The diffusion of e-hailing services in African cities. Profile, adoption dynamics and impacts on mobility and access to the city for young Loméans

Since the introduction of Uber in South Africa in 2013, e-hailing services have spread to the mobility systems of many African cities. This development has given rise to a growing body of literature, but little attention has yet been paid to young people. Yet young people face major mobility problems, linked to limited resources and largely inadequate transport services. This article looks at young users of the Gozem e-hailing service in Lomé (Togo), studying their profile, their reasons for adopting the service, the effects on their mobility practices and, more broadly, on their access to the city. It is based on a questionnaire survey of 266 people aged between 15 and 34, supplemented by 10 in-depth interviews. The results show that young e-hailing users in Greater Lomé are generally well-educated and have financial resources and access to a motorised mode of transport (often a motorbike and rarely a car) that are generally higher than the average for residents. The service is adopted mainly for its practicality and its qualities in terms of safety, comfort and social prestige. It improves mobility and makes it easier for young Loméans to access ‘ordinary’ urban amenities (work, study, leisure and shopping), particularly during rush hour and at night. However, because of its cost, it is not used very often and mostly for individual or group journeys that would not otherwise have been possible or that would have been made by motorbike taxi, shared taxi or private motorbike. Under these conditions, e-hailing appears to be a means of consolidating the place of the car in the mobility practices and imaginations of young Lomé inhabitants.