Global Network for Popular Transportation joins SUMC
The Global Network for Popular Transportation (GNPT) has joined the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC), allowing the two entities to pool its collective resources and expertise to further achieve its mission in advancing shared mobility.
“Shared mobility and popular (informal) transportation are two-sides of the same coin. They both address mobility needs by providing more options for people to get from where they are to where they need to go without the burdens of private car ownership,” said Benjamin de la Peña, chair of GNPT and CEO of SUMC. “GNPT benefits from SUMC’s deep understanding of shared mobility and shared mobility platforms. SUMC benefits from GNPT’s global network and insights from self-organized mobility systems.”
GNPT, formerly the Global Partnership for Informal Transportation, was initiated by Agile City Partners and supported by CoMotion Inc. It is a global network of researchers, consultants, advocates, companies, agencies and institutions committed to changing how the world sees popular transportation. Popular transportation is the privately provided, publicly serving local transportation services and systems that emerge in nearly every city in the south. They run on two-wheels, three-wheels or four-wheels and are pedal or motor powered and can even be electric.
“Popular transportation likely serves the vast majority of shared rides in cities, towns and rural areas around the world where shared mobility platforms already work with popular transportation,” De la Peña said. “These systems proliferate in almost every city, town, village and rural area of low- and middle-income countries. They also operate in the underserved fringes of high-income countries. SUMC and GNPT being under the same roof will accelerate cross-learning from both sectors. SUMC and GNPT share a commitment to address climate change, social and economic inequality, accessibility and affordability.”
GNPT believes that popular transportation can play a crucial role in decarbonizing transportation through a Just Transition. GNPT sees these transport systems as powerful engines for economic mobility and for creating more sustainable and inclusive cities.
To fully realize popular transport’s potential, GNPT aims to ensure that:
- Cities, countries, international development agencies and banks recognize popular transportation as valid, essentia and important services.
- All popular transportation modes are integrated into urban, transport, social, economic and climate policy and planning efforts.
- The key sectors in popular transportation are recognized and participate as equal partners in co-creating accessible, equitable and sustainable cities. These include workers, entrepreneurs, micro- small and medium enterprises and small-scale investors.
The world takes an asset-based framework to understanding popular transportation, moving away from simplistic and ineffective approaches focused solely on transportation efficiency, to an approach that prioritizes valuing the environment, advancing equity and empowering people and communities.
To support its mission, GNPT highlights successful efforts at improving working conditions, formulating better policies and improving regulations and integrating and empowering popular transport. It also advocates for approaches to data and technology that seek to improve the environmental and economic sustainability, business operations, service quality and working conditions of popular transportation.
