Transport Notes

53 items available

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/10986/9432

The goal of Transport Notes series is dissemination of recent experiences and innovations in the World Bank Group’s transport sector operations.

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 45

Twists and Turns: New Business Models
(International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC, 2020-01) Graham, John
Electric buses have been the fastest-growing electric vehicle segment over the past five years by a wide margin. The market is changing quickly as both national and local governments make new commitments to address climate change and the horrific air quality conditions that plague some cities. To convert these ambitious commitments into reality, there is need of investable and bankable business models that work on a standalone basis. The state-heavy model, complete with lavish subsidies, won’t work for developing countries. So, the marketplace needs to invent the wheel here. Based on the early work on electric vehicles, what are some of the business models taking shape are presented in the report.
Bumps in the Road: Challenges to E-bus Implementation
(International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC, 2020-01) Graham, John
Dozens of municipalities are experimenting with e-buses, while some last-mile delivery companies are using pilot fleets to test performance. At the same time, a smaller group of operators are pushing ahead with more drastic, big bang efforts to put dozens or even hundreds of electric vehicles into service. The authors saw how some locations have already reached total cost of ownership (TCO) parity, while other places will require further reductions in costs and perhaps some forward-thinking tax and tariff policies. The bad news is that the track record for electric buses to date has been mixed, and e-bus adoption has not scaled up as fast as many had hoped due to institutional, technical, and financial challenges. For those seeking to stay the course with internal combustion engines, there are plenty of valid arguments. This report will bring some of the problems out in the open.
An EV Playbook for Electric Buses
(International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC, 2020-01) Graham, John
What are the critical questions to ask if one is contemplating an e-vehicle program? Based on the technical and business proposals International Finance Corporation (IFC) has seen so far, this report presents some factors for e-bus proposals. The broad-based electrification of buses and other urban transport represents a massive investment opportunity for IFC and other investors to invest in higher quality, sustainable transport while addressing climate change and improving air quality. At the same time, this sector is beset with some of the trickiest issues related to transport infrastructure, power, municipal finance, and even local politics.
E-Bus Economics: Fuzzy Math?
(International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC, 2020-01) Graham, John
Electrifying the global urban vehicle fleet depends on the convergence of several economic, technological, and political factors. However, the big shift to electric vehicles will likely take place only when the economics of owning and operating electric becomes a no-brainer. Using the example of electric buses, two factors must fall into place before the electric option can take off: first, the upfront cost needs to come down and second, there needs to be a change in procurement culture towards lifecycle cost or total cost of ownership (TCO). If utilities can structure out fluctuations in power costs (through PPAs) and the marketplace moves to leasing and other fixed-price operations and maintenance arrangements, these calculations can standardize across the board quickly. This is when the math starts to get a lot less fuzzy.
Electric Buses: Why Now?
(International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC, 2020-01) Graham, John
There is a quiet revolution underway in a previously sleepy segment of the transport sector: the electrification of municipal buses and other intra-city vehicles. As McKinsey reported last October, the compound annual growth rate of battery-electric buses has exceeded 100 percent since 2013- surpassing that of every other electric vehicle segment. Investing in battery-electric buses - as well as other high-use vehicles, such as e-delivery trucks - is an effective way for International Finance Corporation (IFC) to move the needle on air quality and greenhouse emissions from urban transportation. The opportunity is massive, and IFC has the capacity to fast-track implementation. It’s time to hit the accelerator. A cocktail of technology, investment, and scale in electric buses (and other high-use intra-city electric vehicles) will soon reach a point where reliability and cost advantages create the death spiral for internal combustion engines. Superior technology and declining costs will eventually overwhelm the old, static, diesel driven transportation paradigm.
Supporting Road Network Vulnerability Assessments in Pacific Island Countries
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-04) World Bank Group
In Pacific Island Countries, high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters means that such events can have devastating social and economic impacts when critical infrastructure is compromised. This has been apparent in countries where severe disruptions to road networks have resulted in a loss of access to basic infrastructure and services. Building resilience is therefore a prerequisite for long-term sustainable development, and Governments will increasingly seek tools that can help guide investment and policy decisions by considering the effects of climate change and natural disasters. Among such tools are road network vulnerability assessments, which provide a means to design and maintain a climate resilient network. This articlehighlights the process and lessons learned from the Vulnerability Assessment and Climate Resilient Road Strategy of the Samoan road network, and outlines a replicable approach for small island nations with acute capacity challenges that seek to balance analytical rigor with the need for practicality.
