Popular Transportation at TTDC24: A Recap
Popular Transportation was on the stage and the agenda at last month’s Transforming Transportation 2024 conference in Washington, D.C. (TTDC24).
“Founded in 2003 and co-hosted by the World Bank and WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, Transforming Transportation is a global forum for innovators and leaders helping to transform the sector, from policymakers and CEOs to researchers and advocates. The 2024 conference’s theme is: mobilizing finance for climate action and will explore how all stakeholders can mobilize resources for greener, safer, resilient transport for all, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.”
Panel on Popular Transportation
The conference theme was a great fit with GNPT’s goals. We partnered with the Africa Transport Program (SSATP) to deliver a breakout panel on “Fleet recapitalization and paratransit professionalization” on the second day.
Andrea moderated the conversation that included: Fernanda Rivera, Directora General de Licencias y Transporte, Secretaría de Movilidad CDMX; Thinus Booysen, Professor in Engineering and Research Chair in the Internet of Things, Stellenbosch University; Pawan Mulukutla, Executive Program Director - Integrated Transport, Clean Air And Hydrogen, WRI India; and, Lénaïc Georgelin, Transport Team Leader, Transport and Urban Development at European Commission and SSATP Executive Committee Member.
The panel introduced the global scope and potential of popular transportation in decarbonizing transportation through a just transition, showcased projects and programs achieving change on the ground (in Senegal, Mexico, and India); discussed the role of funders (multilaterals and philanthropies) in decarbonizing popular transportation; highlighted opportunities to leverage fleet renewal initiatives for paratransit industry transition and professionalization and discussed the opportunities and challenges for mobilizing climate funding in capacity building and fleet renewal.
Left to right: Fernanda Rivera, Lénaïc Georgelin, and Thinus Booysen
Popular Transportation Day
GNPT co-led Paratransit / Popular Transportation Day on the 21st of March, immediately after TTDC24. The in-person event at the World Bank HQ brought together funders, development bank officials, researchers, practitioners, and advocates to discuss finance, fleet renewal, data and technology, and climate research. The agenda included a Roundtable On Climate Finance and Funding for Paratransit. The roundtable involved representatives from development banks, multilateral finance institutions, private philanthropies, global NGOs, and transportation researchers. It was a frank, off-the-record (Chatham House rules) discussion on the opportunities and challenges of using public and private investments and assistance to mobilize popular transportation in the climate fight through a just transition.
Roundtable participants included key leaders from: IADB, CAF, Climate Leaders Initiative, C40 Cities, BMZ, FCDO, Shell Foundation, TUMI, ADB, the EU Commission, AfDB, UITP, AFD, WRI, Mirova, ITF, ITFW, and USAID along with the co-organizers of Popular Transportation Day. (See below.)
Top to bottom: scenes from the Roundtable On Climate Finance and Funding for Paratransit
Session 2 highlighted case studies in improving and decarbonizing popular transportation. Session 3 focused on expanding data and tech for finance and climate in popular transportation. You can check out the list of speakers and download the presentations here.
Paratransit / Popular Transportation Day was co-presented and organized by GNPT with the Africa Transport Program (SSATP), Center for Sustainable Urban Development at Columbia’s Climate School (CSUD), UNFCCC Climate Champions (CCT), Digital Transportation for Africa (DT4A), International Transport Forum (ITF), International Transport Workers Federation (ITWF), Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC), Volvo Educational and Research Foundations (VREF), the World Bank (WB), and WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities (WRI).