5 Global Examples of Public Transport Authority Success
The success of a public transport project is defined before the first passenger ever boards. Developing and overseeing the creation of quality mobility systems is a key task of public transport authorities.
Authorities can provide the global vision, define working governance models, and successfully bring together industry and operators.
Explore just five – of many – examples of authorities who used the power of public transport to transform their cities for the better.
Barcelona & Private-Public Buses
Barcelona’s AMB – responsible for over 3.3 million residents – combines TMB’s publicly operated bus services with private bus routes under 10-year contracts. While TMB operates some 1,100 vehicles, several private firms operate around 900 buses under AMB supervision.
This hybrid model lets AMB define service levels and retain public control over assets, while using competition to improve efficiency, extend coverage, and ultimately deliver quality bus services. The results? More trips made using public transport. In 2025:
- 220 million journeys on TMB buses, up 2.1% (more than ever)
- 121 million journeys served by private operators, up 7.4%
Leading up to 2030, future plans include up to 24km more dedicated bus lanes and steps toward a zero-emission fleet.
Beijing & Improved Network Integration
With 27,000+ buses and over 1,000 routes, Beijing boasts one of the world’s largest public transport networks. At the same time, shifting mobility habits, increased vehicle ownership, and the growth of shared mobility has seen the modal share of public transport decrease.
Surveys identified long walks and waits as key barriers to public transport use. So to improve accessibility, the city is prioritising integration and targeting major interchange hubs – some serving more than half a million passengers every day.
Beijing has moved bus stops closer to subway exits, improved interchange design, and expanded and enhanced feeder bus routes. And here’s what changed so far:
- 25 seconds cut from the average transfer wait
- 2% more bus stops within 50m of metro stations
- 92.1% of rail stations with a bus stop less than 50m away
San Francisco & Low-Cost Bus Infrastructure Pilots
SFMTA is leading the fastest expansion of public transport priority in the city’s history. Since 2020, the city’s Muni Forward plan has guided the implementation of over 43km new or improved dedicated lanes. While the authority is focusing on rapid bus lines, more than 90% of the city’s residents benefit from the improvements.
Guided by the “3 Ps” framework (Partner, Pilot, Persist), the city has taken quick-build measures such as dedicated lanes and signal priority to rapidly test and refine actions. In short, low-cost reversible pilots and performance-based iteration.
- 34% higher ridership in 2025 vs 2022 on targeted corridors, outpacing other lines
- 31% faster journey times on the 14 Mission line
- 51% less variability in journey times along 19th Avenue
- 59% cut in pedestrian collisions
- Highest customer satisfaction ever recorded by SFMTA, with trip times and reliability up in particular
Join the North America Forum on 28-30 October 2026 for insights with transit leaders, public authorities, industry suppliers, and policymakers.
Schleswig-Holstein & Rural Mobility Using DRT and AI
Schlei in the north of Germany: in 2024, the rural region’s authority launched a DRT service called SMILE24 to bring on-demand, door-to-door mobility to 120,000 people. This project brought together the authority NAH.SH, county transport planners, municipal councils, and Deutsche Bahn’s subsidiary Yoki.
In short, residents can book a pooled ride on a zero-emission shuttle where fares cost the same as the bus. And to improve the service’s viability, ridership data is then used by an AI to forecast commuter peaks and cut empty runs. AI finetunes pooling parameters, replacing manual guesswork and enabling predictive scheduling.
The results? SMILE24 attracted 350,000 journeys as of August 2025. Since then, the shuttles have become a permanent reality in the region continuing to serve 5,000 trips every week.
Rio de Janiero & The Benefits of Light Rail
Rio de Janeiro is home to some 6 million people – and today close to 100,000 daily passengers ride its light rail network. Inaugurated in 2016 ahead of the Olympic Games, the VLT Carioca has completed over 1.3 million trips.
The system, consisting of 30 stops spanning 28km, has been a powerful catalyst for urban development. For starters, it was designed to reduce bus and private vehicle dependency downtown. As well, it is powered via a third ground rail, or APS, which eliminates the need for overhead wires and preserves the historic urban landscape.
The VLT Carioca has become a vital link for the broader network, connecting with commuter trains, the metro, ferries, and bus terminals, including Terminal Intermodal Gentileza, one of the city’s main mobility hubs. In effect, this connects downtown to the densely populated but far away West Zone. Rio’s holistic and multimodal strategy has paid off:
- 37,000kg cut in CO₂ emissions from reduction of bus operations
- 53 minute time saving on a trip from the North Zone to downtown – a gain of 32%
- 87.7% public satisfaction as recorded in a 2025 survey
Global insights in a regional context – join public transport leaders at the Latin America Forum on 16-19 November 2026.
