Determinants of travel behaviour in taxi transport system of Lagos Metropolis of Nigeria

Literatures have stressed the importance of mode choice preference in accurately predicting the future travel demand. Despite having diverse travel needs and challenges coupled with the proliferation of informal operation of car hire services in Lagos over the years, there is still a lack of knowledge and understanding of the intra-mode use behaviour of Lagos metropolitan residents of taxi services. This is necessary to address the numerous challenges posed by inadequate transport supply within the Lagos metropolis. Using the availability of the traditional taxi (Lagos yellow cabs), Uber, Bolt, this study examines the factors that drive a sustainable intra-modal competition through the mode choice behaviour of a diverse Lagos population with residents sampled from selected areas where all the three modes operate within the Lagos metropolis. A structured questionnaire form was administered randomly to 174 commuters to find out the reasons behind their preference and their perception of the service delivery of ride service hailing operators in comparison to the traditional taxi (Lagos yellow cabs). The study revealed that Uber had the highest preference (41.3%) followed by Bolt (36.8%) with yellow cabs recording only 6.9%. Service charge (cost) for taxi service was responsible for 74.1% of intra-modal preferences. The stepwise multiple regression results further revealed that easy access to Uber and Bolt (through the use of ride-sharing apps) and service charge had significant influence on passengers’ intra-mode preference. The study suggests that government should step up action at reviving the ‘yellow cabs’ to boost access to taxi services within Lagos metropolis.