{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,4]],"date-time":"2026-10-04T23:51:43Z","timestamp":1791157903444,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,4]],"date-time":"2026-07-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783123200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791158400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":93,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sci Rep"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    Urban transport affordability remains a major policy concern in rapidly urbanizing Sub-Saharan African cities. Despite extensive theoretical work on transport economics, empirical evidence quantifying structural determinants of perceived public transportation cost in secondary African cities remains limited. This study examined the association between economies of scale, road maintenance and upkeep, fuel and energy subsidy, and fare infrastructure integration on perceived public transportation cost in Adama City, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among transport associations, driver training institutions, and regulatory officials (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u2009181; response rate 88%). Data were analysed using multiple linear regression. The regression model was statistically significant (F (4,176)\u2009=\u200963.42,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009&lt;\u20090.001) and explained 59% of the variance in transportation cost (R\u00b2 = 0.59; adjusted R\u00b2 = 0.57). Economies of scale showed the strongest inverse association (\u03b2 = \u22120.41,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009&lt;\u20090.001), followed by fuel and energy subsidy (\u03b2 = \u22120.29,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009&lt;\u20090.01), road maintenance (\u03b2 = \u22120.18,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009&lt;\u20090.05), and fare infrastructure integration (\u03b2 = \u22120.16,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009&lt;\u20090.05). Structural and policy-level interventions targeting system scale, infrastructure quality, and coordinated fare systems may substantially reduce perceived urban transport costs. The findings contribute empirical evidence from Ethiopia to the broader literature on urban transport economics.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-026-60287-2","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,4]],"date-time":"2026-07-04T09:27:34Z","timestamp":1783157254000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Determinants of perceived urban public transportation costs in a rapidly urbanizing African City: evidence from Adama, Ethiopia"],"prefix":"10.1038","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Gemechis","family":"Sima","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Assefa","family":"Belda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7240-7238","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ayalneh","family":"Demissie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"60287_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9780203642306","volume-title":"The Economics of Urban Transportation","author":"KA Small","year":"2007","unstructured":"Small, K. 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Mobilities and poverty nexus: urban transport barriers. J. Transp. Geogr. 54, 334\u2013345 (2016).","journal-title":"J. Transp. Geogr."},{"key":"60287_CR6","volume-title":"Africa Urban Transport Report","author":"World Bank","year":"2019","unstructured":"World Bank. Africa Urban Transport Report (World Bank, 2019)."},{"key":"60287_CR7","unstructured":"United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World Urbanization Prospects. (2022)."},{"key":"60287_CR8","first-page":"140","volume":"31","author":"A Asase","year":"2018","unstructured":"Asase, A. Economies of scale in public transport operations: theory and practice. Transp. Res. Procedia. 31, 140\u2013149 (2018).","journal-title":"Transp. Res. Procedia"},{"key":"60287_CR9","unstructured":"TRIP. The Cost of Poor Road Conditions and Safety Deficiencies. (2019)."},{"issue":"6","key":"60287_CR10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"710","DOI":"10.1080\/01441647.2017.1414899","volume":"38","author":"S Oliete Josa","year":"2018","unstructured":"Oliete Josa, S. & Magriny\u00e0, F. Patchwork in an interconnected world: The challenges of transport networks in Sub-Saharan Africa. Transp. Rev. 38(6), 710\u2013736 (2018).","journal-title":"Transp. Rev."},{"key":"60287_CR11","unstructured":"Venter, C. Public transport system design and modal integration in Sub-Saharan African cities. Volvo Research and Educational Foundations. (2020)."},{"key":"60287_CR12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/frsc.2024.1435705","author":"YB Tazzie","year":"2024","unstructured":"Tazzie, Y. B., Adugna, D., Woldetensae, B., Fryd, O. & Ingvardson, J. B. Exploring the factors hindering the intention to adopt sustainable transportation options in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Using structural equation modeling. Front. Sustain. Cities https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/frsc.2024.1435705 (2024).","journal-title":"Front. Sustain. Cities"},{"key":"60287_CR13","volume-title":"Road Sector Development Program Report","author":"Ethiopian Roads Authority","year":"2020","unstructured":"Ethiopian Roads Authority. Road Sector Development Program Report (Addis Ababa, 2020)."},{"key":"60287_CR14","unstructured":"Ministry of Transport, Ethiopia. Urban Transport Policy Framework. Addis Ababa; (2021)."},{"issue":"8","key":"60287_CR15","first-page":"658","volume":"13","author":"A Tirachini","year":"2017","unstructured":"Tirachini, A. Cost structures in public transport: evidence from bus and rail. Transportmetrica A. 13 (8), 658\u2013682 (2017).","journal-title":"Transportmetrica A"},{"key":"60287_CR16","first-page":"62","volume":"156","author":"W O\u2019Brien","year":"2022","unstructured":"O\u2019Brien, W. & Yazdani, A. Modeling cost efficiency in urban transit networks. Transp. Res. Part. 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Elementary sampling theory (Prentice-Hall, 1967)."}],"container-title":["Scientific Reports"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-026-60287-2","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-026-60287-2.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-026-60287-2.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,4]],"date-time":"2026-10-04T22:59:24Z","timestamp":1791154764000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-026-60287-2"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,4]]},"references-count":29,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,12]]}},"alternative-id":["60287"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-026-60287-2","relation":{"has-preprint":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.21203\/rs.3.rs-8991578\/v1","asserted-by":"object"}]},"ISSN":["2045-2322"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2045-2322","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,4]]},"assertion":[{"value":"27 February 2026","order":1,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"26 June 2026","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"4 July 2026","order":3,"name":"first_online","label":"First Online","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":1,"name":"Ethics","label":"Competing interests","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"Data collection was conducted in Adama, Ethiopia, following the ethical approval granted by the East Africa College, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies Graduate Committee during its meeting held on January 5, 2024. Formal documentation of this ethical clearance was subsequently issued on February 25, 2026 (Ref: EAC\/Ada\/1537). The research procedures were verified to be in accordance with international ethical guidelines and the college\u2019s research policy, and the investigator was authorized to use the findings for publication in peer-reviewed journals.\u00a0Prior to data collection, all participants were provided with a comprehensive explanation regarding the study\u2019s objectives, the nature of their involvement, and their right to withdraw at any stage without prejudice. Following this briefing, informed written consent was obtained from each participant.\u00a0To maintain strict confidentiality and privacy, all interviews were conducted in dedicated private rooms within the Adama City transport sector.\u00a0Data were anonymized at the point of collection using unique identification codes, and no personal identifiers were recorded in the final dataset.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","label":"Ethical approval and consent to participate","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}}],"article-number":"30750"}}