Transcript A Transport Workers* Perspective on Indigenous Transport

A Transport Workers’ Perspective on
Indigenous Transport and Climate Change
Adaptation
Alicia Ames
School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management
The University of Queensland, Australia
Iderlina B. Mateo-Babiano, PhD
School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management
The University of Queensland, Australia
Yusak O. Susilo, PhD
Department of Transport Science
School of Architecture and the Built Environment
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Presentation Overview
• Background on indigenous transport and the current state
of research
• Data and methodology
• Results of descriptive analyses and independent samples
T-Test
• Summary of the key results
• Potential for further studies
Background: Defining indigenous transport
• Integral component of the urban transport system in
developing cities.
• Offers benefits to users and drivers/operators, however
also criticized.
• Defined as modes developed by locals in response to
local demand and is contextualized by local conditions
and cultures.
The formal and informal landscape
Formal
transport
Indigenous
transport
Informal
transport
Current state of research
• Need for stronger empirical base, rather than anecdotal
evidence.
• Limited research on transport workers’ livelihoods and
understanding transport workers’ circumstances, their
service operations and labour conditions.
• Transport workers’ perception on the role of indigenous
transport in increasing the adaptive capacity of cities has
not been examined.
Data and Methodology
• Survey-based research design
• Responses elicited from drivers of indigenous transport
modes
• 113 drivers in Bandung City sample
• 100 drivers in Ho Chi Minh City sample
• Results collated using SPSS
• Generated descriptive tests for all variables
• Assessed whether the means of the two samples were
statistically different using the T-Test
Findings
• Difference in urban scales influenced the niche market
indigenous transport modes had evolved to fill.
• Minibuses (angkot) more popular in Bandung, Indonesia
and motorcycle taxis (xe om) more popular in Ho Chi
Minh City, Vietnam.
• The operational characteristics for the indigenous
transport modes in each study site responded to the
needs of the local population.
Operational characteristic of indigenous transport modes
Characteristic
Bandung
HCMC
16.72 litres/day
6.48 kilometres/litre
1.81 litres/day
43.67 kilometres/litre
Mean load factor
11.43
1.00
Mean number of working
hrs/day
10.00
11.76
Mean number of working
days
6.32
6.80
Mean operation start time
05.54
06.62
Mean operation end time
18.96
18.25
Mean number of
drivers/vehicle
2.31
1.00
Mean fuel consumption
Respondents’ perceptions of the attributes of indigenous transport modes
Bandung (mean)
HCMC (mean)
T-Test for Equality of
Means Sig. (2-tailed)
Convenient
1.75
1.77
8.73
Door-to-door service
4.39
1.68
.000
Accessible
1.88
1.83
.007
Fast
2.24
1.85
.613
Reliable
1.69
2.1
.000
Affordable/cheap
1.78
2.09
.008
Environment-friendly
2.17
2.45
.018
Better connection O-D
1.93
1.95
.862
Provision for heavy
goods
2.57
2.72
.380
Flexible
2.95
1.63
.000
Safe
1.57
1.95
.000
Variable fare system
2.52
2.34
.291
Informal nature
1.46
2.71
.000
Attributes
Summary of key results
• Indigenous transport modes had evolved to fit a niche market in both
study sites – minibuses (angkot) in Bandung and motorcycle taxis (xe
om) in Ho Chi Minh City.
• Divergent demographic and geographic characteristics in the study sites
influenced the transport workers’ highly contextualised experiences and
perceptions on indigenous transport.
• Drivers agreed indigenous transport provides a number of benefits, but
operating conditions were indicative of the regulatory status of
indigenous transport modes and contributed to drivers’ increasing
vulnerability.
• The concept of climate change and climate adaptation is still not clearly
understood by transport workers.
• Respondents concurred indigenous transport had a potential role for
increasing the adaptive capacity of individuals and communities.
Potential for further studies
• Need for further studies to ascertain the potential role of
indigenous transport in climate adaptation.
• Replication of this study around the world could garner a
stronger empirical base of how these modes operate in
the formal and/or informal landscape.
• Investigate the need for a more comprehensive analysis
so as to result in more targeted policy.
Conclusion
• Offered an alternative perspective to the informal
transport discourse.
• A better understanding of transport workers’ attributes and
views is the first step in lessening vulnerabilities and can
serve as powerful climate adaptation leverage.
• This understanding will potentially inform policies on
enhancing adaptive actions and thereby, allow for better
adaptation strategy design.