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Public Transport: Mobility for (Y)EU and Benefits for all

16/09/2021

Europe
Modal shift
Regional transport
Urban mobility
Urban transport policy

Public transport is one of the most sustainable and safe modes of transport, bringing benefits to society as a whole. Think of social cohesion, accessibility, climate change, health policy and many others. Public transport contributes to the economic development of regions and cities, creates employment and connects places and people.

As the European Mobility Week starts today, UITP takes the opportunity to launch a new campaign: Public Transport Benefits: Mobility for (Y)EU and Benefits for All.

This year’s European Mobility Week theme is ‘Safe and Healthy with Sustainable Mobility’. It aims to celebrate the creative and resilient responses of cities to the covid-19 pandemic. During the crisis the huge benefits of public transport have become evident: they provide an essential mobility service to citizens.

To support the objective of the Mobility Week, UITP is launching a new digizine to showcase the benefits of public transport for European cities and regions. The public transport sector is vital to the local (urban, sub-urban and regional) European economy – it plays a key role in achieving many of the EU’s policy objectives and Sustainable Development Goals. Public transport is also key accelerator of job creation, social inclusion, health and sustainability.

The campaign also aims to support the EU’s work on sustainable mobility. The Commission is expected to present a new Urban Mobility Initiave in December which will detail the Commission’s vision on urban mobility for the next years. It is clear that public transport, with all the benefits it brings to citizens, cities and regions, should be put at the heart of the strategy.

Public transport plays a key role to keep our cities and regions alive and moving. Our sector offers sustainable and safe mobility solutions to all European citizens and contributes to improve air quality, social cohesion, employment, and much more. With the upcoming Urban Mobility Initiative, UITP expects the European Commission to recognise the central role of public transport to meet the EU’s sustainable mobility and Green Deal’s objectives.
Thomas Avanzata
Spokesperson of the UITP European Union Committee

In the digizine, you will find out key stastitiscs on public transport’s benefits for cities and citizens.

Visit our Digizine

Over the coming weeks, the platform will be enriched with concrete examples from members showcasing the benefits of public transport in their regions and cities. Do you have an interesting contribution to provide? Contact us at europe@uitp.org