Measuring individuals' travel behaviour by use of a GPS-based smartphone application in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

A range of mega-cities in the Global South have started to invest in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, as a complement or replacement for informal paratransit services, in an effort to improve the mobility and accessibility in the city. Yet, few studies have tried to analyse the impact of such systems on the mobility patterns of cities' residents, in part because traditional travel diary surveys are often too expensive to conduct and unsuitable to capture spatial mobility patterns in fast growing cities with a high level of informality in spatial development. In this study, we analyse the applicability of a new method of data collection, i.e. a GPS-based smartphone application, to capture individuals travel behaviour in fast growing mega-cities in the Global South. Our case study is the city of Dar es Salaam (DES) in Tanzania, where the first BRT line is currently being implemented. In our study, the GPS-based app was used by individuals in DES to record distances, departure times and destinations of their trips. Socio-demographic data of respondents were recorded in short questionnaires. The spatial distribution of the trip patterns shows the mobility demand in both high and less connected areas. The results reveal a variation in departure times, travel destinations and trip distances that are one the one hand spatially limited within neighbourhoods and away from the planned BRT, and on the other hand along major roads connecting to the Central Business District (CBD). The short average distances of the trips (< 3 km) reveal the characteristics of paratransit modes. The GPS-based smartphone application provides an opportunity to policy makers to engage deeply with the spatial reality of local communities, as a basis for transport investments and policy improvements as steps towards an integrated public transport system.