DETERMINANTS INFLUENCING PERFOMANCE OF ALTERNATIVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN KENYA: A CASE OF MOTOR CYCLE TRANSPORT, NAKURU COUNTY

Abstract

Alternative means of transport referred to as boda boda has been widely adopted in the developing countries as an alternative to the conventional buses and minibuses and as development from the non motorized two wheeler bicycles. In Kenya the industry thrived significantly after the zero rating of motorcycles below 150cc by the government in 2007. The broad objectives were to enhance transport and provide employment to the youth through the creation of transport enterprises. However, developments in the industry have revealed a myriad of negative incidences of fatal accidents leading to loss of lives and property including the motorcycles themselves which raises questions on the economic viability of the venture. This study therefore was designed to establish the determinants of successful implementation of motorcycle transport business. The specific objectives of the study were: to establish the effect of education and training on the performance of motorcycle transport business; to determine the effects of compliance to government regulations on performance of motorcycle transport business; to establish the effects of access to business support services on performance of motorcycle transport business and to find out the effects of entrepreneurial orientation on performance of motorcycle transport business. The study was conducted in Bahati Town among boda boda operators. The study adopted descriptive design to explain the interaction between the determinant variables and performance of motorcycle transport businesses. A sample of 77 motorcycle boda boda operators was selected from the population in Bahati Town using systematic random sampling technique. The study relied on primary data obtained from boda boda operators using questionnaires. After all the data was collected, the researcher conducted coding and data cleaning and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages, mean, mode and standard deviation. Multiple regression analysis was then used to determine the relation between predictor variables (determinant factors) and the dependent variable (performance of motorcycle boda boda businesses). The analysis showed that training and entrepreneurial orientation had the positive (Pearson correlation coefficient =.471 and .419) and significantly influenced performance of alternative public transport. In addition, compliance with government regulations and enterprise transport support services (Pearson correlation coefficient =.098 and .419) did not significantly influence performance of alternative public transport. The study revealed that the two most significant determinants of performance of boda boda businesses were the training and the entrepreneurial orientation. Therefore the study recommends for training and increase support services for boda boda operators should not only focus on the technical and business management skills of operators but also on developing their entrepreneurial orientation as a strategy to enhance best practice, performance and growth in the sector.