Household transport expenditure in Sub-Saharan African cities: measurement and analysis

Abstract

International audienceIn Sub-Saharan Africa the cost of transport faced by city dwellers, particularly the poor, tends to add to their travel and economic difficulties. Knowledge of the burden of transport expenditure in the household budget seems essential for passenger transport policy formulation in order to improve their travel conditions and social equity. <br />The literature review and the three case studies (Dar es Salaam, Niamey, Ouagadougou) show that estimates of travel expenditure are partially conditioned by survey data collection methodologies and by the choice of equivalence scales used to compare the standard of living of households. According to consumption and expenditure survey data, the relative amount spent on transport increases as household expenditure rises. Conversely, the share of transport decreases as income rises when analysing travel survey data. The sensitivity to the equivalence scale is tested for several transport expenditure indicators: the share of travel expenditure by household budget quintile, the concentration indices for public and private household transport expenditure and the average monthly expenditure per person on public and private transport. Results also highlight the fact that transport is a major component of household expenditure, that there are considerable inequalities between households and that regular use of motorized transport is unaffordable for poor populations. These findings have implications for both improving expenditure data collection methodologies in the transport area and formulating pro-poor urban policies

Transport expenditure and affordability: The cost of being mobile

“…Empirical evidence suggests that, although transport costs as a share of household expenditure vary greatly across space and time, overall transport expenditure increases strongly with income, but tends to be regressive as transport costs consume a larger share of income among poorer households (for in-depth international reviews see Carruthers et al, 2005, andDiaz Olvera et al, 2008).…”

“…Reasons for this discrepancy include the poor location of many low-income households in the urban periphery (where low demand and long travel distances push up fares) (Gannon & Liu, 1997), and a high dependence on informal transport modes with unsubsidised fares (Diaz Olvera et al, 2008). High transport expenditures are thus of concern because they can compromise a poor household's ability to access needed services and livelihood enhancing opportunities that can lead to an improvement in living conditions (World Bank, 2002).…”

“…High transport expenditures are thus of concern because they can compromise a poor household's ability to access needed services and livelihood enhancing opportunities that can lead to an improvement in living conditions (World Bank, 2002). As evidence of this, various authors have cited the lower trip rates observed among low-income public transport users (Diaz Olvera et al, 2008), unreasonably low ratios of poor households' disposable income (after subtracting food and housing) to the typical public transport fare (Carruthers et al, 2005;Diaz Olvera et al, 2008), and the substitution of low-cost modes, such as walking, for higher-cost modes (Gomide et al, 2005). In South Africa, for instance, more than half of the poorest people walking long distances to work do so because of the unaffordability of other options (Venter & Behrens, 2005).…”

Assessing the potential of bus rapid transit-led network restructuring for enhancing affordable access to employment – The case of Johannesburg's Corridors of Freedom

“…Affordability is a key constraint to mobility among the urban poor, many of whom spend 20 to 30% of their household income on travel (Howe, 2000;Diaz Olvera et al, 2008;Venter, 2011). It makes no sense to examine access or time-based accessibility while disregarding the fact that many people simply cannot afford to travel to a destination.…”

Perspectives for Integrating Housing Location Considerations and Transport Planning as a Means to Face Social Exclusion in Indian Cities

“…The literature on transport-related exclusion provides insights into the relations between (lack of) transportation opportunities, spatial practices, and livelihoods. Its thrust is that residential locations removed from the city centre and its job opportunities result in isolation and poverty due to inaccessibility or high costs of transportation (Anand and Tiwari, 2006;Lucas, 2012;Olvera et al, 2008;Srinivasan et al, 2007;Srinivasan and Rogers, 2005;Ureta, 2008;Venter et al, 2007). Transport-related exclusion occurs when social and economic disadvantages overlap with insufficient access to transportation (Lucas, 2012).…”