It’s Time to Take the Bus!
August 16, 2013
Ahmad I. Chaudhary
Rapid motorization and traffic congestion are becoming a major challenge for large cities in the developing world, and generating significant economic and social costs. In Cairo, for instance, the World Bank estimates that congestion costs are as high as US$8 billion or 4% of the city’s GDP. The breakneck pace of urbanization in developing countries will exacerbate this trend, with the total urban population of the developing world expected to double from 2 billion to 4 billion between 2000 and 2030.
Source: World Bank (data compiled in 2012; for some countries only data from previous years were available)
In this context, the role of public bus services is bound to evolve significantly. While bus systems were previously focused on providing affordable transport services to the urban poor, they must now become a mode of choice even for those who can afford a private vehicle, and need to be part of a more comprehensive urban mobility strategy to mitigate the effects of rapid motorization. This creates a challenge: how can bus services meet their social objectives and remain affordable but also provide better service in order to attract car owners and initiate that behavior change?
Read more »Labels: Alumni, Urbanization
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8/16/2013 12:08:00 PM,
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