Overview
The booming urban populations in African cities together with over 15 years of total neglect of the public transport sector have resulted in chaotic, un-sustainable and time- and money consuming transport systems. Some research results (e.g. UITP Millennium Cities Database) suggest also that beside the environmental impact, this inefficient transport system cost probably up to several tens of percentages of the GDP of the African countries.
A first objective of this project therefore is to research the impact of public transport on African cities more detail, in order to use the findings to organise strategic support actions to convince the political decision takers and international agencies to invest in a sustainable and cost-efficient transport system for the African cities. These last 2 years the key members of the African Association of Public Transport (UATP), have bought together over 2 000 new buses which shows there is a strong revival. Though, the lack of orders during the last 15 years and the changed and diverging requirements from both Europe and Africa made that the (European) supplying industry has no adequate vehicles available for the African urban public transport market.
The second main objective of this project will be to define the technical specifications for public transport vehicles to be operated in Africa, in order to facilitate and speed up the development and production process, reduce delivery times and prices and not in the least allow the African operators to work with adapted vehicles. Though, a lot of work still needs to be done in this newly revived sector.
Therefore the third main objective of this project proposal is to define the research roadmap for public transport in Africa, in order to support the recent re-launch of public transport after nearly 20 years of decline.
The project thus will help to prepare the future community research and technological development policy.