Expert Voices: François Boulanger (Nodalis) - Who Pays What for Urban Mobility series (session 1)
Urban mobility systems across the Global South face a fundamental and often unresolved question: who pays for what, through which mechanisms, and with what long-term sustainability? Building on MobiliseYourCity’s latest publication Who Pays What for Urban Mobility? this Expert Voices series consisting of three sessions brings together leading practitioners and financiers to unpack the realities behind funding and financing urban mobility.
Rather than presenting financing as a purely technical issue, the series explores it as a strategic policy question, one that shapes accessibility, equity, and system performance over time. Each session combines insights from the publication with real-world experience from development finance institutions, consultants, and practitioners, addressing how cities can design coherent funding policies, mobilise resources, and structure sustainable investment pipelines.
Session 1: Hands-on the “Who Pays What for Urban Mobility” publication
This introductory session presents the new edition of Who Pays What for Urban Mobility?, which aims to provide decision-makers with a framework for designing urban mobility financing policies, while setting out recommendations to optimise financial resources and create viable urban mobility systems.
The session will walk participants through the key steps to designing a robust urban mobility financing policy, from defining objectives, identifying funding sources, clarifying roles and institutional set up, to striking the right balance between affordability, service quality, inclusion, accessibility and financial sustainability. It will also highlight what has changed compared to previous editions of “Who pays what for urban transport”, including stronger attention to equity (including gender), paratransit, and long-term financial viability.
Our guest speaker – François Boulanger (Nodalis), Lead author
François Boulanger is a senior expert in urban mobility economics and financing at Nodalis, with extensive experience advising governments and international organisations on transport policy and funding strategies. He has worked on issues such as public transport subsidies, cost structures, and financial sustainability in a wide range of urban contexts, particularly in developing and emerging economies. He is the lead author of the publication "Who Pays What for Urban Mobility?" and has contributed to the development of analytical frameworks linking policy objectives to funding mechanisms. His work emphasises the need to explicitly address trade-offs between affordability, quality of service, and long-term financial viability.