The need for a ‘critical mass’ of users
Before a particular transport technology is common, it can be difficult for someone to buy, use and maintain one. People may be shy and there may be insufficient sales outlets and repair services for easy adoption. It can be a vicious circle, as there will be insufficient users to sustain sales and support services.

There is need to develop a 'critical mass' of users to make ownership socially acceptable and to justify the establishment of service providers

Photograph by Paul Starkey ©One cart — one puncture
Ten carts — one puncture repair service!

To introduce a new transport technology, projects in Sierra Leone and Guinea placed one new ox cart in each of several villages. Many carts stopped being used after their first puncture. The projects should have concentrated the carts in a few villages and encouraged the establishment of puncture repair services.

Photograph by Paul Starkey © Transport repairs in Madagascar: importance of a critical mass

In the village of Anjanadoria, in Madagascar, most of the 850 families own an ox cart but few use bicycles. Two carpenters make and repair ox carts in the village, but no one repairs bicycles as there are few bicycles and little demand. One reason why few people own bicycles is the problem of repairs. Bicycles are taken by cart 15 km to the local market town, where artisans have established small bicycle repair workshops. Ox carts already have a 'critical mass' in that village, but bicycles have yet to achieve this. People anticipate that in a few years there will be more bicycles and a bicycle repairer in the village.

Photograph by Paul Starkey ©Cycles and mobylettes in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso there is now a ‘critical mass’ of users of cycles and mobylettes in Ougadougou and the surrounding rural areas. There are numerous users (men and women) so that there are few social inhibitions and there are plenty of support services for easy repairs.