Socio-Economic Characteristics and Taxis Services Patronage in Lagos State, Nigeria

Taxi service is a pivotal instrument in public transport and its dominance is highly felt in providing door to door service in place and time utility. It is in respect of this importance that this study examined the socio-economic characteristics influence on taxis services patronage in Lagos State. 304 completed questionnaires were used in seeking information from the passengers on their socio-economic characteristics and variation in patronage using multistage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were used in describing socio-economic characteristics while inferential statistical tools of multiple regression analysis were used to determine the influence of socio-economic characteristics on patronage. It was observed from the findings that there is a strong correlation between the passenger patronage of the Taxi companies and socio-economic characteristics of age (Age), gender (Gen), income (Inc), occupation (Occ) and education (Edu) with R = 0.986) in Uber, R = 0.983 in Oga Taxi and R = 0.974 in Bolt Taxi. Hence, it is recommended that strict rules and regulations guiding routine operation and service delivery to the populace must be adhere to, recruitment and selection of drivers be considered on merit with high level of scrutiny.

Pedestrians’ Sidewalk Development and Level of Safety in Ikeja Area, Lagos Nigeria

Safe and accessible pedestrian sidewalk is significant to sustainable infrastructural development and industrialisation of core of cities in world over. Studies have shown that safety of pedestrian on walkways aid their ability to shop more than sitting in the comfort of their vehicles. The study modelled the influence of lateral separation (LS) (sidewalk separation); volume of motor vehicles (VM); speed of motor vehicle (SM) and vehicular access to adjoining properties (VA) on pedestrians’ level of safety (PLS) along the streets of core area of Ikeja. Fifty-six (56) road segments were observed, measured and field information obtained analysed. Though, LS, VM, SM and VA contributed about 58.1% to (PLS) in Ikeja, the results further revealed that PLS increased with LS distant vehicles (βsd=0.60, tsd=5.14), but decreased with higher VM (βvv=0.20, tvv=1.73) and SM (βsp=0.07, tsp=0.76). It was recommended that a standardised distance of LS from moving traffic and its wideness; the required SM of vehicles and increased investment on pedestrian facilities in urban centre will improve pedestrian safety and as well promote sustainable industrialisation since pedestrian form major traffic of the industries.

An Appraisal of Intercity Commuting Pattern Using Railway Services in South-Western Nigeria

Tracking the influence of service improvements on passengers particularly is an important component of transport management. This study examined the characteristics of intercity travellers in the Economy Class Units (ECU) and recently introduced Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) service within the Lagos District Nigeria Railway Corporation in southwestern Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was randomly administered to 1206 passengers traveling on these trains over two months with analysis in-volving the use of the regression model. The findings of the study indicate the socio-economic characteristics of passengers accounted for about 90.3% and 88.2% of the variation in volume trips made by passengers using DMU and ECU service respectively. Significant socio-economic predictors of trip volume on DMU train are Occupation (0.137), Vehicle Ownership (0.218), and Type of vehicle (0.218). On the other hand, significant socio-economic attributes of ECU passengers that affect trip volume are Age (0.274), Education (0.970), Occupation (-0.918), Income (0.435), Vehicle Ownership (0.249), and type of Vehicle (-0.165). The result further indicates Trip Purpose explained 83.5% and 86.7% of the variation in the trip volume of both services. The trip purpose that significantly influences the volume of trips on the ECU trains are Business (0.210), Shopping (0.447) Leisure (-0.463), and other trip purposes (0.775). For the DMU train, only Other-trip forms of purpose (0.753) is significant in explaining the volume of passengers using that service. The study shows similarities in the use of the two services while several useful recommendations on ways to improve both services of the corporation were proffered.

Intra-Urban Trip Generation Factors in Developing World: A Study of Ogun State, Nigeria

Intra-urban travel is basic to urban residents. It is occasioned by the need of urban residents to carry out their activities in different places either by necessity or by choice. The magnitude of trips generated depends on the complex interaction of socio-economic characteristics of the cities and those of their residents. However, existing knowledge on the subject matter seems to concentrate on the latter to the sheer neglect of the former. This study therefore examines factors of intra-urban trip generation with emphasis on socio-economic characteristics of urban centres as well as those of urban residents. The study is based on both secondary and primary data from 14 selected urban centres of the state. Secondary data on 16 factors of growth of city were collected. These include population, industrial establishments, educational institutions, recreation and sporting services, postal and telecommunication services, health care services and shopping services. Primary data, through questionnaire survey were collected on socio-economic characteristics of urban residents and their trip generation frequency. 2,100 well completed questionnaires were analysed for this study. Simple bivariate correlation and multiple regression analyses were employed to examine the relationships between socio-economic characteristics of urban centres and trips generation. Similar analyses were also employed in the examination of the nature and extent of relationship between socio-economic characteristics of residents and trips generated. Principal component analysis was used in reducing socioeconomic variables of the urban centres. The socio-economic characteristics of urban centres provide a greater explanation of the criterion with 53.80 % (F=13.982 P ≤ 0.05) while socio-economic characteristics of residents provide 46.20% (F=137.62 P ≤ 0.01) of the explanation. The study establishes the need for caution among transport researchers in using socio-economic characteristics of urban residents as major determinants of urban travel especially in the developing countries.

