Results & Publications

The transport sector in India currently faces the epochal challenge of mitigating the high demand impacts while adapting to the low-carbon future. With this study VREF and the authors aim to provide a holistic understanding of the various informal and shared mobility modes and services in India with a primary objective of facilitating more efficient, evidence-based policy-making processes.

The study is concerned with shared mobility as a new mobility service emerging in addition to traditional services, drawing on Internet technologies to meet the demand with high efficiency: rideshare taxis, public bike sharing, bike renting, carpooling, car renting, and ride-hailing services (including minibuses) emerging in various Indian cities. The study views conventional informal mobility and the new shared mobility services as one sector contributing to paratransit services for a large population in Indian cities.

India’s informal and shared mobility sector is closely linked with informal livelihood, crucial for many households moving out of poverty. However, severe customer competition leads to road safety challenges, a lack of traffic discipline, and operational inefficiency. The vehicles often need to be better maintained, and the
selective crackdown by the authorities coupled with a lack of efficient regulatory mechanisms add to the ‘informality’ of these services. With the emerging shared mobility market, there is an opportunity to organize this sector with better legislative and regulatory support.

This study aims to provide the most recent overview of this sector to understand and appreciate the issues while building a case for better policy and regulatory support. The present study aims to address these issues by posing the following research questions:

• What is the status of informal and shared mobility services in Indian cities regarding the level
  of service, regulatory frameworks, and emerging socio-economic trends?
• What are the gaps in the existing research, and how can they be addressed in the future
  research agenda for ISM services in India?

The study aims to provide state-of-the-art knowledge of informal and shared mobility in India, drawing on a review of academic and gray literature, dialogues with stakeholders, and data collection with quantitative and qualitative analysis.

This paper by Gail Jennings (University of Cape Town, South Africa) focuses on the state of knowledge and practice with regard to implementing gender-informed mobility planning and policy in Africa. A key question in the paper is: considering that gender equity and inclusivity are explicit policy goals across the continent, why are there currently so few policy frameworks that directly address these issues?

This paper focuses on the state of knowledge and practice with regard to implementing gender-informed mobility planning and policy in Africa. A key question in the paper is: considering that gender equity and inclusivity are explicit policy goals across the continent, why are there currently so few policy frameworks that directly address these issues?

This work is one of two scientific papers on “Gender-informed mobility planning and policy: status, barriers, ways forward” commissioned by VREF. The second paper in this area, authored by Gail Jennings (University of Cape Town, South Africa), is also available, under ”Results and Publications” on www.vref.se.

This is a Summary Workshop Report from the Global Network for Popular Transportation (GNPT), who led a workshop on Paratransit Day (16 March 2023) at the Transforming Transportation Conference in Washington, D.C., USA.

Paratransit Day was co-organized by the World Bank’s Sub-Saharan Africa Transportation Program (SSTAP), Digital Transport for Africa (DT4A), World Resources Institute (WRI), and the Global Network for Popular Transportation (GNPT). As part of the Paratransit Day’s activities, GNPT, which is a project of the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC), ran this workshop – to reimagine the techno-social infrastructure for collecting data on informal and shared mobility in LMIcs. The participatory workshop asked these questions:

• How can we bridge the existing global data gaps on informal and shared mobility in low- and middle income countries?
• What techno-social infrastructure do we need to collect and maintain data on informal and shared mobility in low- and middle income countries?

More than fifty people joined the in-person workshop held at the World Bank offices in D.C. The participants were from different countries. Researchers, program officers, development officers, and transportation professionals were in the room. They represented nonprofits, private companies, development organizations, multilateral banks, and public institutions.

VREF sponsored the event as part of the Informal and Shared Mobility in Low- and Middle Income Countries Program (ISM) . The primary objective of the ISM program is to contribute to strengthening equity and sustainability in urban transport by supporting research that creates new knowledge to inform stakeholders better, to govern, design or develop informal and shared mobility, thereby contributing to better access to goods and services for all

Study prepared by Agile City Partners, with support from VREF:s Informal and Shared Mobility in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Research Program.

