Preserving environment by clean energy public transport: the case of Skopje, Macedonia

Being consecutively ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world, Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, serves as a suitable ground for introducing new, environmentally friendly public transport. The paper argues the justification of utilization of a monorail as technologically and operationally sound long-term sustainable transportation system. Replacing the current city transport based on diesel buses, with new electric driven monorails, enables sustainability, emissions reduction, and clean energy utilization. The research findings indicate that with only two suitably designed monorail lines, almost 70% of all city public transportation needs may be covered. Such fast, reliable and modern concept will contribute to air pollution reduction in a large manner. Despite the common claim that monorail costs are unpredictable and extremely high, the study evidence some stylized facts to be reasonably consistent, yet, with a necessity for more in-depth feasibility analysis. The practical significance of the paper is that suggests valuable recommendations for projecting a monorail, as probably the only permanent solution to the slow and inefficient public transport of Skopje, and improving environmental footprint in the same time