OWNERSHIP OF CARS, ABILITY TO DRIVE AND THE USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN CAPE COAST METROPOLIS, GHANA.

This paper analyzes the influence of personal/family car ownership and ability to drive on the use the public transport services in the Cape Coast Metropolis with a view to helping in planning all efficient and effective transport system to boost the local economy. It deployed a cross-sectional descriptive design to develop a nuanced understanding of the complexities involved in the relationship between car ownership and ability to drive on the one hand, and the use public transport on the other hand. A survey was carried out on users of public transport users (bus (transports (n = 309) using a mobile phone application “Kobocollect” to gather the data. The findings revealed that the majority of the respondents used taxis and used it twice daily, own a personal/family car and can’t drive, walked to the terminal, spent 5-10 minutes invehicle waiting time and 10-15 travel time. The study further showed that there was a statistically significant association between ownership of personal/family car and the frequency of public transport use. Also, there is a statistical association with the ability to drive and the use of public transport.