Zaid K. Maaytah

Jordan is moving ahead with plans to develop and expand its public transportation network, an important step towards improving mobility and supporting economic and social development, a modern, reliable and accessible network can ease traffic congestion, reduce transportation costs and improve people's access to opportunities, yet, the success of these investments will depend on more than the availability of buses and routes, it will also depend on the extent to which citizens embrace public transportation as part of their daily lives.

Changing how people travel, however, is not always as straightforward as providing better alternatives, many people have spent years relying on their private cars, developing routines and expectations around them, even when public transportation becomes a practical option, established habits and perceptions may discourage them from making the switch, from a behavioural angle, understanding these influences is essential, because improving the available choices does not necessarily mean people will change the choices they make.

Encouraging greater use of public transportation requires a strategy grounded in reliable data and a clear understanding of citizens' travel behaviour, examining the demographic and geographical distribution of current users, alongside those who continue to rely on private vehicles, can reveal where opportunities for greater adoption exist and what prevents people from making the shift, these findings should guide targeted policies and communication efforts, supported by practical measures that encourage people to experience the available services and gradually incorporate them into their daily routines, rather than relying on broad promotional campaigns that overlook differences in people's circumstances, the effectiveness of these efforts should then be assessed through changes in passenger numbers, frequency of use and travel patterns, allowing the strategy to evolve based on what actually encourages citizens to use public transportation.

Beyond its practical benefits, public transportation can also contribute to greater social cohesion, bringing together citizens from different demographics, social classes, financial circumstances and educational backgrounds in a shared public space, these everyday encounters can encourage familiarity and a stronger sense of community, in a society where daily routines can often keep people within familiar social circles, sharing public spaces can create a greater sense of common experience, reminding citizens that they belong to the same wider community, giving public transportation a social value that extends beyond mobility and accessibility, an aspect worth considering when shaping how the network is presented to the public.

An important part of this strategy should focus on reshaping social norms that associate a person's status with their means of transportation, one approach worth considering is encouraging senior government officials, elected representatives and business leaders to regularly use public transportation across Jordan's governorates, their visible participation could send a powerful social message that public transportation is a normal choice regardless of income, profession or social standing, particularly when their use is genuine and consistent rather than limited to publicity appearances, leading by example in this way can help change perceptions and gradually establish new social norms around public transportation.

As Jordan invests in its transportation network, it has an opportunity to build the habit of using it at the same time, through careful listening, useful information, firsthand experience and examples set by people across society, the real measure of success will be not only the buses on the road, but the people who choose to ride them, and the connections those journeys make possible.