Digitalization of the paratransit (trotro) using mobility as a service: What are the adoption intentions of operators and operator unions in Ghana?

Although mobility as a service (MaaS) aims at improving transport service quality for transport users, the success of the scheme also promises certain benefits for operators. For developing countries, the onboarding of operators and operator unions presents a significant challenge to the development of MaaS. This is because most transport forms in these countries are informal and privately owned. The willingness of transport operators to participate in the MaaS ecosystem can therefore be considered a key measure of its success or otherwise. In this study, 181 paratransit minibus taxi operators in Kumasi, and 5 executives of the largest transport union i.e. the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) were interviewed on possible factors that could encourage their adoption of MaaS. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and content analysis. The results suggest the constructs; performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), familiarity with ride-hailing (AF), and social influence (SI) were significant in determining operators' behavioral intentions towards MaaS. These findings suggest that for operators, a MaaS platform that could improve overall job efficiency while being relevant to commuters, would be most ideal for their participation in the MaaS ecosystem. Union executives were however skeptical about MaaS, with their key concern being the possible job losses that it could create, particularly for the drivers' assistants (mates). Given the power dynamics in the paratransit sector, it is safe to say that this skepticism could represent a significant institutional barrier to MaaS adoption, although an MSP could attempt to implement MaaS alongside current paratransit or introduce it gradually among populations inclined to use it.