Public transport, formal and informal, is a vital service relied upon by millions of people all over the world. It is strategically important in the economic and social life of cities and is central to cutting transport emissions. The sector is also a major employer globally creating millions of direct and indirect jobs.
In many African cities, public transport reform projects are underway which have significant impacts on informal transport, the dominant form of public transport. Many people depend on it for their livelihoods, not just drivers or vehicle owners. These other workers are frequently overlooked when considering the impact of reforms on employment and the economy and rarely included in consultations and surveys undertaken by transport authorities.
Transforming informal transport is central to the overall sustainable transport agenda. Overcoming structural problems and inequalities requires policies which address the inter-relationship between passenger services and working conditions for the millions of workers who rely on this sector for their livelihoods.
GLI was commissioned by the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) to write a research paper exploring the potential of labour impact assessments as a means to enhance workers’ conditions in Africa’s informal transport sector. Read more about previous labour impact assessments undertaken by GLI here.
The report ‘Understanding Informal Transport in Africa: Labour Impact Assessments as Tools to Improve Workers’ Conditions‘ explores the potential of labour impact assessments as a means to enhance workers’ conditions in Africa’s informal transport sector – and provides an in-depth conceptual framework to address both the policy and practical opportunities and challenges.
The report details the use of participatory research methods; defining ‘transport worker’ to include all those directly dependent on informal transport for their livelihoods; building partnerships with local academic institutions; supporting constructive dialogue and negotiation between trade unions and transport authorities and most importantly, building participation by trade unions and workers’ associations representing informal transport workers.
This report provides a detailed account of how the methodology has been implemented in different local contexts in Africa, the major findings and lessons learned, and provides an in-depth conceptual framework to address both the policy and practical opportunities and challenges.
The paper was presented and discussed at an online VREF Research Forum titled ‘Unlocking better work conditions in the informal transport sector through labour impact assessments’ on 12th February at 1-2:30 PM GMT.