Charting the Future of Mobility: CDB and AFD Collaborate for Sustainable Public Transport in the Caribbean

Increasing administrative capacity, implementing cashless payment systems and user information portals, and enhancing accessibility for vulnerable populations, form part of a comprehensive framework aimed at sustainably improving public road transportation, presented by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) at the virtual Development of Sustainable Public Transport Systems Workshop on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Public transportation in many of CDB's Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs) currently faces challenges such as inadequate service, unreliability, poor organisation, and limited accessibility for vulnerable populations. Other transport services, such as route taxis, contribute to traffic congestion, pollution, and sometimes violence among and against operators. Additionally, transport infrastructure (bus stops, terminals, maintenance facilities) is highly susceptible to climate change impacts. Urban growth, rising incomes, and increased automobile dependence have led to urban sprawl, underscoring the need for integrated transit and land use planning to reduce private vehicular traffic.

In 2021, CDB commissioned consulting firm MCRIT to assess and propose solutions for creating a sustainable public transport system, using Grenada and Saint Lucia as case studies.

Proposals shared at Tuesday's workshop are based on placing the customer at the centre of the transportation system and include strict quality controls for bus services, a new contract scheme for focused service delivery, redesigning bus networks to include express routes and feeder lines, improved bus stops, and implementing comprehensive timetables.

Additional recommendations involve fleet optimisation, transitioning to environmentally friendly buses, enhancing driver training and working conditions, extending service hours, optimising network design for better coverage, enforcing regulations, reducing traffic congestion, and addressing the high costs of public transport vehicle procurement and maintenance.

CDB's Division Chief (Ag) of the Economic Infrastructure Division, Mr. William Ashby, noted that the current state of public transport in BMCs does not serve the mobility and accessibility needs of the population adequately, adding that the technical assessment aimed to assist CDB in developing sustainable gender-responsive and socially inclusive measures.

"The provision of a sustainable public transport system that is efficient, safe, reliable, affordable, environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible to vulnerable persons, has been challenging for governments in the BMCs. Identifying key challenges and developing strategies to address them while transitioning to a sustainable system in each country will lead to an increase in the viability, efficiency and quality of public transport services to meet the needs of the public," Mr. Ashby said.

The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Regional Project Manager, Financial Systems, Ms Mylene Lerigab, said "This technical assessment will enable us to provide the expected responses in terms of resilient transport for the people of the Caribbean islands and increase the well-being of all, while aiming to reduce carbon emissions and in accordance with the specific characteristics of each island. The webinar also provided an opportunity to promote the regional cooperation highlighted in this project by sharing experiences."

Studies have shown that access to high-quality public transport reduces dependency on private cars, while integrating land use and transit reduces demand for parking spaces, delivering numerous social, environmental, and economic benefits.