Jordan is experiencing high urbanization rates, with Amman housing 4.2 million residents which makes up 42% of the overall population. The correlation between transport and urban growth is primarily due to the increased demand for transportation that comes from living in the city. In Amman, private cars make up the vast majority of motor vehicles, and the rest of the country is following its example.  In a study by Jordan Traffic Department, in the past five years only, an annual growth of 5.3% of vehicles per year has been realized. More people must drive, due to the lack of reliable and affordable, public transportation options. Additionally, emissions from transportation contribute 26% of GHGs to Jordan’s total output and grew by 95% from 1990 – 2011.

Given Jordan’s growing private vehicle fleet and increasing GHG emissions from the transport sector, it makes sense to prioritize mitigation efforts here. The availability of mass transit is necessary not only to reduce the number of private vehicles on the roads, but to improve the environment and livelihoods of women and youth as well, particularly in urban areas.

In their endeavor to become a “smarter city” that adopts pioneering solutions to promote resource efficiency and improve the lives of Amman’s residents, one of the most critical aspects faced is building an effective public transportation network. Addressing the lack of public transport infrastructure in Jordan is one issue that the government is working on by implementing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network in Amman and Zarqa. Amman’s BRT will be the city’s first BRT system, which offers modern, high-capacity, low-cost mass transit that can boost urban mobility and increase the quality of services significantly. This system uses buses on dedicated paths to efficiently transport customers to their destinations. Two lines containing 140 articulated (a permanent or semi-permanent pivot attached when combining two vehicles to ensure better sharpness in turns) vehicles will benefit from dedicated bus lanes with priority at crossroads. They will have the capacity to transport up to 315,000 passengers daily towards the busiest parts of the city, such as the Sports City Complex, the University of Jordan, and the “Mahatta” terminal. The future 25 km-long BRT network will significantly improve quality of life for residents and access to employment and educational opportunities.

The growth of the city’s transport system has a variety of promising outcomes. The future BRT system is set to transform the face of Amman by minimizing congestion on the streets, reducing air pollution, fostering professional and education mobility, and stimulating economic growth in newly developed residential areas. Bus rapid transit systems can have significant environmental impacts on reducing GHGs and air pollutants. Emissions reductions can be accomplished by reducing vehicle-distance travelled and replacing outdated technology and smaller diesel-powered vehicles with larger, newer high-capacity BRT buses. In addition, BRT systems can reduce travel times for their travelers by moving BRT buses out of mixed traffic and into exclusive, separated lanes. Prepaid boarding at stations along with multiple boarding doors help shorten passenger boarding times. The system also provides valuable public health benefits by reducing road fatalities, crashes and injuries; reducing personal exposure to harmful air pollutants; and increasing physical activity for BRT users. According to the an issue brief published by the World Resources Institute, on the context of saving lives with sustainable transport, the brief elaborates extensively that the incidence rates of accidents and fatalities significantly reduced with public users transitioning towards using cycles and buses as a means of transportation. Additionally, the significant impact of greenhouse emissions and air pollutants also significantly reduces with users continually to use public instead of private transport.

The BRT system can have a positive impact on the health, productivity, quality of life, and safety of the population. Successful implementation of Amman’s BRT is a government priority, and capitalizing on this opportunity is crucial given the existing relationship between transportation and climate change mitigation.