ADB seeks to bridge last mile challenge

MANILA, Philippines — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is urging developing member countries to address the so-called last mile challenge in urban transport to effectively decongest cities.

In a recent entry on the Asian Development Blog, ADB urban development specialists Lloyd Wright and Naresh Pradhan said without an effective means to service the transportation needs to the final stretch of destination of commuters, they would continue to fill roads with private vehicles like cars and motorcycles. 

“The last mile is one of the great challenges to urban mobility. Without a means to safely, securely, comfortably, and affordably travel to and from public transport, citizens will do so by car or motorcycle,” they said in the blog entry.

Many Asian cities are now moving towards the use of rapid mass transit systems but are still getting congested roads.

“With bus rapid transit and other mass transit technologies, progressive cities are increasingly able to create transit-focused corridors that link the broader urban structure,” said the ADB transport specialists.

“However, unless the last mile challenge is solved, the ridership potential of these systems will not be realized. This is especially the case in cities suffering increasingly frequent extreme heat and monsoon rains, which make the last mile a difficult and uncomfortable experience,” they added.

The last  mile for many cities in Asia and the Pacific is served either by a difficult walk or by three-wheel vehicles or motorcyles.

Wright and Pradhan said the last-mile connectivity can be measured in terms of “car competitiveness”.

Three measures of last-mile service quality are travel time, customer experience and affordability.

Among the solutions put forward by the specialists is the use of e-pedicabs which are now actively used in the city of Lumbini in Nepal which is now seeing a tourism boom because of heritage sites nearby.

The ADB-funded Lumbini project also features an electric bus fleet that will link the city and the future new international airport.

The e-pedicab design was created in an open-source manner, meaning that anyone is allowed to replicate it. The estimated production price of approximately $1,500 per unit and a robust lifespan makes these e-pedicabs financially sustainable for both transport associations and local governments, said Wright and Pradhan.

In lightweight, aerodynamic and electrically-assisted vehicles, pedicab drivers expend fewer calories.

The e-pedicabs’ attractive, modern design also helps bring additional revenues through advertising.

Finally, the vehicles are fitted with an LCD screen in the passenger area, providing entertainment and local information. USB charging slots are likewise provided for customer convenience.

This e-pedicab model is also being eyed for use in Pakistan where ADB has financed bus rapid transit system projects.