The Diploma Programme for Managers in Public Transport will take place in September and November 2026, and in June 2027.
It is an expert-level year-long course composed of three modules taking place in three different cities. It includes additional online sessions (webinars) organised between the classroom modules and an urban mobility lab.
Who is it for?
High-potential managers responsible for administration, operations, or maintenance.
Professionals seeking a broader international perspective on the public transport sector or those new to it.
Individuals eager to learn from peers and contribute their knowledge and experience.
What You Will Learn
Expand your knowledge and understanding of global mobility issues.
Gain insights into the primary challenges within the sector.
Analyse and discuss the latest trends and developments with experienced public transport experts and professionals.
Cultivate an international network of peers and professionals.
Facilitate the exchange of experiences among your peers.
Modules
Module 1: Policy, Planning, Regulating and Funding
14-16 September 2026 London (UK) Local Host: Transport for London (TfL)
Module 2: Public Transport Modes & Modal Choice
16-19 November 2026 Istanbul (Türkiye) Local Host: Metro Istanbul
Module 3: Customer-Oriented Management
9-10 June 2027 Hamburg (Germany) Local Host: Hamburger Hochbahn
Programme
Introduction to Diploma Programme & Expectation Analysis by UITP
Session 1
Cities are facing challenges such as congestion, pollution, and safety issues resulting from rapid urbanisation and car dependency.
Decision-makers must now confront the consequences of 70 years of car-oriented urban development and address the major challenge of changing behaviour, slowing urban sprawl, improving air quality, and ensuring that today’s investments deliver positive effects in 30 years’ time.
On a positive note, many city administrations have reviewed and revisited their urban and mobility plans to ensure that urban and infrastructure development advances towards climate targets while maintaining economic and social dynamism and preserving green spaces.
This is a first step towards more sustainable urban mobility. It is not an easy task: it requires strong commitments and sustained efforts to overcome many different challenges.
Why Public transport?
Main Challenges for Cities
Challenges and opportunities at global and urban levels
Contribution to economic, environmental and social policies
Trends and impact on urban mobility and public transport
Coffee Break
11:00–11:30
Session 2
Sustainable mobility and efficient public transport planning is based on political commitment to develop sustainable travel options, controlling car traffic and parking, integrating public transport and urban planning.
If public transport is a necessary solution, it is nevertheless not sufficient. Indeed, public transport must be part of an integrated urban mobility system.
It is the result of a global approach to travel problems based on three pillars: Development of sustainable travel options, control of car traffic, and land use planning.
Only a combination of these three pillars will achieve sustainable urban mobility objectives.
Public transport and land use planning
Car traffic and parking management
Demand management and travel behaviour
Integrated urban mobility plans
Lunch
13:00–14:00
Session 3
Farebox revenue does not cover operational costs of public transport. This is generally true for all transport modes all over the world. Operational costs called OPEX mainly comes from staff and fuel costs. Gaps between farebox revenue and OPEX must be covered by a direct subsidy and/or some other funding mechanism.
The funding mix
Operating and investment expenditures
Revenue strategy and fare policy
Earmarked taxes, charges and levies
Financing public transport: Land value capture, Betterment taxes
Public private partnerships
Coffee break
15:30–16:00
Session 4
Deregulation, liberalisation, privatisation and types of regimes
Levels of decision-making, share of competences between operators and authorities
Types of contractual agreements, sharing of risks, incentives
Globalisation and impact on the public transport sector
End of Day 1
17:30–18:30
More details on the venue will be communicated at the time
Session 5
Public transport planning is a structured approach to designing and managing transport systems to ensure they effectively meet the needs of a city or region. It involves considering various factors like demand, capacity, accessibility, and sustainability, with a goal to provide an efficient, safe, and cost-effective transportation network.
Overview of the public transport planning process
Data collection for network design
Main principles for network design
Essential parametres for public transport planning
Basics of a time-table design
Coffee break
10:30–11:00
Session 6
Contract management in public transport ensures that agreements between authorities and operators are effectively structured, monitored, and enforced to provide reliable and efficient services. Public Transport Service Contract (PTSC) is the official agreement between public transport authorities and the operators to provide public transport services meeting requirements and expectations.
Keys for PTCS: Scope, contract type, performance, financial agreement, duration, renewal monitoring, compliance and enforcement.
Define clear roles, responsibilities, and service expectations.
Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor service quality.
