With the post-war growth of the metropolitan area and the traffic congestion that followed, the need for a commuter transportation system became evident.

[3] The Société du métro léger de Tunis (SMLT) was founded in 1981 to manage the operation.

The Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens (SNCFT) has continued development of the heavy rail standard and metre gauge routes, initiated under French control, with the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) operation centred on Tunis.

The heart of the city, the Medina, has a street pattern that long pre-dates the industrial era or motorised transport.

Accounting for almost three-quarters of revenue (2006), the company operates 217 bus routes over 6,882 km (4,276 mi) with a fleet of 1,114 vehicles.

As with most other large cities, road congestion is a feature of Tunis, although the challenge for public transport is as much about increasing the capacity of their already well-used services as it is about stemming the rise in car use.

In 2017, the Tunis Transport Company announced the removal of the Habib-Thameur station following a fire that destroyed the ticket sales point.

With the city set for continuing population growth, preliminary studies for light rail, the Métro Léger, began in 1974.

Line 1, Tunis Marine (also the city terminus for the TGM) to Ben Arous in the south, opened in 1985.

The bi-directional trams are powered via a 750 V DC overhead wire and run on a 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) track.

Each tram consists of two units 64 metres in length and can hold 208 people standing and 58 sitting places.