An Examination of the Rise of Informal Public Transport Systems in Developing Countries and the Critiques About Bus Rapid Transit Systems as a Desired Solution

Abstract

This article provides a review of the general characteristics of Informal Public Transport (IPT) systems, the reasons behind the increasing use of these systems in developing countries, and the evaluation of Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRTS) as an alternative solution to IPTs. IPTs, whose use has increased significantly in many countries where Formal Public Transport is insufficient, are different in their service, operation, finance, monitoring and labour features. These systems' usage has increased in developing countries for many economic, social and political reasons such as low income, rapid population growth, increase in demand, urban macroform, job opportunities and more flexible routes. However, besides the positive effects of these systems, there are many adverse effects. It is challenging to transfer the public transport schemes made in developed countries directly to these countries, and understanding the reasons in detail allows to offer the right solution. Nevertheless, BRTS, which are segregated busways, is seen as a solution in many countries, and there are many agreeing and disagreeing arguments for this idea in the literature. Although there are examples where these systems improve public transport systems, there are many examples where they do not contribute to the solution. As a result, it has been reached that the diversity of the reasons for the increase in the use of IPT systems is high, and BRTS can be an alternative, producing spatially, economically, environmentally and politically appropriate solutions according to the local characteristics of the countries can be more beneficial than a single solution.