Decoding an urban myth: An inquiry into the Van line 4 system in Beirut, Lebanon

Abstract

In Beirut, Lebanon, the failure of state-led transport strategies enabled the rise of private initiatives that appear to be monopolies organized through overlapping political, geographic, and sectarian power structures. Underneath this seemingly haphazard informality, lies a system that presents itself as a viable model for urban mobility. This paper discusses the case of Van Line 4 (56,250 daily users) in Beirut. A multidimensional assessment of the empirical findings enables an evaluation of the efficiency, arguably success, and vital socio-economic role of the Van Line 4 across sharp boundaries of the capital's diverse and segregated districts. It also suggests alternative lessons in informal urban mobility. The foundations of this form of public transport diverge from the dominant Western trend of thinking about technology and planning in the discipline. Rather, what is notable is the construction of a cost effective and reliable service balanced on coercion, sectarianism, and agility. Through decoding the process of service provision to a diverse satisfied customer base, we aim to contest the stigma of inefficiency tied to informal transport systems, while putting forth other “success” factors and indicators to be considered. We uncover how Van Line 4 is an efficient, economically profitable, and well-organized system that challenges urban inequality and geographic divides. Finally, we highlight the necessity to consider power structures and politics with the inequalities they recreate in the discussion of informal systems especially when their continuation is directly related to, and lives on the fragmentation of the state.