With the background of increasing problems of urban traffic congestion and pollution, and the great dependence on public transport for access and mobility, many developing city authorities are searching for cost-effective ways of providing mass transit facilities. Metro systems have been constructed in some 20 developing cities over the last 20 years, and systems are being actively planned in others. During the same period, some cities (including a few which have built metros) have adopted a less costly approach to enhancing mass transit provision, giving priority to buses in order to increase effective public transport capacity. This paper examines the potential for such high performance bus systems in Less Developed Countries, based on case-study material gathered as part of the research programme of the Overseas Unit of the Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL). (A)
Samenvatting