Effect of Commuters’ Income on the Ferry Operational Costs in Lagos State, Nigeria

Commuters’ mobility plays significant roles in urban economic due to its reliance on the cheapest means and available transportation system from one location to another. Commuters’ income in Lagos State affects the number of traffic generated along waterways during travel behavior such as commuters’ occupation and commuters’ level of car ownership. This study aims to estimate the impact of commuters’ income on the ferry operations in Lagos state.

The research was carried out in four selected waterways terminals in Lagos State. The authors used primary data with the aid of snow balling sampling technique to administered 836 questionnaires at the selected inland waterways terminals in Lagos State. The study used multiple regressions to analyze the obtained data in the study area.

The result of the findings revealed that majority of the respondents representing 63.9% (523) of the sample size had no car. Furthermore, passenger’s income that was measured using passengers’ occupation and passengers’ car ownership had a significant impact on ferry operational costs in Lagos State having R value of .699 (69.9%) and p-value of 0.000. This shows that ferry operational costs can be determined by passengers’ daily or monthly income.

The study concluded that increase in mobility demand along waterways can be experienced when traveling cost is minimal compared to other means of transportation. It was recommended that government should subsidize the freight price and come up with a policy that will enforce usage of ferry service.