Sustainability assessment of modern urban transport and its role in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions: A case study of Metro Bus System (MBS), Lahore

Increasing atmospheric greenhouse gasses (GHGs) is a major cause of rising global temperatures. The first part of this study quantifies emission reduction of greenhouse gases by shifting the mode of transport from vehicles including vans, buses, 3-wheelers and motorcycles to Metro Bus System (MBS), Lahore.. Secondly, the study assesses the sustainability of MBS through a set of specific indicators. A survey was conducted to categorize the passengers according to their modes of transportation and travel distance before the metro bus. Fuel type, mileage and average passenger capacity of vehicles information was collected in order to estimate the levels of GHG emissions. The net reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) was 14242.66, 159.68 and 632.03 tonnes CO2-e, respectively. The total annual reduction of GHGs was 15034.38 metric tons CO2-e (59.25%) by MBS project. The annual emissions of GHGs per passenger kilometer were 1.06 kg CO2-e by MBS. Before the MBS, this value was 4.41 kg CO2-e for different vehicles. The total annual fuel reduction was 6574.52 kL (kiloliters). Significant social, economic, cultural, and environmental sustainability can generally be associated with the implementation of MBS, Lahore. However, MBS should transition to renewable fuel for climate change mitigation and sustainable development. In addition, disaster management problems exist due to a lack of emergency plans/routes and the poor condition of firefighting equipment. Officials must improve traffic flow and parking while promoting alternatives to personal vehicle use. In so doing, sustainability will increase safety and livability in the urban environment.