Trade facilitation, transport costs and the price of trucking services in East Africa

Eberhard-Ruiz, Andreas and Calabrese, Linda (2018): Trade facilitation, transport costs and the price of trucking services in East Africa.

Abstract

We examine how increased trade facilitation affects the price for trucking services in East Africa. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data from primary and secondary sources we are able to provide a detailed account of the market structure of trucking services on a key trading route between Mombasa and Kampala, which is used by importers and exporters across the region. We find that trucking services on this route are provided on a competitive basis and that increased trade facilitation would lead to significantly lower transport prices. In total, we estimate that transport prices could fall by as much as 30% from their current levels through a combination of trade facilitation measures that reduce transit time and transit cost to a minimum.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: trade facilitation; transport corridors; East African Community; trucking
• Subjects: F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F14 - Empirical Studies of Trade; L - Industrial Organization > L9 - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities > L92 - Railroads and Other Surface Transportation; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R4 - Transportation Economics > R41 - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion ; Travel Time ; Safety and Accidents ; Transportation Noise

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