Bring the UITP Summit to your city in 2028: The official call to bid opens

Beginning in 1886, the UITP Summit, has been the date of expectation in the calendar of all sector professionals, with each host city becoming the public transport capital of the world for a week long of activities.

After wrapping a hugely successful edition last year in beautiful Barcelona, we already have our next host cities lined up to carry forward the incredible achievements made in 2023.

Now, we’re setting our sights ever further towards the future by announcing that the official call to express an interest in hosting the 2028 edition of the UITP Summit is open!

Hamburg will welcome the urban mobility sector in 2025 and 2027 as our next host city (15-18 June 2025), in the same year that UITP will celebrate our 140th anniversary as an association.

Then, it will be Destination Dubai when the UITP Summit heads to the UAE for the first time in 15 years (21-23 April 2026).

Will your city become our official host in 2028? 

Following conversations and consultation with our membership in 2021, we decided to bring the sector together on a more regular basis by making the UITP Summit an annual gathering.

By refocusing our activities on an annual edition we will bring a better balance to our approach of putting people first.

Now, with our brilliant 2025, 2026 and 2027 host cities already lined up, it’s time to seek out the locations hoping to welcome the public transport sector in 2028.

Certain rules apply, so we encourage you to make yourself familiar with them before considering a potential bid.

For the 2028 edition, cities within Europe and also the Middle East cannot submit to host as our 2025-2027 editions will be held there. However Maghreb and those cities in the CEEC are still eligible to express an interest. 

All interested applicants must send their official expression by email and courier no later than 31 October 2024.

All applicants will be reviewed once the call for expression of interest has closed, and then those successful from the first call will be invited to officially apply with their application in early November 2024.

The shortlist from that process will take part in the bidding process during 2025.

The process is naturally very detailed and informative, and after each step is taken – including the review of those short-listed applicants – the winning host will be announced in mid-January 2026!

Hosting an event of this size and importance represents a major contribution to the economy of each host city, and the chance to push public transport up the agenda in your city, region, and country.

The objective is not only to create special moments, together, but to build lasting change, and a legacy left behind in each host city: for passengers, people, and public transport.

So are you our potential 2028 host city? To receive all the information you need on the bidding process, the finer details, and how to apply in full – please contact: [email protected]

The UITP Summit: The public transport sector meets here