The Extent of Informal Car Share (ICS) in Quito, Ecuador

Resumen

In Quito, Ecuador, the city periphery is dominated by vulnerable and disadvantaged households who must travel excessively long distances to access urban amenities and who are not served by the city’s formal public transport system. The lack of accessibility to formal public transportation led to the creation of an informal car share (ICS) system, a network of private cars, vans, and trucks. Although such systems provide a practical solution, they may lack the reliability, capacity, safety, and sustainability of their formal counterparts. In this paper, we build a foundation for future research on the effects and policy implications by describing the operation and geography of Quito’s ICS and positioning it in the global landscape.