Allowing buses to cut through the traffic that clogs many cities is a relatively simple way of improving urban quality of life, promoting economic development and reducing CO2 emissions and other pollutants. But this still requires investment in dedicated bus infrastructure as well as careful planning of the public transport network. The EIB’s first project in the Nicaraguan capital Managua, supported in collaboration with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, will construct a ten-kilometre long bus rapid transit line to enable the first segregated high-capacity bus services to be provided in the city. This is expected to:

• Serve some 80 000 passengers per average working day.
• Save passengers an average of 6 minutes per journey.
• Improve accessibility from peripheral neighbourhoods for jobs and services in the city centre.

Through the provision of technical assistance, the project will improve the promoter’s capacity to manage the project and will bring the project up to international and the EIB's standards. Specifically, the Bank is working to ensure that environmental and social standards are met, while a road safety audit to improve the design of the project has been carried out at the Bank’s request. The Bank will also assist the project promoter with the urban integration and inter-modality aspects of the project as well as with the reorganisation of the bus network.