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Sustai
There is a growing consensus on the need for more sustainable patterns of transport activities. This requires a fundamental shift in investment patterns, based on the principles of avoiding or reducing trips through integrated land-use and transport planning. Moreover it is necessary to shift to more environmentally friendly modes of transport and improving vehicles and fuels, which is seen as a priority to reduce urban air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. In order to reduce volumes of traffic and emissions, regulations and standards, environmental friendly technologies and concepts for public transport and 'green cities' have to be implemented. UNEP supports governments and partners in implementing policies, technologies and investments that lead to low-carbon, green transport on the ground.
Share the Road is the UNEP-led initiative that advocates a systematic inclusion on non-motorized transport (NMT) infrastructure in urban road investments as a matter of policy. It combines the agendas for mitigating climate change, improving road safety and increasing accessibility to essential services by investing in NMT infrastructure.
The Global Initiative on Promoting Bus Rapid Transit and Promoting Sustainable Transport in Latin America aims to facilitate the shift from private motorization to public and non-motorized transport. Another initiative is The Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles, which has been coordinating programmes that aim at reducing vehicular emissions in developing countries to improve urban air quality.
UNEP also supports the "Make Roads Safe - Campaign for Global Road Safety" which addresses politicians, international institutions, vehicle manufacturers and road planners. It aims to reduce road deaths and injuries with a focus on developing countries, poor communities and children. https://www.unep.
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Transforming Urban Mobility ......Learning from Pune's Pioneering Electric Bus Procurement RMI India April 28, 2022 Having grown up in Pune, I know the city like the back of my hand. Referred to as the “Oxford of the East” for its renowned educational institutions, I fondly remember many lunchbreaks standing on the sidewalk at a tapri (stall) outside my school, sipping chai and eating vada pav (a deep-fried potato dumpling sandwich) as two-wheelers, autorickshaws, and buses sped by. However, diesel exhaust surrounded us — the fumes blending with the streetside aroma of cardamom and chilies. Fast forward to 2019. After almost five years away from home studying transport planning in Europe, I noticed a surprising evolution in the city’s mobility system when my close friend and I were reminiscing over a cup of chai at the exact same tapri: a local bus zipped by without a sound or tailpipe emission. “When did Pune get electric buses?” I asked my friend. That moment piqued my curiosity; I wanted to understand the story behind Pune’s electric buses (e-buses). When I joined RMI India in June 2021, I started supporting our work on decarbonizing urban mobility in Pune. Thanks to our partnership with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and inspired by an e-bus working group at an Urban Mobility Lab workshop co-hosted by the PMC and RMI in October 2018, we received an opportunity to dive deeper into Pune’s e-bus procurement. Our case study report, Pioneering Electric Buses in Pune: A Case Study of the City’s Initial Procurement and Operations, offers insights and points of reference on the forms of interagency coordination, policy support, business model design, tendering and contracting terms, and infrastructure planning to enable e-bus adoption in Indian cities.
e-Bus Procurement......Pune’s public transport agency, Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), joined hands with PMC, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), and Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL) in 2018 to procure e-buses for the city in a bid to combat local air pollution and promote public transport. Pune procured e-buses in two phases. First, PMPML issued two tenders in September and December 2018 for 150 e-buses — 25 units of 9-meter (30-foot) air conditioned (AC) e-buses and 125 units of 12-meter (40-foot) AC e-buses. Second, PMPML issued two more tenders for 350 and 150 units of 40-foot AC e-buses in July 2019 and September 2020, respectively. As of March 2022, 220 e-buses are operating in PMPML’s fleet, making it one of the largest e-bus fleets in the country. PMPML also has commissioned three fully operational e-bus depots, including India’s first all-electric bus depot at Bhekrainagar.
Lessons Learned......Pune’s e-bus adoption can teach us many things about electrifying bus fleets, including the importance of political leadership, the economics of electrification, the improved health impacts, and passenger experience.
- Political leadership is critical to adopting transformative urban mobility solutions: Pune is recognised as a leader in urban mobility. The city administration takes a citizen- and environment-centric approach to planning and implementing clean mobility initiatives. For e-buses, senior leaders of the PMC, PCMC, PSCDCL, and PMPML came together to form a working group and were the architects of the city’s commitment to procure e-buses for its public transport fleet. Regular meetings and clear delineation of roles and responsibilities ensured efficient decision-making and coordinated activities.
- The gross cost contract (GCC) model can accelerate e-bus adoption: In PMPML’s procurement, they used the GCC model. Under the GCC model, PMPML pays the operator a per-km fee for a bus service on specific routes. PMPML provided land and depots for charging, parking, and maintenance, as well as requirements for reliable power supply. The operator provides buses, drivers, charging infrastructure, fueling, and maintenance. By removing the capital cost and operational requirements, the GCC model significantly reduces financial and technological risks.
