Towards a formalisation scale for urban bus transportation system: The case of Bukavu and its global implications

The formalisation of public transport has been widely studied yet lacks a data-driven quantitative assessment. This study addresses this gap by applying a formalisation scale to various aspects of Bukavu’s bus transport system based on the Public Transport Formalisation Level (PTFL) model. Formalisation indicators are assessed using a point system inspired by a comprehensive methodology used in a previous study. This approach enabled the derivation of a composite index for Bukavu’s public transport system (BPTFL). The composite index indicates a moderate level of formalisation of Bukavu’s current public transport system, with a formalisation index of 43.37%. A more detailed analysis reveals slight variations among the formalisation levels of the Ibanda (46.31%), Kadutu (43.10%), and Bagira (46.38%) municipalities. This observation highlights that a city-wide transport formalisation index serves as an overall indicator, which does not necessarily reflect local disparities. Thus, this scale can be utilised in scientific literature to assess the level of formal or informal options in public transport systems.