Examining the after-Effects of the Emerging Toll Road Services in the Horn of Africa: Road Users’ Perspective

Whereas the introduction of toll road services in the Horn of Africa (HoA) region has been celebrated as a crucial initiative for meeting the growing demand for better transport services, improving citizens' travel efficiency and stimulating economic development, academic research has done little in examining how these emerging services enhance benefits and satisfaction for users.The lack of empirical insights restricts operators' ability to improve toll road conditions, customer service at plazas, and emergency response services.This study addresses this gap by conducting an empirical survey among 150 randomly selected toll road users in Ethiopia, a core state in the HoA region.Using a three-factor Transportation Service Quality Framework (TRSQ) and Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), the findings reveal that toll road conditions and safety, and customer service at plaza dimensions measured using multiitem scales significantly determine users' satisfaction.Although rescue and emergency response factors show an insignificant effect, our Importance-Performance Analysis highlights that management should still give this dimension due attention to enhance user satisfaction.Relevant managerial implications are discussed.