COMMUTERS PERCEPTION AND PREFERENCES ON THE BUS RAPID TRANSIT IN LAGOS STATE

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1 COMMUTERS PERCEPTION AND PREFERENCES ON THE BUS RAPID TRANSIT IN LAGOS STATE Oluwaseyi Joseph Afolabi Department of Management Technology, Bells University of Technology Ota, Nigeria Abstract The introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on March 17, 2008 in Lagos, Nigeria has attracted several comments and studies from the media and academic world. Most of the studies focused on the impact of BRT on users mobility and traffic congestion in the city of Lagos. The purpose of this study is to examine the level of accessibility, perception/acceptability of users on the operations of BRT in Lagos State in terms of distances, safety, affordability, reliability, travel time and waiting time at the BRT bus stops. The study is based on a randomly selected set of 183 users of BRT along the corridor in Lagos state.as cities attempt to address their urban mobility problems, the alternative transportation options emerge. In order to have an efficient management of the vehicular and human traffic elements, there is need for improvement on the transportation network infrastructure and its proper maintenance. Dysfunction within any of the elements can lead to a breakdown of the system and this is more apparent in urban transport systems in developing countries where congestion is witnessed every day. In recent years, one of these options is the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT). It is in the light of this, that the study examined the impact of BRT on passengers' satisfaction in Lagos Metropolis. Data were collected through the use of questionnaire that was administered using simple random sampling technique. Findings also revealed that more than averages of the passengers were satisfied with the BRT system while some were fully dissatisfied. Therefore there is need to: ensure greater coordination with local planning and operating agencies for the purpose of identifying BRT potentials; conduct research, develop operational techniques and promote the use of Intelligent Transport System (ITS) technology to enable safe and efficient deployment of BRT Keywords: Rapid transit, perception, mobility, commuter Introduction Transport is a critical sector of the Nigerian economy, whose catalytic effect, particularly on socio-economic development, cannot be, overemphasized (Adesanya, 2004). The huge investment by the different tiers of government and private sector investors in transport infrastructure provision and the delivery of transport services in Nigeria underscores the pivotal role of transport in the overall development of the country. Besides, there is hardly any sector of the economy whether the industrial, employment, residential, recreational and tourism, or agricultural sectors that is not linked to the transport sector. In short, the efficiency and effectiveness with which the mobility and accessibility of passengers and goods are achieved would determine the level of performance of the transport sector among other things. Indeed, the transportation challenges often faced in many cities of the world attracted research efforts by the academic, institutional agencies and world socio-economic organizations to long lasting solution to this regards (Sumaila, 2004). The significant of public transport of cities in many developing countries lies in the fundamental fact that mobility and accessibility are essential for economic growth and of necessity to provide efficient and effective movement for goods and services. The failure of the public transportation system however and indeed overall transportation system in the cities has led to further marginalization of the greater majority of the people in these cities and consequently; economic deprivation (Somuyiwa and Oyesiku, 2010). Urban cities in Nigeria increasingly face problems caused by road transport externalities. For example, there is an increasing trend in road traffic crashes, traffic congestion and emission of carbon dioxide. The impact from road traffic congestion, carbon emission and road crashes is significant in time, pollution and economic loses. Part of these problems is as a result of greater number of low public transport system as well as privately owned vehicles in the cities. According to Gbadamosi (2010), an important characteristic of modern society is its preoccupation with promoting 34

