Finding environmentally sustainable solutions
Transaid’s work is all about making sure that transport resources are well utilised and well managed. As we increasingly experience the effects of climate change, making transport more effective and sustainable is of paramount importance.
Transport is vital for economic growth and poverty reduction. While we recognise that we cannot completely eliminate transport as a constraint, we can seek to improve it.
Through implementing the Transaid Transport Management System (TMS) at the Ministry of Health in South Africa we have halved the original fleet size, allowing the same or better level of service delivery with fewer vehicles. In Ghana we succeeded in increasing the amount of kilometres travelled by 70% using 20% less fuel. All this results in a more positive effect on the environment.
Our focus on preventive maintenance also ensures that vehicles run at optimum efficiency levels. This stops vehicles burning out before their average lifespan or the continued use of vehicles when they are no longer functioning effectively. Transaid’s implementation of intermediate modes of transport in rural areas, such as the bicycle ambulance, also demonstrates an alternative solution which is comparatively low cost and sustainable.
See also:
• What we do: Transport Management
• The Transaid Transport Management Handbook
• Ghana, Ministry of Health Transport Policy, 1993-1999
• South Africa, Department of Health Transport Management, 1998-2005
• Zambia, Bicycle Ambulance Project, Sept. 2008 – Mar. 2009
* Safe, Clean and Affordable… Transport for Development, World Bank 2008
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