Copyright by Louis Gerald Alcorn 2019 The Thesis Committee for Louis Gerald Alcorn Certifies that this is the approved version of the following Thesis: Informal Transit Integration with Planned Transit Systems in Lagos, Nigeria APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Alex Karner, Supervisor Ming Zhang Informal Transit Integration with Planned Transit Systems in Lagos, Nigeria by Louis Gerald Alcorn Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning The University of Texas at Austin May 2019 Dedication To my wife, Lin Rui Li, who inspired this project to begin with and has always supported my intellectual and personal pursuits with all of her heart Acknowledgements I must first start by thanking my supervisors, Dr. Alex Karner and Dr. Ming Zhang, who have been instrumental in my development as an academic researcher. Your thoughtful feedback and commitment to my work has pushed me to achieve things that I struggled to envision upon entering graduate school (e.g. writing a cohesive ~170-page document about buses). Your passion for teaching and research has enriched my graduate experience beyond measure. Additionally, my field research trip to Nigeria would not have been possible without travel grant funding support from the University of Texas School of Architecture. In Nigeria, I want to thank my gracious hosts, Tunde, Yinka, and Amara, for welcoming me into your homes and helping me settle into your city. I want to thank all of my professional contacts for their technical, support, enthusiasm, and continuous engagement throughout my research project. I owe particular thanks to Dr. M. O. Olawole, Dr. Wale Alade, Ladi Ojora, and the University of Lagos students Rotimi, Yemi, and Tina who helped me carry out my fieldwork. Your support and guidance made this research project possible. Furthermore, I want to thank all of the interviewees who agreed to be a part of my case study. The welcoming involvement of LAMATA, LAGBUS, the NURTW, Lara.ng, and academics from UNILAG and LASU provided a rich set of resources and connections that bolstered my results. At home in California, I want to thank my parents, Greg and Laura, whose hard work and planning have privileged me with the ability and resources to travel the world and study what stimulates me. I am eternally grateful for your consistent love and support. v Finally, I want to thank my wife, Lin Rui Li, for many things. This research topic and my pursuit of dual master’s degrees in transportation engineering and planning (a first at UT Austin) was inspired by her. I would not even come close to achieving my goals and objectives in school and in life without her undying inspiration and support. vi Abstract Informal Transit Integration with Planned Transit Systems in Lagos, Nigeria Louis Gerald Alcorn, MSCRP The University of Texas at Austin, 2019 Supervisor: Alex Karner Informal, minimally-regulated minibus services dominate public transportation in Lagos. Local, state, and federal government entities in Nigeria have historically only been able to provide woefully inadequate formal transit systems. The informal transit sector has sprung up to fill this incredible demand. The cutthroat, individualistic grind of this system produces world-renowned problems of inefficiency, safety and, unreliability of urban transport in one of the world’s most populated cities. While build-out of more reliable, safer and more affordable public transit infrastructure in Lagos is imperative and ongoing, it is unclear whether past, current and future projects being carried out by the government are being or have been designed to incorporate informal services for a combined system that can better accommodate travel on a network scale throughout the city. Government agencies preach the need for modernist, top-down imposition of bold, physical infrastructure projects and the eradication of the disorder associated with the informal system. These plans boast a grand vision for the future of transport in Lagos, including the build out of numerous Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes, a 7-line vii commuter/light-rail network, and even a gondola system serving Lagos and Victoria islands. This research takes a critical, post-colonial lens to the complex relationships at play in what currently embodies a competing, dual transit system rooted in institutional corruption. Through this analysis, I distill a potential for a collaborative relationship to develop in this place, leveraging the benefits of both the formal, ordered system and the informal system’s adaptive nature and situated knowledges. viii Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................... xiv List of Figures ....................................................................................................................xv List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................. xxi Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Background and Purpose ............................................................................................1 Research Questions & Objectives...............................................................................4 Research Question 1: What methods of politics and governance can foster the incorporation of both formal and informal transit services into a safe, accessible, and intermodal transportation landscape in Lagos? .......................................................................................................4 Research Question 2: What institutional, structural, or technological methods can be employed to affirmatively design a more effective, equitable, and sustainable public transport system in Lagos? ..................5 Research Question 3: What is the general public perception of the formalized transit infrastructure improvements (e.g. BRT, rail lines, etc.) and the way that they have come to fruiting and how can this inform future development in the transport system? ................................6 Theoretical Framework ...............................................................................................6 Contribution to Academic Research & Practice .......................................................11 Thesis Structure .......................................................................................................12 Chapter 2: Overview of Transportation Conditions in Lagos ............................................15 Introduction: Informal Transit Systems and Formal Transit Plans in Lagos ............15 Danfo 101: How the Informal Transit System Works in Lagos ...................15 Formal Transportation Plans .........................................................................19 LAMATA Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP) ..........................19 ix Bus Reform Project: Phasing Out of Yellow Danfos with Formal Transit Hubs and Fleet Renewal ....................................................22 Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology .................................................................25 Introduction ...............................................................................................................25 Methodological Approach ........................................................................................25 Research Design .......................................................................................................27 General Site Documentation .........................................................................28 Semi-Structured Interviews with Key Stakeholders .....................................34 Informal, Unstructured Interviews with People Using Transportation .........40 Primary Document Retrieval ........................................................................41 Primary Source Documents Obtained in Lagos, Nigeria (2018) Planning Documents/Reports.........................................................43 GIS Files ..............................................................................................44 Engineering Documents .......................................................................45 Relevant Academic Studies & Past Research Efforts ..........................45 Immersive Experience - Participant Observation and Photography .............46 Africa Smart Cities Conference ....................................................................48 Chapter 4: Informal Economies and Their Role in the Public Transport System in Lagos, Nigeria ..............................................................................................................50 Introduction ...............................................................................................................50 Background and History of the Informal Transport Sector ......................................50 Informal Transit Systems in the Global South ..............................................50 Actors within the Informal Transit Sector in Lagos .................................................52 Leadership: The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) ...55 Rank-and-File: Informal Transit Operators, Conductors, and Agberos .......57 x Passengers/General Public ............................................................................59