HVT

High Volume Transport

HVT Launches Rapid Response Transport Research Programme to provide guidance for developing countries to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic

subway conductor wearing a mask

The High Volume Transport programme (HVT) has commissioned 21 research projects to help Low-Income Countries (LICs) respond to the impact of COVID-19 through transport management and policy guidance.

The new portfolio of research has been made possible by a new £500k COVID-19 Response and Recovery Transport Research Fund created by HVT. It will provide a range of practical ways to help manage immediate response and guide recovery in LICs. It includes innovative technology, evidence-based advice and methods to fast-track knowledge, experience, learning resources and best practice to those who need it in LICs.

COVID-19 is having a devastating socio-economic impact worldwide which has been felt acutely by people in LICs, particularly for vulnerable groups and people with disabilities. Transport is at the centre of managing the spread of the pandemic and will be key to ensuring rapid and sustained recovery.

The research projects cover a range of investigations into transport and COVID-19 examining health issues, inclusion, economics and finance across many African and Asian countries. They are:

  • Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on the mobility of women and vulnerable households in the peri-urban areas of Antananarivo, Madagascar. ONG Lalana;

  • Evaluating the economic impact and infection control measures of COVID-19 in the public transport sector in Nepal. Nepal Institute for Urban and Regional Studies;

  • Best practice on designing for equitable public transport networks through accessibility modelling in emerging COVID-19 cities. Integrated Transport Planning (ITP);

  • Analysis of public transport inclusiveness among persons with disabilities during COVID-19 in Benin City, Nigeria. University of Ibadan, Nigeria;

  • Updating and upgrading the Global Transport Knowledge Portal (gTKP) and to use it as an umbrella knowledge hub during the pandemic. International Road Federation (IRF);

  • Moving towards gender equitable public transport operations in a post-COVID-19 world. Sonal Shah;

  • Gaining or losing ground? Ensuring that ‘post-COVID-19’ transportation serves the needs of low income women in African cities. Gail Jenning;

  • From ‘pop-up to permanent’ – identifying bikeable, high-volume priority routes for returning workers, developing quick-win interventions, and evaluating impact. Rahul Jobanputra;

  • Modelling the links between transport, air quality and COVID-19 spread using naturalistic data from Dhaka, Bangladesh. University of Leeds.;

  • Fast-tracking public transport priority: identifying high-volume priority transport routes for workers, developing quick-win interventions, and modelling impact. Rahul Jobanputra;

  • Legislative and Regulatory Risk Management for Mass Transportation Providers in Low Income Countries to Mitigate the Financial Effect of Covid-19. Michael Gleeson;

  • A survey of innovative road transport solutions in Nigeria in response to covid-19 pandemic. Ikeoha Foundation;

  • Improving transport planning to mitigate against the potential impact of pandemics in LICs. TRL;

  • Post-COVID-19 Mobility: An opportunity to reform urban transport systems. Dr Rutul Joshi;

  • A Study to Assess the Impact of COVID-19 on Tanzanian Transport Sector and Economy. Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT Tanzania);

  • How Exposed have transport workforces been to COVID -19 and what solutions are available to reduce risk and exposure? Case Study Dar Es Salaam Region. Hudumaplus Company Limited;

  • What are the Impacts of and Responses to COVID-19 in addressing mobility of people with disabilities in Tanzania?  Case Study Dar Es Salaam, Kagera and Zanzibar Regions. Hudumaplus Company Limited;

  • Accelerating Covid-19 related ‘best practice’ in the urban motorcycle taxi sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Swansea University;

  • Africa’s response to COVID-19 and its impact on transport and mobility of people and goods: A review of policy and practice in 7 African countries. Global Alliance of Road Safety;

  • Impacts of COVID-19 on mobility of physically challenged people and older people. Dr M. Shafiq-Ur Rahman;

  • Impact and resilience of transport to COVID-19 through policy and governance in selected African countries. University of Nairobi in partnership with UN Habitat;


Grants range from £10,000 to £50,000. The projects are being run in a lean way to enable guidance to be produced rapidly for end users in LICs. The first tranche of findings from the research will be available within a few months.

The HVT programme has pivoted activities effectively to direct funds into the fight against COVID-19. These new COVID-19 projects will supplement the core programme which aims to make transport greener, more accessible, more inclusive and safer in Low-Income Countries. The core programme itself has also been refocused to draw out learnings for COVID-19 response and recovery strategies.

All in, the HVT programme now manages 34 research studies all of which will produce insight into the best ways to deal with the pandemic in Low-Income Countries.

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