Mapping the Informal Bus System of Greater Beirut and Quantifying Accessibility to Hospitals

Abstract

This thesis examines the role of the informal bus system in facilitating access to critical facilities for lower- and middle-income residents in the Greater Beirut Area (GBA), Lebanon. By quantifying the relative level of accessibility to hospitals, secured through the informal bus system, the study evaluates spatial variations across residential areas in GBA and unravels spatial inequalities in healthcare access in an urban environment largely shaped by informal mobility systems. The research methodology draws on approaches developed for Nairobi’s matatu network and Bogotá’s informal transit to map the informal bus system in the GBA and generate a General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) dataset. Accessibility levels to hospitals were then quantified using the Accessibility Toolbox in ArcGIS. Two accessibility measures—cumulative opportunities and gravity-based—were quantified across different travel time cutoffs (30 and 60 minutes), using a network combining bus and walking. Results show that hospital accessibility varies significantly based on location, land price classification, and municipal boundaries. Peripheral zones exhibited limited or no access via the bus, while Municipal Beirut and immediately contiguous municipal districts recorded high accessibility levels, ranging between 25 and 34 hospitals reachable within 30 minutes. Moreover, the study found that while the informal bus system is generally adequate for providing access in non-emergency situations in peripheral municipalities, it provides limited accessibility in emergencies when a hospital needs to be reached in less than 30 minutes. The findings reveal substantial spatial inequalities in healthcare access across Beirut’s capital city and point to needed improvement in transport options, particularly in underserved areas.