In many cities the deficiencies of formal public transport services are overcome by the provision of informal private-sector services, variously referred to as paratransit or intermediate public transport (IPT). By the end of the 1980s the informal sector had a 40-80 per cent share of public transport in most capital cities of sub-Saharan Africa. In cities of South and South-East Asia. Where a formal municipal bus system is largely absent, IPT provides the bulk of public transport.