Rural Travellers’ Time Savings in Developing Countries: Can They be Measured and Do They Matter?

Travel time saving values are generally ignored in rural transport project appraisal in developing countries because of perceived difficulties in valuing them and an assumption of low savings. Excluding such savings for rural projects and their inclusion in urban and interurban project appraisal creates a bias against rural development. Studies in Bangladesh, Ghana and Tanzania demonstrate that the stated preference approach to valuing time savings, supported by studies of local socio-economic conditions, are feasible and produce robust results. The in-vehicle time savings on non-work trips for men vary between 53 and 70 per cent of the wage rate with differences in values between men and women, groups with different income levels and modes of travel. The distinction between working and nonworking time savings also has to be adapted for the rural context.