The Use of Matlab in Creating M/M/n/∞ Queuing Theory Model

In our research we dealt with the creation of an algorithm designed to simulate M / M / n queuing systems with endless queues. The algorithm was created in Matlab. When creating the algorithm, we proceeded according to scientific literature, according to which we transformed the formulas into the Matlab algorithm. This process also included the optimization and creation of new outputs based on the analysis of the generated data. The research output is a Matlab algorithm suitable for creating simulations of M / M / n / ∞ systems.

State of Urban Transport in a Nigerian Traditional City

This study appraised the state of urban transport in a Nigerian traditional city. It examined commuters’ socio-economic and transit characterization, assessed the quality of transport infrastructural facilities and services, and identified the challenges of urban transport services in Ibadan city, Nigeria. 163 copies of questionnaires were systematic randomly administered on commuters along six (6) selected traffic-corridors in Ibadan. Both descriptive and inferential (Binary Logistics Regression) statistics were used for data analysis. Major findings revealed majority (about 40%) of commuters were civil servants and earn above 90,000 naira as monthly income. Mean Weighted Value results show that taxi (3.913) and motorcycle (3.756) are dominant and most patronized means. Similarly, the availability (4.075), safety (4.000) and affordability (3.625) were most-weighted factors influencing commuting modal choice, while a trip to work (3.718) and market (3.200) are most generated trips in Ibadan. Meanwhile, most of the assessed infrastructural facilities were of poor quality, while peak/off-peak transit issues (4.050) and vehicular mechanical failure (3.487) were major challenges affecting urban commuting. Binary logistics regression results show that the condition of urban transport infrastructural facilities significantly influence overall satisfaction with urban commuting (p < 0.000). Cox & Snell's R-Square (36%) and Nagelkerke’s R (70%) show that the model is relevant in predicting the relationship between dependent and independent variables. The study concluded that there is a need to improve urban transport system towards ensuring commuters satisfaction and urban development. Hence, recommended among others, integrated transport system with smart devices and improved conventional public transport scheme in Ibadan.

An Assessment of Solid Waste Transportation in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria

This paper examines solid waste transportation in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State. Adequate transportation of solid waste is one of the major challenges of waste managers in Nigeria because of inherent factors ranging from dearth of transport infrastructure to poor attitude of residents. Data were collected through the aid of questionnaires, personal observations, visitations to some villages and towns as well as dumpsites. The questionnaires were divided into two parts: household respondents and solid waste management staff. The data obtained were analyzed using Descriptive Statistics, Factor Analysis and Item Analysis. From the analysis of the data obtained from household and waste management respondents the mean and standard deviation reflect high degree of correlation and concurrence. From the principal component analysis of both the household respondents and waste management staff, there are two principal factors respectively that should be given higher consideration in solid waste management in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area. These factors include waste collection and disposal method, frequency of collection and reliability of waste vehicles. Based on these findings, the study concluded that attitudinal change on the part of the household, government intervention on road maintenances, and adequate maintenance of PSP vehicles will go a long way in reducing the heaps of refuse and indiscriminate dumping of solid wastes in the entire vicinity of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area in Ogun State, Nigeria.

Frequent Flyer Programs – Overview of Existing Models

This paper describes three basic models of frequent flyer programs offered by airlines. Based on the definitions of these models an analysis of airline loyalty programs offered by European carriers was performed. The paper contains conclusions regarding the evolution of frequent flyer programs in Europe. The development process was assessed and prospective advances were identified.

Comparison of applications of Smart City concept in the capital cities of V4

The article deals with the issue of Smart City concept in the capitals of the V4 countries. We have defined technical terms that are related to the issue. In the analysis of the current situation, we focused on individual areas in which the Smart City concept services are provided. Based on the analysis of the current state, we have concluded. The most frequently used applications in V4 capitals are those belonging to the three areas studied. These areas include transport, ecology and re-al-time services. We compared the individual applications provided to citizens in the capitals of the V4 countries. These applications are included in the three mentioned areas of the Smart City concept. Based on a detailed analysis, we defined the advantages and disadvantages of the three most used areas of the Smart City concept.

The Identification Problem of Letterbox Transport Companies in the Slovak Republic

The letterbox companies are a major concern of many interested parties because they can create unfair competition and potentially undermine legitimate businesses by avoiding costs other than social contributions and taxes. Therefore, to ensure that carriers are equal and eliminate unfair competition, the need to improve the checking of letterbox transport companies is essential. The paper deals with the issue of more effective provision of inspections of letterbox transport companies within the Slovak Republic. Based on the analysis of the current situation in the Slovak Republic and based on the research carried out in relation to the existence of letterbox transport companies, the paper deals with the proposals related to their prevention and subsequent determination of the procedure for their checking.