Sustainable Urban Mobility in the NDCs: The Essential Role of Public Transport

The document analyzes 142 NDCs, finding that while 100 mention public transport, only 26 set specific targets. It argues that public transport is essential for limiting global warming to 1.5C by reducing private vehicle use and electrifying bus fleets. The authors identify five key implementation areas: funding for infrastructure and operations, 100% transition to electric buses, adaptation and resilience measures, broader sustainable urban transport planning, and cross-sectoral coordination.

• Of the 142 NDCs representing 168 countries analyzed, 100 mention public transport, but only 26 identify specific targets for electrifying bus fleets, building infrastructure, or shifting travel.
• There is a significant gap between general commitments and quantitative targets for mode shifting and electrification: 55 NDCs promote shifting from private vehicles to public transit, but only 13 have targets; 35 countries have electrification commitments, but only 12 have specific targets.
• Public transport adaptation to climate change is severely underrepresented, with only 16 NDCs including measures to adapt public transport to adverse climate effects.
• Informal and semi-formal transport sectors, which are dominant in the Global South, are almost entirely absent from NDCs; Angola is the only country to recognize the sector, though it identifies no measures to address it.
• Major emitters with high vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT) often lack strong public transport commitments; for example, the United States and Australia do not set specific targets for shifting to public transit.
• To meet 1.5C goals, the world must decrease the share of motor vehicle kilometers traveled by 4 to 14 percent by 2030 and ensure electric vehicles make up 75 percent of global bus sales by 2025.
• Public transport is significantly more efficient than other motorized modes, with electric buses and trains producing about one-quarter of the emissions per passenger-kilometer compared to ride-hailing and less than half compared to private vehicles.
• The authors recommend five key implementation areas to enhance NDCs: funding for infrastructure and operations, a 100% transition to electric bus fleets, resilience and adaptation measures, broader sustainable urban transport systems, and cross-sectoral/sub-national coordination.

APA

Kustar, A., Welle, B., & Tun, T. H. (2022). Sustainable Urban Mobility in the NDCs: The Essential Role of Public Transport. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-09/sustainable-urban-mobility-ndcs-essential-role-public-transport_0.pdf?VersionId=aDJstKWe_3s9k298sFxskKlqEeuskM4P

Chicago

Kustar, Anna, Benjamin Welle, and Thet Hein Tun. Sustainable Urban Mobility in the NDCs: The Essential Role of Public Transport. World Resources Institute, 2022. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-09/sustainable-urban-mobility-ndcs-essential-role-public-transport_0.pdf?VersionId=aDJstKWe_3s9k298sFxskKlqEeuskM4P.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kustar |first1=Anna |last2=Welle |first2=Benjamin |last3=Tun |first3=Thet Hein |title=Sustainable Urban Mobility in the NDCs: The Essential Role of Public Transport |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=27 September 2022 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-09/sustainable-urban-mobility-ndcs-essential-role-public-transport_0.pdf?VersionId=aDJstKWe_3s9k298sFxskKlqEeuskM4P |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kustar2022sustainable, author = {Kustar, Anna and Welle, Benjamin and Tun, Thet Hein}, title = {{Sustainable Urban Mobility in the NDCs: The Essential Role of Public Transport}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-09/sustainable-urban-mobility-ndcs-essential-role-public-transport_0.pdf?VersionId=aDJstKWe_3s9k298sFxskKlqEeuskM4P}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }