By the Numbers

Here are a few of the stats on the size and cost of Amman's current public transportation system. Most of the following data comes from presentations given by Ayman Smadi, the head of Amman's Transportation Department. The reports may be a bit outdated (the most recent is from 2012), but they should give a rough sense. They can be found here, here, and here.

• Total Population of Amman: 4 million (estimated), this may be slightly larger than the functional size of the city if it includes the whole metropolitan are, like how The Economist  includes Newark, NJ, as part of the New York area. Then again, an estimated 500,000 commuters come to Amman every day from nearby Zarqa for work, so it may be an accurate count.
• Total number of lines: 299 (90 bus lines, 139 minibus/coaster lines, 70 shared taxi lines), which is a lot. By comparison NYC has fewer lines (24 subway lines and 224 bus lines), and while the subway plays a huge role, New York is bigger in both physical size and population, and has a much higher percentage of commuters who take public transportation
• Public transport carries 14% of total travelers, but much of this is done in shared-taxis which do little to reduce problems associated with traffic and pollution. As a comparison, here are a few other major cities in both more and less developed countries:
• Mumbai - 60%
• Dakar - 45%
• Prague - 43%
• Washington D.C - 37%
• Madrid - 34%
• Beijing - 26%
• Mexico City - 15%

• Amman has 11,000 regular taxis. NYC has 13,605 licensed taxis. Of course, Uber is shaking things up and it's set to open here in Jordan soon. Either way though, you can see that taxis carry a large part of the load that buses could and should be carrying.
• The cost of delays due to traffic congestion in Amman is estimated to be $850 million 
• Transportation comprises 38% of Jordan's fuel bill
• 600 kg of CO2 per capita are released each year
• The number of registered vehicles goes up by 10% annually

In his reports, Ayman Smadi emphasizes that the current system "lacks characteristics of modern systems: timetables, reliability, route coverage, safety, and comfort". Improving the state of public transportation in Amman requires "adequate data and models [that] can support decisions. [We] must gain trust of decision makers." In order to build confidence in reforms efforts, the GAM needs to "Demonstrate improvements on the ground [and] start with early wins (and most noticeable by users)".

A functional transit map hits all of those points. It would be one of the early wins that builds momentum towards the larger reforms that are need to alleviate the environmental, financial, and quality-of-life costs that the current system imposes. As Smadi warns, "Time is of the essence."