Back

Safer Transit Options for Passengers (STOP)

Country: Georgia
Funder: USAID through Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS)
Dates: February 2016 - February 2017
Project objective:

The STOP project aims to reduce the human costs of traffic accidents and bring Georgia closer to Europe.

In order to contribute to these broader goals, the organizations have set out the following objectives:

  • Identify, research and report on:
  1. Potential policy options which harmonize Georgian legislation with EU;
  2. Existing problems related to intercity mini buses and stakeholder (drivers, passengers, company managers) attitudes towards policy solutions;
  3. The effect of low-cost interventions aimed at encouraging safer minibus driving.
  • Advocate for evidence based policy change.

In order to achieve the above objectives, the organizations have designed a three stage project with two phases of research and one of advocacy. As a result of these activities, described in detail below, we expect traffic accidents to decline and to help bring Georgian transport regulation in legally sufficient approximation with EU legislation as mandated by the Association Agreement.

Research design: Research includes conducting focus groups with passengers and in depth interviews with mini-bus company managers and drivers to understand attitudes towards current problems and potential reforms. The organizations will identify policy options, which will face the least and most resistance from relevant stakeholders. The organizations will rank policy options by difficulty of acceptance and estimated cost. Based on this knowledge CRRC-Georgia will provide policy makers with feasible action plans for information campaigns and policy implementation.
Output: Policy Document, blogs and/or articles for Georgian and English language media, Public Service Announcement, infographics, media appearances, Focus Group report.