On August 22, 2025, as part of the IV International Transport Summit in Moscow, the international UrbanTransportData portal for analyzing urban transport infrastructure was launched. Today, 32 cities worldwide are already participating in the project. The platform brings together about 600 indicators, which have been processed and standardized according to unified criteria. This project is unique in its ability to compare transport systems of various countries while taking into account their specific geographical and economic characteristics. UrbanTransportData allows for a deeper understanding of global trends in transport development, the study of innovation practices in cities, and the analysis of current conditions using 50 key indicators.
A major milestone was achieved the day before, with the largest expansion in the project’s history: 17 new cities joined, more than doubling the total number of participants. This expansion can confidently be called African, as – in addition to traditional partners from the Commonwealth of Independent States, Asia, and Latin America – the initiative welcomed 10 African capitals: Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Banjul (the Gambia), Windhoek (Namibia), Kampala (Uganda), Lilongwe (Malawi), Lusaka (Zambia), Nairobi (Kenya), Maputo (Mozambique), Freetown (Sierra Leone), and Harare (Zimbabwe).
Participation in the project could become the first step toward modernizing the transport systems of African megacities. Thanks to the methodology developed by analysts from the Moscow Transport Complex, cities can gather and systematize transport data for their own urban environments. Once the data is collected, African capitals can exchange information via the platform and conduct joint research to identify common challenges and optimal solutions – with full support from the project’s team. Understanding current transport situations, pinpointing key problems, and recognizing potential solutions is the first step toward building a modern urban transport system.
UrbanTransportData is interested in welcoming new participants from Africa. Representatives of interested megacities can submit an application directly on the project website or contact the team at UrbanTransportData@mos.ru. Moscow is always interested in developing partnerships in transport with friendly cities!
UrbanTransportData Project Open to African Megacities
