Emerging Business Models and Service options for Motorcycle Taxis: Insights from 10 Cities in Sub Saharan Africa

In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) the rapid and market-driven spread of the motorcycle taxi in the last two or three decades has made it the dominant means of (intermediate) transport in most urban (and rural) settings. Using primary data collected in five SSA countries, as part of a VREF study, this paper investigates the various MCT business models that have emerged and their implications for the overwhelmingly male operators, opportunities for introducing female operators and for the role of policy-makers to regulate, modernize, formalize and support the sector. Opportunities for key stakeholders and policy makers to learn from each other – both ‘best practice’ and what does not work – remain limited at national level, let alone at regional level. This study shows that there are – despite some differences – many similarities between the MCT sector’s operational model and their challenges, so there should be ample opportunity to learn from each other to improve the quality of this now essential mobility service