Bus route ready: an update on the Chapas in Maputo

 

 

Here, Clemence Cavoli updates us in her community transport mapping project in Maputo, Mozambique.

The Focus on the Positive award allowed us to get the project off the ground as mentioned in some our previous blog. Furthermore, the Focus on the Positive Event allowed the team to meet the director of the Kestrelman Trust who was impressed by the project and wanted to invest in the future of it. Thanks to the Kestrelman’s support, Joaquin was able to spend another six months in the field in Maputo and the progress we made during those six months has been considerable.  So the seed funding from the Focus on the Positive award has generated a much larger and more ambitious project.

The four areas we have worked hard on were:

1. To finalise the mapping of collective transport in Maputo
2. To establish agreements, collaborations and networks with key stakeholders in Maputo to take the project forward
3. To secure additional funding to distribute and advertise the map widely and ensure the sustainability of the project
4. To use the map as an opportunity to discuss sustainable mobility policy in Maputo

Here are some updates on these point:

First, the map of the Chapas routes was finalised and new mapping developments are on their way to improve the map, primarily three:

1. First, to include all modes of transport in the map, in addition to the Chapas. This would include the four lines of public buses and the one railway line in Maputo. The final result would be a comprehensive map of all modes of collective transport (formal and informal) in Maputo.
2. Second, to increase the map so that it can cover the entire metropolitan area, Maputo and its nearest neighbourhood, Matola.
3. Third, and very importantly, to convert the data in an open format so that it is easily accessible to the population.

Second, we have established agreements with key stakeholders, including Ruth (the local association for sustainable transport in Maputo), Atromap (the Chapas association) and we are actively collaborating with a range of actors, including UN-Habitat and local universities. The aim is to establish solid relationships to maintain/sustain the project in the long-term.

Third, with the collaboration of Ruth, our local partner, we have successfully secured additional funding for the project. The Department for International Development (DFID) agreed to fund part of the dissemination of the map in Maputo and we are currently negotiating with other funders, including the World Bank, to further support the project. Funders have shown substantial interest in the project which is very encouraging.

Last but not least, the map has been a fantastic opportunity to raise the debate about sustainable mobility in a city that is suffering from a rapid increase in the use of private motorized vehicles. Our hope is to use the project as a platform to discuss a range of issues related to mobility, including walking and cycling (which are currently not being given priority), and public transport amongst others.

To conclude, the concept and value of the Chapas project has been proved and much valuable work has been done. However it is exciting that the support we have received so far means that Joaquin will stay in Maputo and we will continue to work on this project. The potential that our audience saw in the idea is being realised and while we are still in the early stages of the ‘Map for Maputo’ we can now confidently say that the project has and is achieving substantial impact.

Focus on the Positive has been a fantastic platform to get our project off the ground and to give it visibility and credibility.

Clemence Cavoli is a Research Assistant in the Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering at UCL.