Implement risk-sharing mechanisms for financial sustainability.
Include incentives for high performance and penalties for non-compliance.
Ensure flexibility for contract adjustments due to market or regulatory changes.
Lunch
12:30–13:30
City Presentation by Participant City
13:30–14:00
Workshops: Urban Mobility Lab I
14:00–15:00
Coffee Break
15:00–15:30
Workshops: Urban Mobility Lab I (continued)
15:30–17:30
End of Day 2 – Free evening
17:30–17:30
More details will be confirmed
End of Visit and Module 1
16:00–16:00
Expectation Analysis by UITP
Session 1
Urban transport systems are designed according to current and forecasted demands. Bus, BRT, tramway, light rail system, metro, monorail, commuter rail each one of them refers to different modes of public transport with different capacity and operational characteristics. More and more cities have decided to build urban rail systems to get benefit of its advantages after transport feasibilities, to offer reliable transport service. Choosing the right and sustainable modes to cope with demand should be based on mode selection criteria.
Public Transport Modes: Metro, LRT, Bus, BRT Tram, Waterborne, Trolleybus
Bus is the main mode of public transport for many cities. With its flexibility and modularity, bus can play several crucial different roles in serving cities in the public transport networks. BRT with its high capacity compared to conventional bus systems and ease of implementation compared to light rail system makes it sustainable and reliable solution in providing a high-capacity public transport system.
Bus architecture and modularity of buses
Green Transportation Strategies
ZEB and clean energy vehicles: EVS, IMC
Benefits for operators and customers
Definition and components of a BRT system
Comparison with other public transport modes
Lunch
13:00–14:00
Session 3
Operation of urban rail is mainly based on the designing of the network, passenger demand, and the capacity of the rail system. Passenger demand varies during the day and weekdays. Flexibility of the operations to be aligned with passenger demand is not an easy task and is a very complex issue that all operators tackle with. Workforce and vehicle availability are the main. Workforce and vehicle availability are the main factors affecting operation as well as an intelligent management system.
Main principles of urban railways
Comparison with other options
Railway vehicles and sub-systems
Integration of many different technologies
Characteristics of railways: Speed, Capacity, Headway, Dwell time
Coffee Break
15:30–16:00
Session 4
Public transport operation planning is a comprehensive process that involves designing, scheduling, rostering and managing the operation within urban environments. It encompasses various elements aimed at optimising service efficiency, reliability, safety, and passenger satisfaction.
Public transport determinants and how they affect operation planning and execution
Route and Network Planning
Timetables – Level of Services (LOS)
Planning of operations – Personnel and vehicles and rostering
Integrations with other modes
End of Day 1
17:30–18:30
More details on the venue will be communicated at the time
Session 5
Mobility trends and services (Car-sharing, Bike sharing, Taxi, Ride-sharing, Pooling, etc.)
Benefits of combined mobility
Impacts of shared mobility
Public transport as the integrator of mobility services
MaaS: Mobility as a Service
Autonomous vehicles
Coffee Break
10:30–11:00
Session 6
Within urban mobility options, demand-responsive transport offers a space-efficient flexible service. Looking at it from a public transport point of view, different applications can be envisioned:
Complementing the public transport offer in time and space
Offering additional services
Replacement of inefficient public transport lines
Peak Shaving
Lunch
12:30–13:30
Session 7
Data has been in and around public transport for some time now. It has not only changed the way public transport is operated and used, but it has also changed expectations passengers have. Which changes have taken place in general, and which in the regions of participants? What is expected to happen in the future? And how will this impact passenger expectations? In this session all these items will be discussed.
Coffee Break
15:00–15:30
Workshop: Combined Mobility
15:30–17:30
End of Day 2 – Free evening
17:30–17:30
Session 8
How do we minimise the difference between planning and actual operations
Can we apply standard procedures for management of disruptions in daily operations
Coffee Break
10:30–11:00
Session 9
Service Quality
Measurement of Service Quality
EN 13816 Quality Standard
Key performance indicators
Customer Centricity and Marketing Strategies
Innovative Communications Tools
Lunch
12:30–13:30
Session 10
Monitoring the performance of a given public transport service is vital for the operators to improve the services, to receive feedback from the passengers as well as to track the trends. If you want to manage you have to measure this is the fundamentals of process engineering and it is the key for public transport.
