Carpooling in West Africa: The Shared Mobility Revolution Just a Click Away!

CIFRE PhD Candidate at Transway UMR IDEES Le Havre Normandy University, France.

Abstract

The article focuses on the potential of carpooling in West Africa, highlighting several key findings. The study analyzes the specific challenges faced by users and carpooling platforms in the region, including the popularity of carpooling, trust and security issues, and the difficulty of finding reliable carpooling partners. By examining different forms of carpooling present in the region, the article highlights formal and informal carpooling models, taking into account differences between urban and rural areas. The analysis provides solutions to overcome the trust, security, and unknown factors specific to West Africa. Through a literature review and a survey conducted with 300 individuals in Cotonou and Abomey-Calavi, Benin, the article examines existing forms of carpooling, the challenges faced, and the issue of the unknown in the region. The study considers socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors that influence mobility in West Africa, providing insights for the future development of carpooling in the region. The results emphasize that carpooling offers an interesting alternative solution for road users in a region where traffic congestion is a major problem and motorization rates are relatively low. The article contributes to a better understanding of the challenges of carpooling in West Africa and proposes development prospects for this practice that is still not widespread in the region.