Impacts of Public Transit on Economic Sustainability: A Case of Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit, Ethiopia

Sustainability of urban public transits is widely accepted but, there are diversified opinions and debates regarding modes of public transit. It is an unanswered whether road-based or rail-based public transport is more sustainable for rapidly growing cities like Addis Ababa. This study is done to empirically evaluate the economic sustainability impacts by Addis Ababa light rail transit (AA-LRT) using performance indicators like travel time, travel cost andemployment generation. Likely, it investigates whether AA-LRT is more economically sustainable or not, compared to other road-based public transits such as City-buses and Midi-buses and compared to the situation before the start of AA- LRT operation. Samples for onboard surveys were selected from transit users and experts through proportional quota sampling. Empirical quasi experiment, multi-criteria analysis and comparative impactanalysis approaches were used together with Paired-samples t-test, One way ANOVA, Ordinal and Logistic Regression. Findings indicate AA-LRT is really producing economic benefits such as travel time savings and affordable travel costs since 2015. Benefits are found to be more economically sustainable in AA-LRT than other road-based public transits. Furthermore, travel time and travel cost benefits in the post-AA-LRT period are better than situations before the start of AA-LRT in 2015. Thus, AA-LRT makes a more significant contribution to economic sustainability. However, it has little weaknesses like inadequate crossing facilities, overcrowded and delayed trips, troubled transfer, fare, and ticket system. To enhance the economic sustainability and address shortcomings, new designs like overhead crossings; expansion of rail network coverage; increasing number of trains and speed; integration among transits; implementation of flat fare and improving ticket system arerecommended.