CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

• Background to the study

Transportation is the act of moving people or thing from one place to another. Which means an act or instance of transporting or being transported Merriam-website, (2021) Transportation is moving whatever comes out of one location to the next location. That might mean transporting something from a manufacturer to a distributor, or from a distributor to a customer. When reference is made with regard to the last mile from canoes transportation it simply means the transportation of goods from the final node of the supply chain into the hands of the end customer. (Rob O’Byrne, 2012) Whether by land or by sea, humans have always sought to traverse the searth and move to new location. The evolution of transportation has brought us from canoes to space travel. From the first mode that is Boats-Horses and wheeled vehicles- Steam Engine- Locomotive -Submarines-Aircraft which is in existence now. (Tuan C. Nguyen, 2019).

Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve. ICT

exert an effect on road freight transportation through the development of e-commerce, e-

logistics and e-fleet management.

Here, ICTs impact and the role of government, we examine data that addresses whether some

of these trends are already underway, measuring road freight transportation in tons, Ton-Km,

vehicle -km and urban vehicle-km. An increase in freight transportation volume in tons and

tons – km are accompanied by increases in vehicle-km and urban vehicle-km but private sector

efforts such as joint delivery and government introduction of road pricing may work to limit

increase in vehicle-km and urban vehicle-km. (Browne. M, T.Nemoto, T.J. Visser, 2001)

E-commerce will increase consumer demand that may lead to higher demand for freight transportation. Consumer demand is believed to rise because of the spread of internet means saving in transaction cost that lead to lower prices, careful B2B marketing that led to better matching of products with consumer needs, and increase value-added that changes in the amount the consumer is willing to pay. Also, e-commerce will foster increased orders for logistics providers, particularly parcel delivery services. E-commerce will reduce shipping volume (E Taniguchi, Y. Kakimoto, 2004). It creates a need to ship a variety of items as individual units. The fickle consumer wants immediate delivery. Unable to cope with theses demand, more and more shippers who have conducted their own logistics operations in-house are outsourcing to logistics services providers, particularly the parcel delivery service. E-commerce can reduce the volume of freight transportation. Logistics service providers have long communicated over the phone to cooperate in finding backhaul freight for empty trucks. Recently such efforts have moved to the internet and now even involves shippers directly. Load efficiency can be improving and loaded miles increase through joint pick-up and delivery system involving multiple shippers. ITS will improve transportation efficiency. Dispatch centers can access road traffic information as they direct deliveries and routings. This increase their accuracy in predicting vehicle arrival times and improve their ability to respond quickly and accurately to customer requires. Recently, compilation of GPS data has enable route selection and coordination of departure time by day and time that improve the accuracy of arrival times. Real time road traffic information is available not only at dispatch centers but also to drivers through mobile phones. Drivers are now able to contact customer directly. Automatic vehicle Identification (AVI/ AEI) is also expected to contribute to improved transportation efficiency and security.

As the ICT is applied to logistics operations for shippers and logistics service providers, attention is turning to the role of government. In particular, there is the need to develop database of digital road maps and road traffic information systems as a form of public infrastructure. There is also the need for government to better regular transportation demand through information and communication technology. Application might include monitoring of hazardous materials transport or guiding vehicles along low-risk routes using vehicles identification and mobile communication systems.

Statistics demonstrate the increasing role of logistics service providers. The share of vehicle – kilometer fright traffic volume accounted for by commercial trucks has steadily increase from 17.6% in 1980 to 74.4% in 2001. Commercial vehicles carry mix load so they also have a higher loading ratio than private vehicle. Also e-commerce is still growing from nine trillion in 1998 to 82 trillion yen in 2003.

• Statement of research problem

ICTs have considerable importance for transport system, as they provide access to travel and compare transport mode cost, make payment, improve safety and health and to communicate. But the underlying processes are complex and dynamic presenting major problems for road transportation in Cameroon. Road transportation in Cameroon faced a lot of challenges due to misunderstanding of the importance of ICT techno logy on road to result to the following problems.

The induce problem include: lack of organization on how to program their vehicles, negligence and delay, quesse in payment of travelling ticket, inadequate packing space. The above questions have led to the following research questions.

• Research Question

1.3.1 Main Research Question

What are the use of ICT technology in improving road transport in Cameroon?

1.3.2 Specific Research Questions

1. What are the various ICT technologies implemented in order to improve road transport in Cameroon.
2. What is the impact of ICT technology on road performance operation in Cameroon

1.4 Research Objectives

1.4.1 Main Research Objective

The main research objective was to examine the use of ICT technology in improving road transport.

1.4.2 Specific Research Objectives

1. To investigate the various means in which tickets are booked, passengers entertainment and security
2. To identify the ICT technologies use in improving road transport in Cameroon
3. To investigate the use of ICT technology in improving road transport.