Introduction to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in Public Transport
Punctuality: Measuring On-Time Performance
Reliability: Assessing Service Consistency and Frequency
Accessibility: Ensuring Equitable and Convenient Transportation Options
Customer Satisfaction: Understanding Passenger Feedback and Experience
Safety and Security: Monitoring Incident Rates and Response Times
Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness: Evaluating Operational Performance
Environmental Impact: Tracking Emissions and Sustainability Efforts
Workshop: Urban Mobility Lab II
15:00–17:00
End of day 3
17:00–17:00
Technical visit venue
09:00–16:00
End of Visit & Module 2
16:00–16:00
Introduction to Module 3 & Expectation Analysis – UITP
Session 1
This session will explore the critical role of HR in one of the largest employment sectors. It addresses unique opportunities and challenges specific to public transportation, emphasizing the importance of diversity, inclusion, recruitment, and retention strategies. The session also highlights approaches to enhance employee engagement and well-being, ensuring a motivated and resilient workforce.
From a production to a service industry: changing culture
From traditional functional structures to service-oriented structures
Quality and performance management
How to translate a corporate strategy into operational terms
Coffee Break
11:00–11:30
Session 2
Strategic management is crucial method emphasizing the alignment of mission, vision, and core values with organisational goals and objectives. It explores the process of cascading strategies from corporate levels to individual performance, highlighting effective leadership strategies and execution methods to drive success through people-focused management.
Introduction to strategic management and principles
Mission, vision and core values
Goals and objectives
Cascading strategies from corporate to individuals
Leadership strategy and executions
VUCA world – the new “normal” business environment
How to build a strategy and translate it into operational terms
Lunch
13:00–14:00
Workshop on Strategy Management
14:00–15:30
Coffee Break
15:30–16:00
Session 3
Evolution of ticketing concepts
Ticket media and technology
Account-based ticketing
Open-loop and closed-loop systems
Understanding and meeting customer expectations
End of Day 1
17:30–17:30
Session 4
Meeting travel information needs
Different types of users, services and information
From collective to individual travel information
Travel information design
Coffee Break
10:30–11:00
Session 5
Elements of a security concept
Security challenges and good practices
Public transport security objectives
Security policy tools
Lunch
12:30–13:30
Session 6
Successful marketing strategies and approaches
Revenue management
Customer-centricity
Branding and image
Innovative communications tools
Product development
Coffee Break
15:00–15:30
Urban Mobility: Stakeholder Communication Plan
Evaluation
Certificate Ceremony
End of Day 2
17:30–17:30
More details will be confirmed
End of Visit
16:30–17:00
End of Diploma Programme
17:00–17:00
A Top Level Methodology
Expert trainers with extensive global experience in public transport management and operations.
3 interactive classroom modules integrating theory and practice.
Dynamic workshops conducted in small groups, focusing on practical case studies.
8 e-learning sessions facilitated through the UITP Academy Learning Management System, MyAcademy.
Urban Mobility Lab: Collaborative group project on public transport and sustainable urban mobility, applying learnings to real-world case studies.
UITP Training Programs and all related processes are certified for ISO 21001: 2018 – the standard for Educational organisations – Management systems for educational organisations.
E-Learning Sessions to Complement Your Knowledge
Eight e-learning sessions are integrated into the course via our Learning Management System (LMS), complementing each module with pre-reading materials and Knowledge Papers.
These sessions enhance knowledge acquisition and strengthen the connection between participants and UITP throughout the programme.
Each e-learning session employs a self-learning approach, featuring interactive quizzes and questions.
Topics covered in the e-learning sessions may include:
Indispensability of Public Transport
Public Transport and the city
Public Transport Regulation and Organisation
Funding and Financing
Public Transport Modes: Focus on Bus
Public Transport Modes: Focus on Rail
Safety and Security in Public Transport
Urban Mobility Lab
The Urban Mobility Lab offers a unique opportunity to explore the critical transportation challenges and opportunities through a fictional city case study.
Spanning various stages throughout the course, participants will:
Conduct a comprehensive analysis of current transport issues in the city.
Collaborate in small groups to develop a (mini) Urban Mobility Action Plan.
Strategize the implementation process and design a service contract.
This exercise prompts participants to contemplate various transportation policy approaches, determine optimal stakeholder involvement, outline actionable initiatives, and forecast outcomes and feasibility.
The Urban Mobility Lab will tackle key transport challenges via a fictional city case study.
