Toward enhancing the contribution of the passengers in funding the operating costs of urban public transport systems : case study of the tram of Algiers, Algeria

الملخص EN

Using the tram of Algiers, Algeria, as a case study, the purpose of the current research therefore is to examine the possibility of increasing the passengers‟ contribution in funding the operating costs of urban public transport systems.

Despite the recent operating of the tram of Algiers, crucial financial difficulties on an operational level began to arise since the income generated from the fares does not cover the whole operating costs, and thus the need for new funding solutions became more than a must.

Along with the available official data and statistics, the current research employed survey methodology to discuss the opportunities and limitations of three main potential funding mechanisms: (1) the review of the current pricing policy; (2) the improvement of the provided quality of service; and (3) the fight against passengers‟ fare evasion.

At the end, the research suggests a set of corrective actions that should be put into place quickly, in order to truly reduce the strong dependency on public funding to cover the operating deficit of the tram of Algiers.