2 sustainable modes of transport to replace the excessive use of the private car in most urban areas. Despite the vital role that buses play in any urban areas, their services are frequently insufficient to meet demand and the services that are provided mostly suffer from low output (Afolabi, 2008). In Lagos metropolis, individuals tend to use their private vehicles due to lack of satisfaction they derive from the services of public transport. Transportation system can be a reliable indicator of economic development. It works as a factor that stimulates economic growth by providing employment, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of other businesses and also contributing to national investment and development. According to Badejo (2007), public transport plays a social role in the urban environment: it improves access to work places and service infrastructure and at the same time, reduces travel expenses. Both public authorities and transport operators are involved in policy formulation and implementation in relation to transport services. Since public authorities and transport operators have different goals, regulation plays an important role, especially, failing competition (Somuyiwa, 2010). Some people believe that public transport is the panacea for some urban transport problems and its importance has been widely acknowledged. It helps to overcome some of the social and environmental impacts of transport system which includes mobility problem for the disadvantaged groups (e.g. poor, handicapped and elderly), congestion, accident, environmental impact, land consumption, urban sprawl and energy consumptions. It also provides mobility for those who cannot drive their own cars; helps in creating and maintaining liveable communities; relieves highway congestion; assures long-term sustainability in terms of resource consumption and the environment (Friman, 2010). Traffic congestion causes longer transit time, pollution and high consumption of non-renewable energy resource. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as suggested as a solution to this problem, is already introduced in Lagos metropolis. There is a wide range of public transport operating in Lagos metropolis, from mini-buses to midibuses that served Lagos resident daily travel demand. This wide range of public transport is not effective enough to reduce traffic congestion and sometime become the source of congestion. Lagos metropolis needs public transport that could serve wide range of travel demand and do not make road congestion worse. Another problem regarding public transport in Lagos metropolis is that most drivers of public transport are low-skilled young men who migrated to cities from the rural area. Unemployment in the country also makes informal transport an attractive employment opportunity. This condition leads to ignorance of passenger s safety and discipline in using road. Table 1: Public Transport in Lagos - Issues and Causes Issues Inadequate institutional structure Poor quality of public transport Long journeys High capital and operational costs Inadequate facilities for operators Causes Unbalanced supply and demand, Government lack of control of the operations, Dispersed ownership of public transport fleet, Dispersed transport fleet, In-the-market competition for passengers ownership of public Inadequate vehicles, Old vehicles, Low maintenance standards Excessive total travel time, Excessive waiting times in terminals, Low speed due to congestion, Too many and time consuming vehicle interchanges Inadequate infrastructure (lane surface, stop bays), Excessive fleet and vehicle-km/pax due to long dwell times, High cost of maintenance and spare parts, High vehicle replacement cost Lack of toilets and poor sanitation, Lack of shelters and congestion at access points to terminals, Congestion within the terminal 35

3 High accident rates and low levels of security High pollution levels Lack of accessibility to the urban poor Conflict with hawkers and pedestrians, driver s indiscipline Old vehicles, bad quality diesel Service does not cover low income areas due to lack of infrastructure or small motorized trip rates, fares charged by, distance exclude poor users in the periphery from using public transport services. Source: LAMATA 2014 BRT management strategy adopted by LAMATA in Lagos The ultimate goal of transport management is to develop, coordinate, and maintain a transportation network that provides the optimum capability for the movement of people and commodities in the most time efficient, convenient, safe, reliable, and cost-effective manner. This must be done in a way consistent with the environmental interests of the people. In developed urban centres, the practice or proposition to construct new roads is not a generally accepted policy due to construction costs, right-of-way constraints,environmental and societal impacts (Olushina and Adejare, 2012). Automobiles and other forms of motor vehicles have come to be associated with an improved standard of living. Therefore, the fundamental cause of traffic congestion in urban centres is that the volume of traffic on the roads far exceeds the capacity of the road infrastructure. In Lagos, the indiscipline attitude of road users is a major factor that contributes to traffic congestion. Past and present administrations in Lagos for example have implemented different traffic reduction strategies such as: Odd and Even Plate Numbers, Tricycles, Park and Ride, Traffic Towers, Ferry Service, Laissez-faire allocation and recently the Bus Rapid Transit BRT (Olusina and Olaleye (2010), Olusina (2008) and Olaleye (1999). Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is defined as A flexible, high performance rapid transit mode that combines a variety of physical, operating and system elements into a permanently integrated system with a quality image and unique identity (Adeaga and Omenai, 2014). Fig 1: BRT in operation on Ikorodu road The Mile 12-CMS pilot BRT scheme was implemented by PPP whereby LAMATA provided the enabling framework and infrastructure comprising bus depot garage, 3 bus terminals, 65% segregated bus ways, 28 36

4 bus shelters, road markings and other traffic management measures while the selected private sector operator (First BRT Cooperative Limited) accepted regulatory enforcement, commitment to procurement of buses, operations and maintenance. Ecobank provided financing of N1 billion for the operator to procure initial 100 buses deployed and LASG invested a substantial sum of N4.5b on the BRT infrastructure. The table below shows the total volume of vehicles between 6.00 and 10.00a.m. from CMS to the Mainland. Table 2: Total Volume of Vehicles/Hour/Mode TOTAL VOLUME OF VEHICLES/HR./MODE CMS to Maryland Route CMS to Iyana-Oworo Route Time Period Car/Taxi Mini Buses BRT Car/Taxi Mini Buses LAGBUS TOTAL OVERALL MAX. 24, Source: Author s Field Survey, July 2016 Discussion of findings This presents the empirical analysis of demand of commuters in Lagos State as regards Bus Rapid Transit ridership. These items are investigated through the responses to one hundred and eighty three questionnaires retrieved out of the two hundred questionnaire produced and administered. Respondents were grouped based on their occupation, educational qualification, age and preferences to determine the reliability of the data collected.the responses are however used to analyze each of the research questions as discussed below. It will see the use of frequency table to present the distribution and opinion of the respondents on the issues raised in the questionnaire. The frequency table will show the count (frequency) and the percentage of respondents in each category. Analysis of responses In this section of the study, the frequency table will be employed to present the distribution and opinion of the sample on the issues raised in the questionnaire. The frequency table used will show the count (frequency) of respondents in each category, simple percentage, valid percentage and the cumulative percentage. All the explanation of the tables will be done using the simple percentage of the distribution. 37

