Comparative Analysis of YOLOv5, Faster R-CNN, SSD, and RetinaNet for Motorbike Detection in Kigali Autonomous Driving Context

Abstract--In Kigali, Rwanda, motorcycle taxis are a primary mode of transportation, often navigating unpredictably and disregarding traffic rules, posing significant challenges for autonomous driving systems. This study compares four object detection models--YOLOv5, Faster R-CNN, SSD, and RetinaNet--for motorbike detection using a custom dataset of 198 images collected in Kigali. Implemented in PyT orch with transfer learning, the models were evaluated for accuracy, localization, and inference speed to assess their suitability for real-time navigation in resource-constrained settings. We identify implementation challenges, including dataset limitations and model complexities, and recommend simplified architectures for future work to enhance accessibility for autonomous systems in developing countries like Rwanda. In developing countries like Rwanda, motorcycle taxis, locally known as "moto taxis," dominate urban transportation, particularly in Kigali.