TRANSPORT PLANNING FOR THIRD WORLD CITIES. CHAPTER 3. INADEQUACIES OF URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

This chapter reviews the present problems and inadequacies of urban public transport systems in Third World cities. The problems of matching demand and supply is discussed, covering such aspects as vehicle ownership, public transport capacity, the cost of public transport, the supply of labour and materials to the operator, and the inability of users to pay for the transport anyway. The common public transport modes and alternative modes of transport currently available are also reviewed. It is concluded that the demand for public transport is rising rapidly and in most cases this is not being satisfied. While this may be attributed to limited resources and low capital investment in bus fleets, rail infrastructure and related facilities, low vehicle availability due to lack of sufficient spares, poor maintenance and inadequate funding also account for such inadequacies. The use of large conventional buses within the formal public transport sector is the most efficient use of capital and fuel, coupled with the development and use of railways in the largest cities. Informal public transport systems need to be co-ordinated with the formal sector, and encouraged to meet travel needs where these cannot be adequately met by buses. Regulation of the two sectors needs to be made consistent so as to avoid misallocation of resources. This calls for greater and better co-ordination in policy making particularly among the various city provincial and central government agencies. For the covering abstract of the book see IRRD 829920.