Tijuana Pushes Sustainable Personnel Mobility Agenda

Personnel transportation is emerging as a critical component of mobility infrastructure in Mexico’s northern border region, driven by industrial growth, nearshoring, and rising demand for worker commuting services. Public and private stakeholders in Baja California are advancing discussions on fleet electrification, regulatory standardization and sustainable urban mobility, while transportation companies face infrastructure, financing and energy capacity challenges that could shape future investment in low-emission mobility solutions.

Tijuana hosted the first Personnel Transportation Roundtable, an initiative led by WRI Mexico and the North American Development Bank (NADB) to foster dialogue between authorities and private sector representatives on sustainable strategies for the growth of labor and urban mobility in the border region.

The event brought together representatives from the Government of Baja California, led by Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila, as well as the Institute for Sustainable Mobility (IMOS), the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, transportation companies, industrial parks, business organizations, federal authorities and development banks. The discussion aimed to identify the sector’s main challenges and establish the conditions necessary for its transformation.

According to WRI Mexico data, an average of 12% of all urban trips in Mexico’s border region are made through personnel transportation services. In cities such as Saltillo and Ciudad Juárez, however, the figure exceeds 27%, surpassing even public transportation usage. Demand has grown by 30% over the last five years, with particularly strong growth among women workers.

The fleet, estimated at more than 20,000 units across the region, operates almost entirely on diesel and generates approximately 644,000t of CO₂ annually. Around 40% of vehicles have exceeded their useful life. Meanwhile, 97% of users have no alternative means of reaching their workplaces. Despite its scale, personnel transportation lacks explicit recognition under federal regulations. There is no specific legal classification for this mode of transport, and each state regulates it differently.

Francisco Barnés, Executive Director, WRI Mexico, noted that personnel transportation currently accounts for approximately 6 million daily trips in Mexico and has historically remained an overlooked sector. He explained that WRI Mexico is working to position it as a strategic pillar by providing technical evidence and serving as a bridge between stakeholders.

“There are 7,600 personnel transportation vehicles in Mexico that need to be replaced. That is the window of opportunity to accelerate the transition toward low-emission fleets, and WRI Mexico is supporting the design of concrete solutions that can scale. What is achieved in Tijuana could be replicated across 14 border cities and expanded to the rest of the country. WRI Mexico is firmly committed to coordinating the government, the private sector and financing institutions to make this transformation possible,” he said.

One recurring topic during the roundtable was the relationship between personnel transportation and public transportation. Jorge Alberto Gutiérrez, Director, IMOS, explained that in Mexicali the exponential growth of personnel transportation during the pandemic drastically reduced the availability of urban public transportation, negatively affecting students, senior citizens and people without ties to the industrial sector.

Representatives from the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) reinforced this point, noting that personnel transportation complements public transportation by serving industrial outskirts, but its growth must be accompanied by policies that prioritize shared mobility in urban planning.

Governor Ávila emphasized that the state government’s objective is not to limit personnel transportation, but rather to integrate it into a broader systemic mobility vision. “We cannot promote personnel transportation while leaving public transportation behind. Mobility translates into quality of life, and that includes workers’ families,” she said.

The governor also stressed that improving quality of life has been a priority for the current administration, particularly through projects designed to reduce time spent in traffic, expand transportation alternatives and give people more time for personal activities. In this regard, she highlighted the implementation of the RESPIRA program, which is built around three pillars: comprehensive public transportation modernization, new transportation and mobility technologies, and the expansion of green areas.

In line with RESPIRA, last month authorities announced the launch of the Supervía Bajacaliforniana / SUBE-T Elevated Viaduct project, a strategic infrastructure initiative aimed at improving urban mobility and strengthening connectivity within the Tijuana metropolitan area. The project includes 12 km of elevated roadway with six main lanes, three in each direction, as well as 12 access points and 11 exits to facilitate smoother traffic flow.

The project is expected to significantly reduce travel times during peak hours, cutting commutes from up to 45 minutes to approximately 15 minutes, benefiting more than 100,000 drivers who travel through the area daily. Authorities also expect the project to contribute to emissions reductions by decreasing travel times and traffic congestion, advancing toward a cleaner and more sustainable city focused on residents’ well-being.

Solutions and Challenges for Sustainable Mobility

Transportation companies Autotransportes Latinoamericanos and SETTEPI, part of Grupo Traxión, shared their innovation experiences during the event. Autotransportes Latinoamericanos has incorporated Euro 5 and Euro 6 vehicles and currently operates four electric buses powered by its own solar generation system. SETTEPI operates 100 natural gas units and three electric buses in a pilot program in Monterrey.

Both companies agreed that electrification is the path forward, although adoption still faces barriers such as insufficient electrical capacity at depots and industrial zones, a lack of financing instruments tailored to the sector’s profile and the absence of fiscal incentives.

“With our current infrastructure, we can only charge one bus every 24 hours. We do not have the capacity to purchase even five additional electric units,” said Javier Pérez, Representative of Autotransportes Latinoamericanos.

In this regard, Gerónimo Martínez, Representative of S2G Energy, proposed separating the transportation business from the electric charging business through specialized operators capable of opening their charging networks to multiple users, including personnel transportation services, public transportation systems and municipal fleets, thereby reducing total costs for each stakeholder. “We cannot ask a transportation company to also finance fuel refining infrastructure,” he said.

The roundtable concluded with a call to establish a shared agenda. WRI Mexico will systematize the lessons gathered from the dialogue to support the study’s two core deliverables: a strategic personnel transportation agenda for Tijuana and a feasibility analysis for sector electrification, both intended to serve as models for other northern border cities.

“We want this study to be actionable and not remain in a drawer. With the leadership we are seeing, we believe there is a great deal we can accomplish,” said Salvador López, Executive Director of Environmental Affairs, NADB.