Accessibility of Urban Transport for People with Disabilities and Limited Mobility : Lessons from East Asia and the Pacific
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-04) Babinard, Julie; Wang, Wei; Bennett, Christopher R.; Mehndiratta, Shomik
Accessibility of transport is not always a priority in transport planning and implementation. There can be barriers in the physical environment and delivery of services that render transport inaccessible. The principle of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) brings new momentum to ensuring accessibility in the delivery of transport infrastructure and services. The CRPD recognizes that obstacles and barriers to indoor and outdoor public facilities and buildings and the physical environment should be removed to ensure equal access by people with disabilities and all members of society. This note summarizes the analysis done of the accessibility features of recent transport projects in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region. It seeks to highlight good practice in national laws, policies and project implementation to improve the welfare of transport users across projects. The overarching objective is to suggest how to improve the implementation of accessibility features in transport projects for people with disabilities and people with limited mobility. Mobility and access requirements of people with disabilities should be considered by planning and designing barrier- free transport systems. This implies an understanding and identification of the circumstances that create barriers for people with disabilities. Many countries have made progress in reducing barriers in the transport environment, particularly in high income countries. Countries have implemented regulation and design guidelines which explicitly consider accessibility for people with disabilities.
World Bank Gender Transport Surveys : An Overview
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-09) Babinard, Julie
Between 2008 and 2010 the transport sector initiated several country surveys to measure road transport needs and the constraints of both men and women, and more specifically how transport is facilitating or constraining access to resources, markets, and employment. These surveys were conducted as part of a lending operation or Economic Sector Work (ESW) with financial support from the Gender Action Plan (GAP), which seeks to advance women's economic empowerment and accelerate the implementation of the Millennium Development Goal 3 (MDG3), promoting gender equality and women's empowerment). A report that reviews the methodology used for each country GAP-funded survey, the design and content of the questionnaires and the likely effect on the analysis shows that women tend to have access to a wider range of social and economic opportunities when transportation is available, safe and secure. The main recommendation of the analysis is that a standardized approach should be promoted for collecting and evaluating gender data in transport and the possible creation of a questionnaire module to be easily adaptable for future surveys to collect and report gender-disaggregated data that can meaningfully inform transport policy. Substantial background work in the transport sector was done to develop a transport module to be used in nationally representative surveys. This work could be expanded upon to focus on gender and transportation.
Geohazard Management in the Transport Sector
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2010-03) Muzira, Stephen; Humphreys, Martin; Pohl, Wolfhart
Geohazards can result in significant loss of human life as well as cause extensive damage to infrastructure. The magnitude and frequency of geohazard events ranges from earthquakes and tsunamis to landslides and flash floods. In the most severe cases involving the low frequency but more intense geohazards like earthquakes or tsunamis, the primary concern, ex ante, is on the minimization of the potential loss of life and property, damage to infrastructure, and ensuring continuity in the functionality of public and private services. In the higher frequency, lower impact, geohazards, such as landslides, flash floods, and rock fall, proper planning remains vital, but is often overlooked in transition and developing economies. In the transport sector, proper planning for this category of geohazards can realize significant savings in construction costs, avoiding cost over-runs, repair costs and costly delays, and subsequent maintenance costs. This technical note provides a summary of the typology of geohazards, prospective mitigation measures, and current practices in managing geohazards. It also outlines some key recommendations to facilitate improved management of geohazards in the transport sector.
Improving Secondary and Local Roads in Albania : Lessons from a Programmatic Approach
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2010-03) Humphreys, Martin; Guxho, Artan; Ishihara, Satoshi
Albania has made considerable progress since transition in overcoming the legacy of nearly forty years of autarky. But despite significant progress and some of the fastest rates of gross domestic product (GDP) growth in South East Europe, it remains one of the impoverished countries in Europe, with the majority of the population, and the majority of the poor, living in rural areas. These areas, despite the acknowledged links between infrastructure provision and poverty reduction, are currently poorly served by infrastructure, with the majority of the secondary and local road network in poor condition, and often impassable in inclement weather. Accordingly, in 2006, the Prime Minister established a task force to prepare a program to improve a significant proportion of the secondary and local network and requested the assistance of the World Bank to prepare, and contribute to the financing, of such a program. This transport note summarizes the experience of the World Bank and details the key factors underpinning what has became a very successful program, together with the main lessons learned.