Exploring Mass Public Transit Adoption for Road Traffic Decongestion and Sustainable Development in the Greater Kumasi Metropolis

This paper explores the adoption of mass public transit (MPT) as a solution to alleviate road traffic congestion for sustainable development in the Greater Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. In this regard, the study explored (1) factors affecting willingness to adopt MPT and (2) association between MPT’s congestion reduction potential and health, economic growth, and social cohesion. A survey of 521 respondents was analyzed using ordinal logistic regression and Chi-square test of association. Ordinal logistic regression indicated that a reliable schedule \(\:(B=0.867;\:P=0.018)\), designated pick-up/drop-off points \(\:(B=0.952;\:P=0.012)\), and the ability to track buses in real-time \(\:(B=1.332;\:P=0.005)\) significantly increase the likelihood of MPT adoption by 2.38, 2.59, and 3.79 times, respectively. The Chi-square test showed significant associations \(\:(P<0.05)\) between MPT’s congestion reduction capacity and sustainable development indicators, including improved health \(\:({x}^{2}=165.02;\:P=0.00)\), economic growth \(\:({x}^{2}=142.91;\:P=0.00)\), and social cohesion \(\:({x}^{2}=174.673;\:P=0.00)\). Based on these findings, a phased introduction of MPT with route expansions, reliable schedules, enforced pick-up/drop-off at designated stops only, and user-friendly apps for real-time bus tracking are recommended.