 Prepared by World Resources Institute (WRI)  with support from Informal and Shared Mobility in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Research Program, Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF)

After COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, restrictions on movement began to be implemented across the world, including in Sub-Saharan Africa. There has been much speculation on what the long-term impacts of the pandemic on urban transport might be.

The aims of this paper is to: identify the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sub-Saharan African cities; consider the long-term disruptive impacts of the pandemic on mobility and access; and discuss the implications the pandemic has for urban transport policy and practice. To pursue these aims, evidence has been compiled from three sources: findings from a review of 55 published studies; secondary big data gathered by technology companies and research consortia; and a two-wave (n=15) panel survey of experts in Sub-Saharan Africa. ‘Self-perception theory’, ‘land rent theory’, a ‘regulatory cycle’, and ‘time geography’ were theoretical perspectives used to conceptualize possible future impacts, and to interpret findings.

This study was commissioned by the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations to inform the content of the next phase of its Future Urban Transport programme. The aim of the study was to define the subject field (provisionally described by VREF as ‘informal public transport’ and ‘shared mobility’), analyse its bibliometric attributes. The study method involved an analysis of the nomenclature and focus of seminal or consolidating in-field literature to delineate the scope of the study, a systematic search of multiple platforms for in-field English language publications between 2010 and the present, the creation and augmentation of a database for bibliometric analysis, and a survey of leading researchers across eight global regions.

The subject field was divided into four main categories of passenger services (flexible transport, informal transport, shared mobility and for-hire transport), which sit between purely private transport and scheduled mass public transport, and can be found in various guises across the Global North and Global South. The timeline of innovation in the field reveals complex and multi-directional global diffusion of service innovations, triggered by changed operating environments and technology disruption.

It was found that research in this field is growing fast (doubling every four years). The recent literature is dominated by authors affiliated to universities in Europe, Eastern Asia and Northern America at a regional scale, and to universities in China and the United States at a country scale. Shared mobility (and bike-sharing, car-sharing and ride hailing in particular) has received most attention (62%), followed by for-hire transport (17%), informal transport (11%), and flexible transport (10%). Most publications concerning shared mobility and for-hire transport were produced by lead authors in China (19,3% and 44,1%), followed by the United States (15,0% and 9,9%). Most publications concerning informal transport were produced in South Africa (18,2%) followed by India (9,8%), and concerning flexible transport were produced in the United States (13,1%) followed by Australia (9,6%). There has been extensive international research collaboration, with collaboration between research institutions in China and the United States found to be particularly strong, as was collaboration between China and other East Asian countries. Somewhat paradoxically, while the quantity of collaborations with universities in Africa, Latin America, and Western Asia was relatively small, authors from many countries within these regions are most likely to publish through international collaboration. Citation networks between institutions followed a similar pattern to collaboration networks.

Geographical gaps in the literature were found, with heatmaps revealing countries, particularly in SubSaharan Africa, that received no dedicated research attention. While difficult to quantify, there were also indications of thematic gaps in the literature, or at least disparity between the prevalence of a service type and the number of publications about it. Most notably, compared to their global prevalence, bike-sharing, car-sharing and carpooling were well researched, compared to informal for-hire transport and informal public transport, which received significantly less attention.

Given the multi-directional innovation diffusion in the subject field, and the disparity of research capacity and output across regions, it is a field of inquiry that presents rich possibilities for global research collaboration in the next phase of the FUT programme. The survey of leading researchers suggested that: integrating with mass public transport services; serving the needs of vulnerable passengers; regulating service providers; introducing electric vehicles into shared mobility and informal transport fleets; and digitalising aspects of informal transport operations; are priority future research needs.

An Overview of the State of Knowledge

Editors: Gail Jennings, Research Consultant, South Africa, and Jane Summerton, Scientific Advisor, VREF, Sweden.
Introduction by Roger Behrens, University of Cape Town, South Africa

The overall aim of this position paper was to inform the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) and other researchers during the development of a research agenda for the Mobility and Access in African Cities (MAC) initiative. One of the thematic areas identified for future research is that of mobility governance in cities in SSA, which is the topic of this position paper.

