Assessment of Management Practices Among Operators of Public Transport: Evidence From a Developing Country

Abstract

This study explores the management practices employed by transport operators in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA), a region surrounding Uganda’s capital city. The study employed a qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of road transport operators in GKMA. Using purposive sampling, data were collected from 33 key informants and analyzed thematically with QSR NVivo 9. Verbatim excerpts were included to support and illustrate key themes. The study identifies stage management, real time coordination, customer care service, regulatory compliance and operational compliance as key management practices that enable firms in the road transport industry to navigate their volatile operating environment. The study provides a pioneering exploration of the diverse management practices in a unique transport sector which has received limited
attention in prior research.

Keywords: Management practices, transport sector, road transport, Uganda