Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in

Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana – July 2018 SOUTHERN AFRICAN TRANSPORT CONFERENCE July 2018 Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana A Case Study 10. 7. 2018 TRANSITEC pre-1 -ssd-presentation_satc. pptm

Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana – July 2018 Background Methodology Results Introduction Research carried out in Accra, Ghana Accra. Mobile: a partnership between Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Concordia University, a French NGO, and Transitec, supported by AFD Started in 2015, now in its third phase 2 / 11 10. 7. 2018 TRANSITEC pre-1 -ssd-presentation_satc. pptm

Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana – July 2018 Background Methodology Results from Phase 1 Schematic network map Heatmap of stops density Accra’s Do. T created in 2015 to regulate passenger transport services Very limited data available on existing routes and operators Þ Accra. Mobile initiative was born to create the first map of the network 3 / 11 10. 7. 2018 TRANSITEC pre-1 -ssd-presentation_satc. pptm

Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana – July 2018 Background Methodology Results Headway in min. Results from Phase 2 Headway variations a weekday Phase 2 looked at quality of service from a user perspective Overall reliable and consistent levels of service on average Illustration of the trip variation index But 7% of the trips never made it to their final destination! 4 / 11 10. 7. 2018 Travel time variation � 10 min on 70% of routes TRANSITEC pre-1 -ssd-presentation_satc. pptm

Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana – July 2018 Background Methodology Results Methodology Scope of the case study: one station serving six different routes (≈ 70 vehicles) 1/ Measure the characteristics of a typical trip • ≈ 127 round trips recorded onboard vehicles 2/ Record the number of departures per route • 3, 526 departures recorded over a full week 3/ Determine operators’ and route performance 5 / 11 10. 7. 2018 TRANSITEC pre-1 -ssd-presentation_satc. pptm • By expanding trip characteristics by number of departures

Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana – July 2018 Background Methodology Results Smartphone-based Data Collection Data. Mobile/Itinerum Data collection done exclusively using smartphones Important gains in efficiency and reliability Publication of data on Open. Street. Map (+ GTFS) Limitation of used apps: manual work required to retrieve, clean up, merge, and analyze data Þ Process can be streamlined using dedicated apps 6 / 11 10. 7. 2018 TRANSITEC pre-1 -ssd-presentation_satc. pptm Tap. Log OSM Tracker

Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana – July 2018 Background Methodology Results Passenger Volumes by Section Uneven distribution of ridership, with two routes carrying half of the station’s total passenger throughput Very different levels of service, impacting accessibility of destinations along the six routes Passenger volumes by road segment can be used to target investments or enforcement efforts at critical locations 7 / 11 10. 7. 2018 TRANSITEC pre-1 -ssd-presentation_satc. pptm

Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana – July 2018 Background Methodology Results Vehicle Load Factor Analysis No seats available on first part of outbound trip Þ Passengers have to walk to terminal! Passengers alight before last stop to avoid congestion close to terminal Lower load factors on return trip, since vehicles are not allowed to wait at last stop 8 / 11 10. 7. 2018 TRANSITEC pre-1 -ssd-presentation_satc. pptm

Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana – July 2018 Background Methodology Results Rotations and Revenue 5 to 6 daily rotations recorded on average Drivers only drive 3 -4 hours every day Between half and two thirds of work time spent queuing Average daily revenue is approximately 65 USD Important disparities in revenue (due to differences in time spent queuing) 9 / 11 10. 7. 2018 TRANSITEC pre-1 -ssd-presentation_satc. pptm

Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana – July 2018 Background Methodology Results Discussion A paradoxical situation: Passengers Operators High vehicle occupancy No pickup along the way Maximized revenue/km Large fleet size No lack of supply Low turnover Potential improvements: Reduce fleet size Abandon load-and-go system 10 / 11 10. 7. 2018 TRANSITEC pre-1 -ssd-presentation_satc. pptm Increase number of rotations per vehicle Reemploy removed drivers and vehicles Pick up more passengers along the way Covering operating expenses (fuel)

Understanding the Operational Characteristics of Paratransit Services in Accra, Ghana – July 2018 4/4 Thank you for your attention Simon Saddier simon. saddier@transitec. net 11 / 11 10. 7. 2018 TRANSITEC pre-1 -ssd-presentation_satc. pptm TRANSITEC Consulting Engineers Unit F 3, 1 st floor, 155 Loop Street Cape Town 8001, SOUTH AFRICA +27 21 422 29 70 - www. transitec. net