Application of Logical Planning Model for Public Transport Improvement Programs in the city of Addis Ababa

Abstract

In countries where the development and improvement of public transport (PT) have many constraints, a Logical Planning Model that deals with a logical representation of a multi-dimensional process is essential. Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is an area of low level of transit availability. The major modes of public transport in the city are buses and taxis and there is no rail transit within the city. Due to many factors, the existing bus service is of a low quality. Limited number of buses, the poor management and financial insecurity of the solitary government owned bus company and an inadequate cost recovery system are some of these factors. Taxis have many constraints in their operation including bad drivers’ behaviour, excessive fare and high accident rate. Limited accessibility, lack of information systems, low frequency, the wider gap between demand and supply and inadequate infrastructure are identified as key problems of the overall public transport service. Therefore, this study has the objective of analyzing the existing situation and prospects of the public transport service and drawing strategic scenarios for future development and improvement. The Logical Planning Model is proposed to plan and evaluate improvement programs for public transportation in the city. Survey analysis, calculation of bus availability indices in each Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) and urban transport project documents are implemented for situational assessment and problem identification in order to use the Logical Planning Model. © 2006, JAPAN SECTION OF THE REGIONAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL. All rights reserved.