To fully harness the economic benefits and regional connectivity across the African continent, a sprout in railway redevelopment has been witnessed in recent years. However, there is no study showing the challenges, economic prospects, and knowledge gaps characterizing railway services in Africa. Given that several countries are redeveloping and planning their railway infrastructure, it is necessary to review the existing literature to identify research and policy gaps that African railway transportation planners and their development partners need to take into consideration. Therefore, this systematic literature review analyzed railway-related papers from Africa to determine the current knowledge of the railway network, challenges, economic prospects, and environmental sustainability. The review involved 49 peer-reviewed papers published between January 2000 and June 2022 as well as two recent World Bank reports on railway transportation in Africa. Results showed low penetration of electric-powered trains, technology integration, and shuttle services. Passenger demand, price optimization, route scheduling problems, and transport emission experimentation remain knowledge gaps. The impact of railway projects on wildlife protection and land cover changes would require more empirical studies. The review showed that past studies excluded reflections on policies, regulation, planning, and the opportunities and challenges that come with policy interventions. Prospects realization strategies, including railway training factories, regional implementation of standard gauge railway, and proactive regional action plans have been identified. This study contributes a knowledge map and recommends research gaps that researchers can investigate to strengthen railway management and redevelopment across Africa.

The demand for motorcycle taxis has seen a significant increase in Ghana in the last decade. In light of an existing unimplemented ban, several questions arise on the prospects of strong formal regulation and policy implementation. However, the lack of succinct research data on motorcycle taxi regulation from users' perspectives leaves a gap in policy formulation and makes it difficult for effective decision-making. In this study, a users' perspective approach is adopted to identify plausible factors that may inform policy direction for motorcycle taxi regulation in Ghana. Overall, the views of 1489 motorcycle taxi users were sampled. The analyses comprised correlations, multiple correspondence analysis, chi-square tests, and ordinal logistic regression. The results showed that 78% of the respondents support formal regulation but decentralized to the local authorities. Consequently, 70% of the respondents confirmed continuous use intentions. It is found that users' geographical location and occupations are significantly associated with continuous use intentions. Besides, nine influencing factors were confirmed to have a significant positive association with continuous use intentions. However, respondents' perceived safety of motorcycle taxis has a significant negative association with both support for regulation and continuous use intention. This study provides a novel framework, that is the Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impacts, Responses Framework (DPSIR), for the case of motorcycle taxi regulation in Ghana. The findings are relevant for transport policy and urban planning in Ghana and other countries of sub-Saharan Africa.

AbstractThis study assesses the feasibility of electric three-wheelers as moto-taxis in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from a socioeconomic and technical point of view. The analysis is based on three pillars: (i) the acceptance of users (the moto-taxi drivers) for adoption, (ii) the vehicle specifications incl. battery type and size, and (iii) the role of the charging infrastructure. Findings are based on data from empirical field-work; methods used are qualitative and quantitative data analysis and modelling. Main findings include that moto-taxi drivers, who we see as most important adopters, are open towards electric mobility. They request however that vehicles should have similar driving characteristics than their current fuel-vehicles. As the market is very price sensitive, keeping the vehicle cost is of high importance. A high potential to lower these costs is seen by offering opportunity charging spots around the city. If such an infrastructure is being implemented the combination with suitable, cost competitive vehicles makes the transformation of the vehicle market towards electrification possible.

In this chapter, the author explores the ambivalent role that motorcycle-taxis play in East African cities. He uses his empirical insights from Dar es Salaam, where the services are relatively new and growing rapidly, and compares them with literature-based insights from Kampala, where the services are long established and have a larger modal share, and from Nairobi, where motorcycle-taxis play a less dominant role as yet. In Dar es Salaam, motorcycle-taxis are officially recognised by national legislation. In Dar es Salaam, Kampala and Nairobi, motorcycle-taxis play a considerable economic role as the sector provides tens of thousands of direct jobs. In addition, many indirect jobs are created in the related support industry. In order to increase state control of the sector and generate compliance with rules and regulations among motorcycle-taxi operators in Dar es Salaam, awareness campaigns and drivers' trainings/seminars have been initiated and include practical driving training as well as theoretical input on regulations and service standards.