5 Table 3: Gender of the User of BRT Frequency Valid Valid Male Female Total 183 After collating the data generated from the survey on users of BRT, it was discovered that 56.8% of the users Table 4: Age of the respondent of BRT in Lagos are males while the remaining 43.2% are females. Frequency Valid Valid Below 20 years years Above 40 years Total 183 In terms of the age of the user of BRT in Lagos state, it was observed that 17.5% of them are of ages less than 20 years, 60.7% are of the ages between years, while 21.9% said they are more than 40years. Car owner 30% None 70% Fig 1:Car ownership of BRT users 38

6 The figure shows that 70.0% of the users of BRT do not have a car of their own, while the remaining 30.0% said they are car owner. Table 5: Frequency of the use of BRT by respondents Frequency Valid Valid Everyday times a week Once a month Less than once a month Total From the table above, it shows that 37.7% of the respondents used for the study make use of the BRT everyday, 35.0% of them said they use the BRT 2-6 Table 6: Reasons for patronizing the BRT times a week, 14.2% use the BRT once in a month, while the remaining 13.1% said they use the BRT less than once a month. Frequency Valid Valid Safety Cheapness or affordability Comfort Reliability Reduced waiting time No alternative means Reduce travel time Total The reason for patronizing the BRT by the users is shown in the table above. It reveals that 14.2% of the sample use the BRT because it is safe, 2.2% said because it is reduce waiting time, 13.7% said because it reduce travel time, the comfort is given as a reason for patronage by 24.0%, 4.4% said the reason is it reliability, a majority of the sample 37.7% said the reason is that it is affordable while the remaining 3.8% said it s because there are no better options. 39

7 Table 7: Users assessment of the quality of service provided Frequency Valid Valid Very good Good Poor Very poor Total 183 In terms of the quality of service that the BRT operators provide, it was observed that 21.3% of them ranked the quality as Very good, 50.3% of them said the quality level is good, 20.8% of the users see the level of quality as Poor while the remaining 7.7% said it is Very poor. Recommendation The study revealed that BRT has a significant impact on passengers' satisfaction in Lagos metropolis. It has helped to improve the quality of life of not only its users but also those that travel along the corridor using other modes as well as those who choose to locate their businesses there. Even though BRT systems are not the final solution to public transport problems in Lagos, it will help form an integrated system of different modes. Despite the fact that BRT has helped to reform the existing transport system in Lagos Metropolis by providing a more competitive service rather than competing for passengers, the system requires that bus transit be given increased respect and priority in transportation planning decisions, including investments, roadway management and land use development. There is need to ensure greater coordination with local planning and operating agencies for the purpose of identifying BRT potential, the need to conduct research, develop operational techniques and promote the use of ITS through Periodic assessment of the BRT drivers, buses, stops and safety facilities should be carried out to assess the drivers compliance with safety rules and procedures, and the functionality of buses, stops in respect of the safety facilities and other security gadgets available. It is important to introduce a real time monitoring devices to the services of Lagos BRT so that it can equal the standard of most developed worlds BRT operations. It is important to Condon the BRT routes and the stops with camera and other security detective devices to allow for the emergence of more vibrant urban public transport system free of risks and negativities. Also, the operators, the health workers, social workers, road safety workers and the security agencies should work at tandem to achieve optimal result, because security and safety is a collective responsibility. References Adeaga, O and Omenai, J (2014): Access to Intra- Urban Public Transport across Varied Socio- Economic Groups: A Case of Lagos Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. Adesanya, A (2004), Analysis and Management of Transport Sector Performance and Its Intersectoral Linkages. A paper Presented at the Training Programme on Sectoral Policy Analysis and Management, Ibadan, June 21-July 9, Afolabi, J.O (2008): Road traffic congestion and its impact on social and Economic Activities in Lagos State. B.Sc. Dissertation, Department of Transportation Planning and Management, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria. Badejo, B.A (2002): The dilemma of emerging urban public transportation in Nigeria. LASU Journal of Social Science Vol.4 40

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