Abstract
This paper looks at the structural crisis for urban public transport systems serving cities who are experiencing fast urban and demographic growth. A fundamental reorganization is called for to link up the various modes coherently, forming networks which can cater to the high volumes of traffic generated by these cities, with populations often over a million. Upgrading these systems and providing for their future development means that work needs to start right now on rethinking their financial and institutional frameworks. Although expensive in terms of capital, environmental gains will certainly be made. (A) The English title of this paper is: Urban public transport in the developing countries : current crisis and outlook.