Informal Transport

In many parts of the developing world, informal and unregulated transport operations represent a significant (if not the only) mode of public transport available to many citizens. And while providing vital services to large amounts of people – often in regions undergoing rapid growth – informal transport can also present a challenge to transport operators and decision makers to regulate and integrate these services. Furthermore, informal transport networks often go hand-in-hand with private car use – and thus pollution.

For informal transport, different local specificities and lack of infrastructure demand innovative thinking to meet customer needs and expectations and ensure quality, environmental and safety requirements. As informal networks are rather adaptive and resilient, technology can enable great leaps forward when it comes to enhancing this type of transport.

UITP looks at how we can reconcile the interests of operators, passengers and employees and tackle informal transport by transforming services and enabling regulatory and structural reforms. Because while posing certain challenges, informal transport is at the heart of urban mobility in large regions all across the world, making it an irreplaceable form of public transport.