Dynamics of Informal Transport Sector Governance and Its Implications for Urban Mobility Planning in Onitsha

Informal transport sectors in Nigerian cities operate under complex governance arrangements involving transport unions, local government bodies, and informal regulatory structures that have significant implications for urban mobility planning. This study investigates the dynamics of informal transport sector governance in Onitsha, Anambra State, South East Nigeria, and analyses its implications for formal transport planning interventions. An institutional analysis and development framework is employed, combining semi-structured interviews with 35 transport union officials, local government transport officers, and market association leaders with documentary analysis of transport union regulations and revenue allocation records. The study maps formal and informal rule systems governing vehicle entry to routes, fare setting, driver conduct, and terminal management, and analyses how these structures interact with state government transport regulations. Findings reveal a multi-layered governance structure in which transport union rules frequently supersede formal government regulations in day-to-day operations. Union governance provides a degree of operational order but also creates monopolistic barriers to entry that inflate fares and restrict service innovation. Formal planning interventions have repeatedly failed in Onitsha due to the absence of union buy-in, a pattern not previously systematically documented in the academic literature on South East urban transport governance. Recommendations include co-governance frameworks that formalise union participation in planning processes, incentive structures for unions supporting service quality improvements, and gradual formalisation pathways that preserve beneficial union governance functions. Keywords: informal transport governance, transport unions, urban mobility, Onitsha, institutional analysis.