- Total cost of ownership (TCO) of e-buses can be lower than diesel counterparts: The total cost of ownership (TCO) of a 40-foot, air-conditioned e-bus in Pune without government incentives is estimated at US$0.74/km — about 6 percent lower than a comparable diesel bus at US$0.78/km. With government incentives from PSCDCL and FAME II, TCO is 15 percent lower than diesel and more economical than compressed natural gas (see Exhibit 2) in the article.
Electric buses can have a positive impact on air quality and public health: Electrifying a bus fleet can reduce local air pollution and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.....read on https://rmi.org/transforming-urban-mobility/
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Metro Vancouver's Regional Transportation Strategy, Transport 2050, is aligned with and supports the region's growth strategy, Metro 2050, to create a more livable and sustainable region. This alignment involves coordinating land use and transportation planning to encourage development in urban centers and frequent transit areas, supporting various modes of transportation, and considering the impact of infrastructure on public health.Guided by our Regional Transportation Strategy, we work to connect the region and enhance its livability by planning a sustainable transportation system. But transportation doesn't just mean transit — we're also responsible for walking, cycling, major roads, and bridges. - https://www.translink.ca/plans-and-projects/strategies-plans-and-guidelines/transit-and-transportation-planning
Translink administers and is responsible for all transit that connect the towns, municipalities and dense urban nodes spaced along the transit lines within Metro. A more detailed transit line breakdown:
SkyTrain: Expo Line: Connects downtown Vancouver to Surrey, New Westminster, and Burnaby.
Millennium Line: Serves Burnaby, Port Moody, and Coquitlam.
Canada Line: Links downtown Vancouver to Richmond and Vancouver International Airport.
Buses: Extensive network: TransLink operates a comprehensive bus network throughout the city and surrounding areas.
RapidBus: Select bus routes offer limited-stop service for faster travel.
SeaBus: Water transit: Connects downtown Vancouver to North Vancouver with frequent sailings at every 15 minutes
West Coast Express: Commuter rail: Provides service from downtown Vancouver and beyond Metro to Mission, with stops in several eastern suburbs and towns
Ferries: False Creek Ferries:Small passenger ferries operating on False Creek, connecting various points like Granville Island and Yaletown.
Aquabus: Another operator of ferries on False Creek, offering similar routes and services.
Millennium Line: Serves Burnaby, Port Moody, and Coquitlam.
Canada Line: Links downtown Vancouver to Richmond and Vancouver International Airport.
Buses: Extensive network: TransLink operates a comprehensive bus network throughout the city and surrounding areas.
RapidBus: Select bus routes offer limited-stop service for faster travel.
SeaBus: Water transit: Connects downtown Vancouver to North Vancouver with frequent sailings at every 15 minutes
West Coast Express: Commuter rail: Provides service from downtown Vancouver and beyond Metro to Mission, with stops in several eastern suburbs and towns
Ferries: False Creek Ferries:Small passenger ferries operating on False Creek, connecting various points like Granville Island and Yaletown.
Aquabus: Another operator of ferries on False Creek, offering similar routes and services.
But transportation doesn't just mean transit — we're also responsible for walking, cycling, major roads, and bridges
Other important aspects: Compass Card: TransLink utilizes a Compass Card system for fare payment, which can be used on all modes of transportation.
TransLink Trip Planner: A tool is available to plan trips and find the best routes using all modes of public transit.
Accessibility:TransLink strives to make its services accessible, with elevators and ramps at most SkyTrain stations and priority seating on buses
TransLink Trip Planner: A tool is available to plan trips and find the best routes using all modes of public transit.
Accessibility:TransLink strives to make its services accessible, with elevators and ramps at most SkyTrain stations and priority seating on buses
SkyTrain: The Mark V rolls into service. July 10, 2025 - MediaRelease https://www.translink.ca/news/2025/july/a%20new%20era%20for%20skytrain%20the%20mark%20v%20rolls%20into%20servicea
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Where Public Transit Systems Are Bouncing Back Around the World. Across the US and Latin America, subways still see lower ridership and financial pain. But a data analysis shows that passenger counts are higher than ever in some European and Asian cities. Bloomberg Aaron Gordon and Marie Patino June 5, 2025 Five years after the pandemic began, many US transit agencies are teetering over a “fiscal cliff” as rail ridership hovers at about 70% of its pre-Covid levels nationwide, straining agency budgets from lost fare revenue. To some, that might seem an inevitable post-pandemic side effect. But looking at transit data around the world confounds that narrative. Subway ridership came booming back in many European and East Asian cities, while much of North and South America remains well below pre-pandemic levels, according to a Bloomberg analysis of 15 major transit systems on four continents.Why are some public transit agencies thriving post-Covid while others are on the verge of drastic service cuts? There’s no one answer, but differences in transit’s design, purpose and government support are illuminating. The biggest change in the transportation landscape from 2019 to 2024 has been hybrid and remote work, and some transit systems absorbed the loss of commuters better than others. Systems designed primarily to funnel office workers to a downtown business district have had less flexibility to replace lost commuters than more comprehensive systems that are also convenient for recreation or errands. Some cities benefited from favorable government policies that slashed fares, while others lost riders because fares increased. And systems with fast, frequent service generally won riders back at a higher rate. To be sure, this is a small sample of dozens of major transit systems around the world. And it does not include other public transit modes such as commuter railroads and bus networks, which can be more difficult to directly compare between cities and countries. But it provides a window into why some transit systems are thriving in the post-Covid landscape while others struggle.
