Prefeitura de São Paulo

 Sao Paulo was one of the few cities in the world that considerably raised public transport participation over private transport. According to a research from Sao Paulo State Government published in 2007, public transport modal share once again is being used for the majority of the journeys (55%) within the city (Figure A). These numbers reflect the city’s commitment to provide high-quality public transport in order to make Sao Paulo citizens leave their cars at home, hence reducing carbon emissions from individual vehicles to be thrown into atmosphere.

This trend can be explained mainly by the sound investments that have been made by both the Sao Paulo State Government and the city of Sao Paulo in subway and train lines expansion. Until 2010, the Sao Paulo State Government will invest more than R$ 19 billion (around US$ 8.17 billion) in the Expansion Plan for the subway and train lines, which will be increased fourfold and reach 240 km altogether.

Furthermore, Sao Paulo will also participate at the Hybrid Bus Test Program, developed in South America by the Clinton Climate Initiative and funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). The program intends to provide specialized consultancy on the operational plan that will be executed to test hybrid buses in Sao Paulo, and engage foreign and national technology and car industries in the project development. According to the last city’s municipal carbon inventory, diesel fuel burning is responsible for 27% of carbon emissions in Sao Paulo, hence justifying the relevance of this project for the city.