Advancing sustainable mobility in Europe: UITP presents its priorities for EU Policy

Last week, UITP gathered its European members in Brussels to advance the sustainable mobility agenda in Europe. Alexandra Reinagl, Chair of the UITP Europe Division, and the CEO of Wiener Linien, led the meeting with an inspiring opening address recalling how crucial public transport is for Europe’s recovery and green transition. The sector’s common mission is clear: make cities greater places to live, to work and to visit.

At UITP, we  do believe in the importance of engaging with the young generation. Finn Grimsehl-Schmitz, a young climate and mobility activist from Germany, exchanged with our Europe Division members on current challenges and expectations for the sector from the perspective of shortage of staff, attracting new talents, security and climate challenges.

One of the key points on the agenda was also the presentation of the new UITP policy paper on our EU priorities for local public transport.

For UITP and its members, public transport is and should remain the backbone of the entire urban mobility ecosystem. With this motto, our new paper contains key measures to successfully address current mobility and climate challenges.

Dive in our EU Policy Priorities or continue reading below

In its Urban Mobility Framework, the European Commission has already confirmed the critical role of public transport in ensuring the sustainability of the entire local mobility chain. It is now time for the EU to move from declarations to implementations and to strengthen its position on modal shift from individual travel modes to collective local passenger transport.

Like many sectors, public transport faces the impact of global challenges such as climate change, COVID-19, inflation, the energy crisis, and staff shortages. These multiple crises have one thing in common: they set public transport as one of the key solutions to overcome these challenges.

This was highlighted by Ulrich Weber, Vice-Chair of the UITP Europe Division and Head of Staff Unit Funding and European Affairs at Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen. He focused on the need for the EU to promote modal shift in all initiatives impacting local mobility.

Interested in knowing more about our priorities? Read our policy paper:

Read more

publication

EU Policy priorities for local public transport: A UITP Perspective

25 Jan. 23

UITP also invited its members to join a new initiative launched by the European Commission to collect school buses for Ukraine. Members interested are invited to donate in the coming months buses that are essential to bring Ukrainian children safely back to their schools.

Visit the Commission’s website for more information

The sector has already shown its solidarity to help the people of Ukraine. When the devastating situation began to unfold in Ukraine, public transport acted swiftly to play its part in helping those in need. Our sector put measures in place to support those fleeing from Ukraine, many of who have lost everything, providing free public transport to Ukrainian refugees. Read more