Urban Public Transport Development in Russia : Trends and Reforms

The aim of the article is to present the ways of urban public transport development in Russia within the context of the transition towards the market economy. The article consists of two blocks: the trends of urban public transport development in the Russian Federation and the problems of urban public transport management. The first block presents the survey of urban public transport development trends by transport mode with the attention to the mass transit. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of urban public transport in Russian cities since 1991 is provided. The positive and negative cases of urban public transport development are revealed. The most important features of urban public transport functioning connected to the urban planning and transport planning practice are discussed. The second part presents an overview of the main decisions made by public authorities in the field of urban public transport management. The key questions are: the general logic of administration, the role of private transport operators, funding and risks of the market participants. The general conclusions are made which reveals the place of the Russian Federation within the context of world urban transport development trends