Global transport practices offer solutions for greener travel

From moving freight off roads and onto rivers to helping drivers afford electric cars, 36 transport projects and initiatives unveiled in Beijing on Tuesday offer practical lessons on cutting costs, reducing emissions and improving everyday journeys.

The collection, Global Sustainable Transport Good Practices 2026, draws on experiences from 27 countries and regions across six continents. It was released during the Global Sustainable Transport Forum.

The examples share a focus on practical solutions with tangible benefits, said Stephen Jackson, United Nations resident coordinator in China.

"They are people-centered, and they have very tangible outcomes and impacts," he said.

In Chongqing, a shipping service with fixed routes and timetables has helped shift more than 5 million metric tons of cargo from roads to waterways in a year, said Chen Yongzhong, deputy director-general of the city's transport commission.

The service's 20 routes connect more than 40 ports along the Yangtze River and its tributaries. Customers can book shipments and track cargo online, helping reduce long waits while vessels gather enough freight to sail.

In Brazil, ride-hailing platform 99 is working with more than 30 Chinese and Brazilian companies to help drivers buy, finance and charge electric vehicles, said Li Chen, chief operating officer of 99 Brazil.

"To scale up the green transition beyond pilot projects, the numbers must add up for drivers," Li said.

Young Tae Kim, secretary-general of the International Transport Forum, said the success of transport initiatives should be measured by their impact on people's lives, including whether they have more transport options and can travel more safely.

An agreement for a project combining clean energy and cold-chain logistics in Uganda was also signed at the event, where speakers called for successful practices to be adapted and adopted elsewhere.