Modelling public bus/minibus transport accident severity in Ghana

Abstract

The current safety concerns with buses/minibuses (public transport) in both developed and developing countries have warranted a renewed interest in bus/minibus safety research. Prior to this, there was a paucity of research in this domain especially in developed countries where the safety associated with buses was deemed adequate. In this study, we examined the factors that influence bus/minibus accident severity in Ghana using bus/minibus accident data from 2011–2015. We estimated the severity of bus/minibus accidents by fitting generalised ordered logit models. Our findings revealed that weekends, the absence of road median, night-time conditions, bad road terrain (curved, wet and rough roads), hit-pedestrian collisions, and drunk driving are associated with more severe bus/minibus accident outcomes. Conversely, minibuses, the absence of road shoulder, accidents in intersections, the presence of traffic control and collision types (except hit-pedestrian) are associated with less severe bus/minibus accidents.