The Governance of Metropolitan Public Transport in Mexico City

Abstract

From a metropolitan governance approach, in this paper I analyze the arrangements and organization involved in the provision of public transportation in Mexico City and identify the weaknesses in coordination, financial sustainability and coverage. This diagnosis is necessary to promote the implementation of more effective responses to urban mobility problems. Secondary information is used, in addition to primary information collected through focus groups and interviews involving actors from academia, civil society, the private sector and local government. The analysis focuses on two questions: how the jurisdictional fragmentation in the metropolitan area affects an adequate coordination for the provision of the service?; and, what are the conditions of financial sustainability and efficiency in the provision of public transport? The coordination and integration of transportation systems throughout the metropolitan area determine a transportation model that is financially sustainable and allows to fill deficits in service provision and address more general economic and social inequities.