Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

The MENA Centre for Transport Excellence, an affiliate of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), last week released the MENA Post-Covid Mobility Report in collaboration with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) during a webinar that attracted 60 experts and officials from 15 countries including Bahrain, Belgium, Egypt, Finland, Germany, India, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The forum was opened by Kaan Yildizgoz, Senior Director of Global Growth at UITP. Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of Public Transport Agency at RTA, opened the online seminar and stressed the importance of specialised studies and reports that monitor mobility trends in the MENA region following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He reviewed RTA’s experience of coping with the pandemic and the proactive measures it took.

Ms Farida Moawad, Project Manager Global Growth, presented the findings of the report. Despite several analytical reports made on this topic since the outbreak of the epidemic, this unique study has succeeded in reaching directly existing and potential public transport clients. The study reveals that the mobility pattern was impacted by the pandemic. A considerable number of participants indicated that the number of their trips decreased due to precautionary measures that limited their need for commuting between homes, workplaces, schools and universities. In the meantime, the remote work and study option remains a viable option and may continue until further notice.

Presentations

Riyad Muhammad, Executive Director of Public Transport and Infrastructure Projects in the Greater Amman Municipality, Jordan, made a presentation about Transportation Challenges in Amman. Ahmed Elleithy, Vice Commercial President for Mwasalat Misr, made a presentation about the company's services in Greater Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh. Ms. Shada Taib, Head of Corporate Communications, Casa Transport, also made a presentation about CRM activities in Casablanca as well as the status of current public transport projects.

Mass or Individual Transport?

Participants reviewed the key conclusions of the field study and pointed out that the use of private vehicles was the best option for respondents. Many of them ceased using public transport since the outbreak of the pandemic and mostly resorted to steadily using other means of transportation (single-occupancy vehicles). Congestion and the lack of compliance with precautionary measures were part of the main underlying factors. A significant chunk of them opted to commute on foot or use bikes and e-scooters at rates higher than the pre-pandemic levels.

Customers Satisfaction

The report pointed to other findings that are no less important than those related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Respondents stated that MENA public transport services do not meet their requirements or expectations of the level, quality, reliability and comfort of the services. They called for improving the public transport services by widening the coverage of lines, reducing congestion and addressing delays, as well as improving the first and last-mile journeys. They expressed their willingness to abandon the use of private vehicles and migrate to public transport if these aspects were addressed. They believe that such elements are crucial for the required shift towards sustainable mobility in the Middle East and North Africa.

Unprecedented Challenges

The public transport sector has faced unprecedented challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic ranging from a curfew to a complete lockdown. The COVID-19 virus has severely impacted service and passenger levels for conventional public transport services (buses, trams and metro) as well as taxis and new mobility service providers.

The pandemic has also led to several consequences, such as worldwide layoffs and salary cuts. The subsequent economic effects of COVID-19 are causing problems for many public transport users and non-users alike as more people can no longer afford the cost of driving and must use more public transportation.

Many respondents noted that they only use public transport because they are affordable, and they are the only mode of transportation available. However, this places a greater burden on existing users due to higher prices and lower incomes. The purchasing power is also fluctuating after COVID-19 due to soaring inflationary levels. Many of them indicated that public transport fares are now higher than their current income levels. Some of them mentioned that they started considering buying cheap personal motorcycles to overcome the tough economic situation.

Investment in Public Transport

The report recommended that governments continue to invest in improving and financing public transport services and operations to make them better, and faster, besides enhancing their availability and attractiveness to users. The loss of public transport riders due to shifting to other means such as motorbikes and private cars would lead to several side effects including congestion, deteriorating air quality and carbon dioxide emissions. They maintained that there is a wide scope for improving public transport services in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The MENA Center for Transport Excellence was established in 2012 in partnership between RTA and the UITP to run programmes that contribute to capacity building and compiling research and studies to develop the transportation sector across MENA cities.