Welcome to this thirty-third issue of Pop Transport, the fortnightly newsletter of the Global Partnership for Informal Transportation.
Informal transportation is very, very popular (widespread, and for the people).
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It overwhelmingly dominates shared transportation in the rapidly growing towns and cities of the Global South. It moves billions and employs millions of people around the world.
That’s why we call this newsletter “Pop Transport.”
In this issue:
The continuing growth of electric three-wheelers in India
The World Bank says 90% of EVs in the world are two- and three-wheelers
A list of VCs in Africa tackling climate change
A study in Kibera, Nairobi on the impact of COVID on informal settlements (esp. because of the holds on transportation)
It’s nine-to-one on three and two versus four
Perhaps you can bet on those odds.
Nine out of every ten EVs in the world today run on two or three wheels.
That is the startling statistic from this March 2022 report from the World Bank on the electrification of two- and three-wheelers in the Sahel.
Did you know that 90 percent of electric vehicles that are currently operating around the world are two- and three-wheelers (2&3W)? And that 20 percent of the world’s 2&3W are electric? Although most electric 2&3W today are concentrated in Asia, these vehicles are expected to grab a significant portion of the Africa transport market over the next few years. To understand the impact of this transition and address the potential challenges, our team took a close look at the electrification of two- and three-wheelers in the Sahel, with a particular focus on Bamako (Mali) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).
The report, authored by Fatima Arroyo Arroyo, Vincent Vesin, Aurelio Menéndez, and Pierre Xavier Bonneau, concludes that:
“In the cities of the Sahel and across Africa, the eMobility transition will likely start with small vehicles such as 2&3W.
“Electric 2&3W offer a tremendous opportunity to tackle CO2 emissions and air pollution in Sahelian cities.
“…there is a clear business case for the transition of electric two and three-wheelers today if we take into account the total long-term cost.
“under existing energy conditions, if 70 percent of the current 2&3W fleet was converted to electric, it would consume 19.5 percent of the total electricity production in Mali and 82 percent in Burkina Faso.”
It’s nine-to-one with autorickshaws in Delhi, too
Electric two- and three-wheelers also lead the charge in India’s cities
In Delhi, eight to nine out of 10 auto rickshaws currently plying on the roads are electric. However, moving to the general public’s adoption of electric vehicles, electric two wheelers have been steadily increasing in major cities.
“Already, it is crossing 1% of the total petrol vehicles. In terms of the cities the charge is led again by Delhi, Bangalore, and then followed by cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Jaipur,” Jaiswal adds.
Venture Cap + Climate
Jorge G. from Pitchbook Data posted this partial list of VCs in Africa who are tackling climate change. Check it out if you have a startup or are thinking of starting a startup to tackle climate change. We haven’t scoured the list to see who’s funding mobility and transportation.
COVID + Kibera / Kibera vs. COVID
Researchers from the University of Birmingham (UK) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm) partnered with Nairobi’s Konkuey Design Institute to look at the “changes in mobility and associated impacts” on informal settlements brought on by COVID-19 measures in Kibera.
Kibera is Nairobi’s largest (and best known) settlement.
Based on data from ten focus group discussions held in Kibera, Nairobi, we find that the dusk-to-dawn curfew and the increased costs of travel reduced the number of journeys and access to transport options, with consequent changes in mobility and increased time spent to travel. Such changes led to significant loss of income and reduced access to opportunities. This increased the already existing high level of poverty in Kibera and exacerbated individuals’ economic vulnerability.
That said, Kibera has been recognized for its community-led approach to controlling COVID.
Community-driven initiatives to provide water, sanitation and awareness in Kibera, the largest informal settlement in Kenya and Africa-wide, are also helping protect vulnerable residents. This, despite widespread unmet basic sanitation needs and the impossibilities of social distancing in a crowded slum.
That’s it for this week.
Pop Transport is a fortnightly newsletter of the Global Partnership for Informal Transportation. The Partnership works hand-in-hand with informal urban transportation systems of the Global South to advance innovation, improve services, and change business models. By leveraging new technology and innovative policies, we believe these informal networks can confront climate change and make our cities work for everyone.
The Global Partnership for Informal Transportation is a project of NewCities, initiated by Agile City Partners and supported by CoMotion Inc.
Our Strategic Partners include WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and the Shared-Use Mobility Center.