Urban mobility systems are fundamental to the oper- ations of cities. Urban mobility systems include fixed material infrastructures (such as road and railways) and services (such as buses, private cars and paratransit). These systems also include the less-concrete struc- tures of governance, such as institutional arrangements, financing, planning, and management of infrastructures and services. The myriad relationships between the structures and practices of governance, the material infrastructures, and the various transport services that use these infrastructures have direct and indirect impli- cations for how cities function.

Objectives of this positionpaper

The objectives of this position paper are to provide an overview of the governance dynamics of African cities and their implications for mobility in cities, to unpack key trends in the governance of mobility infrastructures in SSA cities, and to craft a compelling and interdisciplinary agenda for future research.

POSITION PAPER: THE EXTENT OF THE CHALLENGE

The overall purpose of the position papers in this series was to provide an overview of current knowledge on specific issues related to mobility and access in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) cities, as well as to inform Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) and researchers in developing a research agenda in this area. One of the core themes identified for future research is the public health impact of transportation in SSA cities, which is the topic of this position paper.

Objectives of this paper:

• To describe the extent of the burden of road traffic injuries in SSA cities, in terms of the current state of knowledge;
• To describe the state of air quality in SSA cities, in terms of the current state of knowledge;
• To highlight gaps in knowledge that might be ad- dressed by future research;
• To indicate where key research capacity currently resides within SSA.

The overall aim of this position paper was to provide Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) and other researchers with state-of-knowledge over- views of issues related to mobility and access in African cities. One of the core themes identified for future re- search is System Design and Modal Integration.

Objectives of this position paper:

• To provide an overview of the state of current knowl- edge regarding the design and integration of fixed- route public transport systems in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) cities;
• To highlight gaps in knowledge that might be ad- dressed by future research and education; and
• To summarise the state of research and research capacity around this theme.

The overall aim of this position paper was to inform the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) and other researchers during the development of a research agenda for the Mobility and Access in African Cities (MAC) initiative1. One of the thematic areas identified for future research is that of access and mobility needs among vulnerable users in low- income countries.

The paper was thus commissioned by the Volvo Research and Education Foundations (VREF) with a specific remit to focus on user needs and practices, and equity issues. The commission was based on the prem- ise that there is a substantial knowledge gap, especially in terms of ‘lack of in-depth qualitative studies of actual travel/mobility practices, problems and needs among heterogeneous groups in sub-Saharan Africa’.

The paper is part of a thematic series, which includes public transport system design; the shared transport sector; governance of mobility; and road traffic injury and transport-related air quality in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Objectives of this position paper

• To provide an overview of the state of current knowl- edge regarding user diversity and mobility practices in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) cities, with particular attention to understanding the needs of vulnerable populations;
• To highlight gaps in knowledge that might be ad- dressed by future research and education, with specific attention to the potential for an extended social science contribution;
• To summarise the state of research and research capacity around this theme.

The overall purpose of this position paper is to provide an overview of current knowledge on specific issues related to mobility and access in Sub-Saharan African cities, as well as to inform Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) and other researchers in developing a research agenda in this area. One of the core themes identified for future research is emerging business models and service options in the shared transport sector in African cities, which is the topic of this position paper.

Shared transport takes two broad forms. Collective shared transport services carry multiple passengers using the same vehicle, at the same or during overlapping time; these services typically take the role that mass, sched- uled public transport plays in other world regions. These services tend to rely on buses, minibus and other forms of light commercial or passenger vehicles. For-hire transport carries different passengers using the same vehicle at dif- ferent times. These for-hire options include metered taxis and those hailed and paid for through electronic means.

Pooling or ride-sharing services are a more recent, if not yet widespread, form of shared transport, a hybrid between collective and for-hire shared transport. How- ever, what all of these services have in common, and which warrants their inclusion in this paper, is that they run on a for-reward basis, usually in the form of a fare that the passenger pays for being transported.

Objectives of the position paper

• To outline emerging trends observed in the shared transport sector in Sub-Saharan African cities;
• To describe new business models and service op- tions in the shared transport industry ;
• To summarise the state of knowledge, research and research capacity around this theme.