Discussion paper

Leading a Clean Urban Recovery with Electric Buses

November 29, 2020

With the imposition of lockdowns in early 2020 due to the onset of COVID-19, bus, train, and metro lines experienced significant decreases in ridership. Between March and April, public transit ridership was down 70-90 percent in some places. These recent challenges have come on top of a fall in public transport ridership over the past decade, all of which leads some to wonder if our ability to get around cities will ever be the same.

Innovative business models show promise in Latin America

  • Zero Emission Buses Post-COVID-19?
  • Current Commercial Models for Transit
  • Unbundling Ownership and Operation
  • “X-factors” for the Unbundled Model
  • Getting to Scale

Electric Vehicles—a Climate-Smart Solution

By 2040, over half of all passenger vehicles sold will be electric. The massive adoption of electric vehicles has the potential to redefine urban transportation and energy usage by lowering climate impact, increasing safety and expanding access to services for a broad spectrum of the population.