

In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of informal public transport modes in Dar es Salaam city. This trend is catalyzed by a number of factors including poor public transport services offered by formal public transport (daladala buses), poor roads network associated with traffic congestion, and inadequate city planning which favor most motorized transport and discouraging non-motorized transport. Public transport in Dar es Salaam remains as the only available option for the majority who do not have private cars. However, public transport has failed to meet growing transport demands; hence access to public transport services remains to be a major challenge to the urban poor. Travelling from one part of the city to another has been associated with a lot of challenges such as long distance, high transport costs and poor access to bus transport. As outcomes of poor public transport, informal public transport modes have emerged and mushroomed in almost every part of the city. On the other hand the government has agreed to implement Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as a solution to transport problems in Dar es Salaam. However, the question remains if, Bus Rapid Transit will benefit all different users and If not, who will be benefited. Therefore, this study intends to assess the role of the informal public transport on transport poverty reduction among users, and the extent in which new constructions of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will meet travel needs of various users. Specifically, the study will address the following research questions: Who are the users of informal public transport? What is the role of informal public transport on poverty reduction? To what extent does Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will meet transport needs of the users? What are intervention measures for integrating informal and formal public transport in Dar es Salaam (BRT)? The study will employ mixed research approach, where both qualitative and quantitative approaches will be used. Social exclusion and sustainable livelihoods approaches will be used to guide this study in understanding, analyzing, and assessing transport poverty, with respect to the role played by informal public transport on poverty reduction. Primary data will be collected by research techniques such as in-depth interviews, survey questionnaires, focus group discussions, Smartphone and GPS, while secondary data will be corrected from Library, government documents and internet. Data will be analyzed by using Microsoft Excel, SPSS, and QGIS/ArcGIS, graphs, tables, quotes and descriptions.

01 January 2015 - 31 December 2018