The paper analyses the role of publicly accessible single phase charging infrastructure with charging currents of 7 A, 10 A and 16 A in the low voltage grid for an economically viable transformation of the informal transport market of three-wheeler motorcycles in Dar es Salaam from fossil propulsion to battery electric drives. An intensive stakeholder process is conducted to analyse the socioeconomic boundary conditions for this transformation. GPS track data of 65 vehicles in four driver groups is collected for 8 days apiece. The data is analysed to study the driving demand of the informal transport market in Dar es Salaam. Our results show that the increased weight of lead acid batteries cannot be easily compensated for by installing additional charging opportunities. Coincidence factor analysis reveals, that sharing of opportunity charging infrastructure is possible without reduction of the service level. Li-ion batteries plus publically accessible charging infrastructure shows the potential for the transformation within the next 10-15 years.

Informal transport is an important factor for people's daily mobility in most developing countries, in urban as well as in rural areas. It has grown rapidly in recent years and influences cities' appearances all around the world. But little is known about its operation, as informal transport is highly dynamic and its operation mostly unregulated by the state. This paper discusses how informal transport can be better understood by using GPS tracking data. The methodology is exemplified using results from a feasibility study from Dar es Salaam. The results show that GPS tracking has great potential to provide insights into the functionality of informal transport, such as its role as a feeder mode in the transport system, as well as into the comparative advantages and disadvantages of different modes of transport. Moreover, by delivering spatially locatable information on mobility developments, it can deliver important information for integrated planning with regard to better coordinating the interwoven developments of urban settlements, growing mobility demand, and transport supply.

This study analyses the feasibility of electric 3-wheeled motorcycle-taxis in Dar es Salaam from a technical and user-oriented point of view on the power train. Based on the experiences and expectations of an interviewed group of drivers, two electric power train variants for 3-wheeled vehicles have been set up and compared. In order to calculate the vehicle energy demand, a simulation model has been set up. This model uses a drive cycle that has been generated for the specific location of Dar es Salaam using GPS tracks recorded during a field trip. Results contain the vehicle battery weight, energy demand and range for varied battery capacities. Finally, a possible power train variant is suggested.

This chapter first defines and then explores the social sustainability potential of MM by providing an overview of MM implications for accessibility, air pollution, safety, physical activity and subjective wellbeing. Our results show that MM could enhance accessibility, yet costs, physical ability and technical skills might exclude certain social groups from using such modes. MM modes have no or limited direct CO2 emissions but environmental effects are uncertain if we account for the production of these modes. Road safety could be enhanced due to mutual awareness stimulation, but also compromised due to speed differential between MM and other modes. Physical activity could be increased or reduced depending on whether MM modes are electric or not. Exercising, enjoying the scenery, and having fun could enhance subjective well-being of MM mode users, while perceived safety risk could negatively influence subjective well-being. We conclude that MM sustainability potential should not be automatically assumed and could vary among the different MM modes.

"Taken for a Ride: Grounding Neoliberalism, Precarious Labour, and Public Transport in an African Metropolis." The Journal of Development Studies, 55(11), pp. 2476–2477

In the countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) population growth, urbanisation, and social change have resulted in rising and diversifying mobility needs of urban and rural populations alike. Moreover, this has stimulated the emergence of new modes of transport, for example the motorcycle-taxi (“moto-taxi”). While moto-taxis have been used for decades in some areas, they have seen massive growth in the past couple of years and they have expanded to other rural and urban areas in SSA. This has come with a number of benefits as regards securing public mobility and socio-economic effects. On the other hand, the growth of these often “informally” provided services has resulted in negative externalities, especially road safety issues. And this has fuelled public discussions on how to control and regulate these services. Within academia their growing importance has resulted in a significant number of empirical studies – including a large share of final theses/assignments – in the past five to ten years. These studies deliver valuable insights into different aspects of this transport mode. However, only few comprehensive overviews of moto-taxis and their service characteristics exist. This article aims to present a comprehensive summary of the role played by moto-taxi services in providing public transport options in SSA. Based on an extensive literature review it categorises and summarises insights into this transport mode that are covered by the reviewed studies. The topics include underlying factors of motorcycle-taxi growth, supply side and demand side aspects, service organisation, regulation, as well as safety, health and environmental impacts. As far as available insights allow, regional, as well as urban and rural service patterns are traced. On that basis, the article discusses implications for the debate on informal transport and identifies knowledge gaps that should be addressed by future research.

