Manila Public Transit Ranks 56th Out of 60 of the World's Biggest Cities: Study

(SPOT.ph) Next time you're waiting in line for a bus or train in the Philippine capital, that's what it feels like to be 56th out of 60 of the world's biggest cities in terms of public transit, and 58th in terms of over-all urban mobility, based on a study in the U.S.

Manila (international studies often use this to refer to Metro Manila), got a 31.9 score for public transit, a new category in the Oliver Wymann Forum and University of California, Berkeley study. There's "room for improvement" in speed, waiting times, station density and affordability, according to the study.

Also read: 10 Essentials for the Manila Commuter 

Manila mobility compared to the rest of the world

The Philippines' mega city got an over-all Urban Mobility Readiness score of 31.2, lower that its 2021 score of 32.8. This measures the existing infrastructure's capacity to meet current and future needs, with an eye for sustainability. Only Nairobi in Kenya and last-placed Lagos in Nigeria ranked lower than Manila.

"Road transport faces challenges including the poor quality of roads in the metropolitan area and the limited regional connectivity provided by the national road network. Manila is congested and polluted, but a low level of car ownership should help prevent these problems from worsening," according to the report.

The report cited Filipino authorities' efforts to promote biking as an alternative means of transportation.

Metro Manila is among the world's most densely populated urban centers, with 14 million people crammed into a near 2,000 square kilometer area.