Working From Home, or Transit Hardly Working?.......In the US, the go-to explanation from transit agencies on why ridership has not bounced back post-Covid is changing work patterns. In San Francisco, Bay Area Rapid Transit spokesperson Jim Allison said the concentration of tech, finance and business employers means the region has a high rate of remote work adoption. He said 76% of riders from October 2019 were still taking BART in October 2024, but those riders were taking 46% as many trips as they did five years before. San Francisco’s office occupancy rate is one of the lowest in the US and about 10% lower than the national average, according to data from the building security firm Kastle Systems. “What that tells us, we think, is people are not using BART to go five days a week into the office — they’re using it two or three times a week,” Allison said. “We think that is the biggest factor.” Other US agencies have a similar interpretation. The New York City subway is a unique beast in the transportation landscape, accounting for one out of every four public transit trips in the entire US. As a result, the New York City subway is more often compared to its international peers in major global cities.
But in talking about the effects of Covid on ridership, executives sound more like other US cities. “Hybrid work is here to stay. We’re not about to get back to pre-Covid levels,” said New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chief Executive Officer Janno Lieber during last July’s budget process. “But we do know this: People are taking transit.” The New York subway’s ridership is about three quarters of its pre-pandemic levels, but the number of subway trips per capita is about the same as it was in 1990, the year the number of murders in New York City hit an all-time high. (The subway has also been grappling with the perception of rampant crime despite statistics providing a murkier picture. There were 2,245 murders in 1990 citywide compared to 377 in 2024. It’s not clear to what degree that perception significantly impacted ridership.Regardless, looking internationally complicates the work-from-home narrative. London, for example, has a similar work rate to New York, according to recent surveys of office workers. Yet London’s weekday transit ridership has recovered about 10% more than New York’s. And despite having some of the highest work-from-home rates in Europe, Helsinki had recovered 90% of its ridership before major planned infrastructure repairs in the summer of 2024 shut down parts of the system. In Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, work from home is less prevalent but still a factor in commuting patterns......read on https://www.bloomberg.com/
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Public transit becoming the primary mode of transportation in Metro Vancouver. Mass Transit May 23, 2025 Recent data from TransLink’s 2024 Transit Service Performance Review shows a three percent increase in public transit use from 2023 to 2024 compared to a one percent increase in driving. New data from TransLink’s 2024 Transit Service Performance Review (TSPR) shows more people in Metro Vancouver are choosing public transit over driving as their primary option to get around. According to the data, there were 7.7 million more trips on transit in 2024, an increase of more than three percent over 2023, outpacing a one percent increase in driving across the region. “As Metro Vancouver continues to grow, more people are turning to transit instead of driving, which is a reflection of our system’s reliability,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. “Our 2025 Investment Plan is key to keeping this momentum going and meeting the demand of a growing region.” The TSPR is an annual snapshot that tracks patterns and trends of how and where people are using transit across the network. TransLink notes driving data was based on estimated vehicle crossings from eight major bridges and the George Massey Tunnel.
Regional trends.......
- TransLink says it continues to rank among the highest-performing transit agencies in North America, as it is the second highest per capita transit ridership in Canada, surpassing the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and just behind Greater Montreal, and the third highest total bus ridership across all Canadian and American transit agencies despite a smaller population than most agencies.
- More major events at BC Place and Rogers Arena resulted in a growth in ridership by 29 percent at Stadium–Chinatown SkyTrain Station in 2024. The Taylor Swift concerts brought in record-breaking ridership, as Stadium–Chinatown saw the most riders ever recorded over a three-day period, with 116 percent ridership increase at Stadium–Chinatown and a 64 percent increase in SeaBus ridership.
- RapidBus drove significant ridership growth in 2024, making up 15 percent of all bus boardings across just six routes. Four of the RapidBus routes were among TransLink’s top 10 most used routes. Last year RapidBus routes averaged 20,600 daily boardings in 2024, more than five times the average daily boardings of the average local bus route (3,900 boardings).
Subregional highlights......read on https://www.masstransitmag.
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- How Fleets Can Electrify Light-Duty Commercial Vehicles.
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