Earning a living, but at what price? Being a motorcycle taxi driver in a Sub-Saharan African city

Lourdes Diaz Olvera, Assogba Guézéré, Didier Plat and Pascal Pochet ()
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Lourdes Diaz Olvera: LET - Laboratoire d'économie des transports - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENTPE - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Assogba Guézéré: Département de Géographie ; Université de Kara - Département de Géographie ; Université de Kara
Didier Plat: LET - Laboratoire d'économie des transports - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENTPE - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Pascal Pochet: LET - Laboratoire d'économie des transports - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENTPE - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Abstract: Motorcycle taxis have become an essential part of the transport sector in an increasing number of Sub-Saharan African cities. An analysis of the way this activity operates in Lomé (Togo), based on field surveys, provides a better understanding of the reasons for the development of this transport mode. The majority of drivers earn enough from the activity to meet their day to day needs and to invest to increase human and economic capital. The arduous working conditions, the impacts on health and the risk of accidents and aggression explain however why 2 the activity is perceived as temporary and undertaken for want of anything better. There is a need to identify measures to professionalise the occupation and improve its image, and also find the best way to implement them. The occasionally stated goal of doing away with motorcycle taxis in order to modernize urban transport systems would have negative effects on their livelihoods.

Keywords: motorcycle taxi driver; earnings; livelihoods; working conditions; health; survey; Lomé; Sub- Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01325442
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Published in Journal of Transport Geography, 2016, 55, pp.165 - 174. ⟨10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2015.11.010⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-01325442

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2015.11.010

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