OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONAL SAFETY EFFICIENCY OF COMMERCIAL MOTORCYCLE AND TRICYCLE OPERATIONS IN MINNA, NIGERIA

Abstract

The tricycle (Keke-NAPEP), the government's poverty alleviation initiative, is a rapidly developing paratransit alternative in Nigeria. Due to the lack of an urban transportation strategy, alternatives such as tricycles and motorcycles have grown in popularity. This study compares the two modes of paratransit for commercial operation to determine how their unique qualities, notably ownership, affect their long-term viability. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 96 tricycle and 180 motorcycle operators in Minna using a questionnaire and a non-probabilistic sampling approach. Descriptive statistics and chisquared analysis were used to analyse the data. Statistically significance difference was found between the Owner - operated paratransit (tricycle N4,860.98; motorcycle N3,503.64) who make more profit than the non-owner operators (tricycle N2,200; motorcycle N1,755.17). In terms of maintenance costs, a tricycle (Mdn = N5,000 per month) costs more than a motorcycle (Mdn = N4,000). Furthermore, more tricycles (89.58%) than motorcycles (33.33%) had their two side mirrors intact and so also the two trafficators (tricycles 90.63%; motorcycles(76.19%). Approximately 14% of motorcycle operators thought their mode was unsafe, compared to 0.56 % of tricycle users. We suggest that the government build a pathway for soft lending programmes to stimulate the acquisition of tricycles for business transportation, as well as upgrade the downtown road network to entice tricycle operators to fill the void left by the enforced ban on motorcycle transportation.