In light of urban and population growth, motorcycle-taxi services fulfil essential functions within local transport systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. These services are mostly provided by 'informal' operators and while following various forms of self-regulation often lack effective formal regulatory frameworks. This brings about negative externalities such as road safety issues, missing service standards and often precarious working conditions. Nevertheless, motorcycle-taxi services provide needed job opportunities and can entail positive socioeconomic effects. Against the background of this ambivalence and inspired by theories of social practice the chapter traces the pathways of motorcycle-taxi drivers in the dynamic public transport field of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Based on preliminary results of an explorative research project it asks why, how and on what basis these transport workers enter this profession, gain a position and struggle for continued participation, social uplift and reduction of social insecurity. In so doing, it identifies opportunities and limitations that result from the drivers' embeddedness in social networks and everyday practices. The chapter aims to contribute to the overarching question of the book by analysing the micropolitics, the appropriation of public space and the role of power structures in the field in relation to the agency of motorcycle-taxi workers, their associations and the state.

A significant part of the provision and regulation of transport services in urban areas in Africa is commonly referred to as 'informal' or 'paratransit'. Informal transport operation in particular is commonly conceptualized as something that occurs without involvement of the state or government, both with respect to the market and the practices of operation and organization. This chapter raises the question whether this clear dichotomy that separates the 'formal' from the 'informal' is an appropriate guide to analyse and make sense of current practices in urban transport provision in African cities and explores alternative concepts such as institutional or urban bricolage. The chapter uses case study research to investigate how theory meets reality. It explores the public road passenger transport system in the city of Dar es Salaam that largely consists of bus services provided by private operators of minibuses (daladala), two- and three-wheeled motorcycle-taxis (locally known as bodaboda and bajaj) and, most recently, a bus rapid transit service. This analysis is to a large extent based on preliminary results of field research activities in Dar es Salaam, which include participant observation and conversations with stakeholders. A literature review and a document analysis of laws and regulations concerning public transport in Tanzania complement the investigation. The analysis shows that it is indeed virtually impossible to draw a clear distinction between formal and informal spheres. Instead, the study uncovers the provision and regulation of seemingly 'informal' transport services as 'inextricably related practices' of diverse governmental and non-governmental actors that are constantly renegotiated and governed by formal and informal institutions (i.e. rules). The chapter concludes that institutional or urban bricolage as a concept and 'co-creation' of rules and institutions as observable practice appear to offer a more realistic lens to understand what is usually termed 'informality'.

Despite its many challenges and limitations the concept of in situ upgrading of informal settlements has become one of the most favoured approaches to the housing crisis in the ‘Global South’. Due to its inherent principles of incremental in situ development, prevention of relocations, protection of local livelihoods and democratic participation and cooperation, this approach is often perceived to be more sustainable than other housing approaches that often rely on quantitative housing delivery and top down planning methodologies. While this study does not question the benefits of the in situ upgrading approach, it seeks to identify problems of its practical implementation within a specific national and local context. The study discusses the origin and importance of this approach on the basis of a review of international housing policy development and analyses the broader political and social context of the incorporation of this approach into South African housing policy. It further uses insights from a recent case study in Cape Town to determine complications and conflicts that can arise when applying in situ upgrading of informal settlements in a complex local context. On that basis benefits and limitations of the in situ upgrading approach are specified and prerequisites for its successful implementation formulated.