1. A review of public transport operations in Third World cities

SYNOPSIS. Public transport in Third World cities consists of a wide assortment of modes ranging from traditional man-powered rickshaws and horse drawn carts to the conventional taxi, bus, tram and rail systems of the industrialised world. Demand for urban public transport services is growing at a rapid rate throughout the developing world due largely to growth in city area, population and small increases in wealth. This paper presents a general overview of public transport operations -and outlines some of the key issues involved in its development in the Third World.

INTRODUCTION

In the UK the use of stage bus services has been declining since about 1950. A major cause of this decline has been identified as the rapid increase in car ownership that has taken place over the last 30 years (ref. 1). A more recent study of public transport operations in 117 cities in 16 European, North American and Australasian countries (ref. 2) showed that public transport usage is not in decline in all (developed) countries. In about 60 per cent of the cities studied the number of passengers carried actually increased between 1970 and 1980, though UK cities showed the greatest decline at about 4 per cent per annum. A number of factors affecting public transport usage were examined and levels of subsidy, urban density, levels of migration to the cities, urban form (degree of centralisation) and household size were all found to be important. Forecasts suggest that even in those cities showing relatively modest increases in public transport demand the future numbers of passengers are likely to decline unless the provision of substantial subsidies (and hence service levels is maintained.