Microtransit in Latin America and the Caribbean: Governance, operations, and regulation for socially inclusive and sustainable urban mobility

This document provides an overview of the current landscape of app-based collective transportation in Latin America and the Caribbean from the perspective of its contributions to social inclusion and environmental sustainability. The research builds on a review of the recent academic literature and a review of available secondary evidence from technical reports and policy documents. The analysis of secondary evidence is expanded upon through primary evidence from a stakeholder survey and semi-structured interviews with a select group of stakeholders in the transportation sector in the region. The manuscript shows the current situation in what remains an emerging industry in Latin America and the Caribbean, spanning from the terminology used by practitioners in different sectors to refer to app-based collective transportation, such as vanpooling, microtransit or micro transport, to the overview of different business approaches and regulatory responses in various contexts. The paper finalizes by presenting an evidence-based reflection of the prospects and expectations from different perspectives about the contribution of technology-enabled collective transportation to social and environmental challenges for transport in the region.