Abstract
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and neighbourhood liveability is dependent on an improved transportation sector. Urban Transport is conceptualized as either mobility or accessibility; thus, it remains an integral part of the improvement of urban livelihood, and act as a bicycle spoke connecting all sectors of a city’s economy. Lack of access to opportunities and/or services, inadequate transport services, and physical or financial inaccessibility to transport options are peculiar to African Cities and have been used to conceptualize Transport Poverty. This study seeks to find the relationship between transport poverty and life satisfaction. The argument put forward in this study is that transport poverty predicts life satisfaction that is a vital aspect of subjective wellbeing. The study will utilise an exploratory, comparative design that will enable the comparison of dimensions of Transport Poverty in Ibadan, Nigeria, and Durban, South Africa. The study will randomly select communities in both Ibadan and Durban; while, data will be collected through an online survey method. The hypothesis that transport poverty predicts life satisfaction will be tested using Structural Equation Model (SEM). Reliability will be tested for individual scales using Cronbach alpha, where alpha value < 0.7 will be deemed acceptable and reliable for analysis. In addition, all tests of assumptions (normality, multi-colinearity) will be conducted. This study will apply confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to measure a number of indices of the measurement model fit. These fit indices include the chi-square probability level (p-value), normed chi-square (χ²/df), goodness of fit index (GFI), normed fit index (NFI), comparative fit index (CFI), and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The following normal academic guidelines for these model fit indices are used: p > 0.05; χ²/df< 3; GFI, NFI, and CFI > 0.9; RMSEA< 0.08 (Hair et al., 1998). Although, the research is an exploratory research and we do not know for certain what the outcome would be like but nonetheless, we expect the following at the conclusion of the research is that the dimensions of transport poverty in both cities are similar. That women and young adults are mostly affected by transport poverty.
