Evaluation of the Impact of Bus Rapid Transit on Air Pollution

Germà Bel and Maximilian Holst ()
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Maximilian Holst: Faculty of Economics, University of Barcelona

No 201519, IREA Working Papers from University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics

Abstract: Mexico City’s bus rapid transit (BRT) network, Metrobus, was introduced in an attempt to reduce congestion, increase city transport efficiency and cut air polluting emissions. In June 2005, the first BRT line in the metropolitan area began service. We use differences-in-differences and quantile regression techniques in undertaking the first quantitative policy impact assessment of the BRT system on air polluting emissions. The air pollutants considered are carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOX), particulate matter of less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5), particulate matter of less than 10 µm (PM10), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). The ex-post analysis uses real field data from air quality monitoring stations for periods before and after BRT implementation. Results show that BRT constitutes an effective environmental policy, reducing emissions of CO, NOX, PM2.5 and PM10.

Keywords: Bus Rapid Transit; Differences-in-Differences; Environmental Policy Evaluation; Public Transport; Urban Air Pollution JEL classification: Q51; Q58; R41; R48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 43 pages
Date: 2015-09, Revised 2015-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-env, nep-res and nep-tre
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ira:wpaper:201519

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