Moving in Growing Cities: Barriers to Accessibility in Fort Portal and Mbale

Abstract

Transportation systems can define not only mobility patterns but opportunities for economic development and social freedoms. Informal, privatized transportation systems, which are the primary means of motorized transportation for the majority of Ugandans, suffer from a wide range of systemic issues. These include under-funding, politicization, road safety, and unstable incomes for transportation workers. While these issues are well-explored, however, little attention is paid to the functionality of such systems, and the barriers to accessibility they create for residents. To address these issues, I used a mixed methods approach, conducting a survey of travel habits (n=685) to collect trip data (n=2,023) and following up with qualitative interviews with a wide range of key stakeholders (n=25). The travel habits survey revealed that 90% of trips in both cities are either walking or boda boda (motorcycle-taxi) trips, roughly evenly split between the two, and that cost was the primary barrier to accessibility for residents, followed by poor road quality and road safety. Interviews also revealed a complex relationship with gender inequity, as women carry a disproportionate burden of childcare, as well as the pitfalls of informality. Going forward, this study recommends improving the inclusion of boda boda and taxi operators in local transportation planning, and considering low-cost regulations to register boda bodas to improve safety while keeping costs down.