Let’s innovate, build, and transform public transport: UITP North America Forum 2024

North America is the fastest-growing region at UITP. On 23-26 June, new, old, small, and large members from across the region gathered in Vancouver to learn, network, and prepare for the future of mobility in North America. 192 attendees from 21 countries came to connect, learn, and share insights.

Across the world, public transport operators and authorities are facing familiar challenges and opportunities. That’s what makes events like the UITP North America Forum important as a chance to guide our sector into the future. Beyond technical visits to an electric bus depot and the operations & maintenance centre of the iconic Vancouver Skytrain, the event’s many sessions attracted professionals from all over the world. Let’s explore some of the Forum’s top topics!

Innovation is necessary to ensure that we can continually improve services and become more efficient (that helps solve some of our sector’s other challenges too). From bus rapid transit (BRT), to the digital transformation of rail, and open-loop payment, the North America Forum showcased how innovation is pushing public transport forward.

• BRT is booming. BRT projects make up 40 of the 61 public transport projects earmarked for funding by the US Federal Transit Administration.
• Digitalisation is changing ticketing. Namely, open-loop payments are a potential way forward, with open-loop and closed-loop ticketing likely to coexist.
• New legislation aids transit. For example, in British Columbia, Canada, new laws encourage building communities near transit, services, and amenities.
• Intermodality. Shared mobility, from shared bikes to micromobility, is helping develop an intermodal system, and many transit agencies are integrating these modes.
• Zero-emission transit. While it’s our shared goal, how we get there differs on the local contexts. The transition needs the right workforce, equipment, and infrastructure. During a key panel session, experts from TransLink, EMT Madrid, SFMTA, and Hitachi Energy shared best practices from previous zero emission deployments.

But making innovation happen means funding innovation. For that to be done successfully, we need a collaborative approach.

During the session ‘Investing in Tomorrow: What are the Funding and Financing Challenges?’, moderated by UITP’s Andrea Soehnchen, experts outlined the basis for action to address the challenge of funding innovation.

Among the solutions highlighted was public-private-partnerships (PPPs), which are used to transfer risk and provides for innovation and evolution in the market. In the US, their use “depends on each state” and their specific legislation regarding private investment in public infrastructure. On the other hand, Canada has long been a prolific user of PPPs. But today there is a shift towards co-development that involve a more collaborative approach, and this is happening in the US too.

Daniel Farina, the General Manager of CDPQ Infra, noted that the company aims to “partner with local authorities in order to provide expertise and funding to deliver large-scale infrastructure projects”. It’s like this that CDPQ Infra has helped deliver the Réseau express métropolitain (REM).

Increasing demand, in some places booming even, is bringing passengers to public transport from the lows of 2020. At the end of 2023, ridership data showed that across the United States passenger volumes reached 79% of pre-pandemic levels, owing to a huge 16% annual increase in trips. But there is still more to go.

For their part, VIA Rail Canada saw an increase of 25% in passenger numbers in 2023 compared to 2022. At the same time, funding remains an issue, especially the instability of budgets. On that note, Mario Peloquin sees the increasing passenger numbers as an opportunity and that this should be built on by boosting service frequency.

Attracting and retaining talent is a challenge everywhere and it is affecting the quality of services. Today, 96% of American transit agencies are experiencing workforce shortages. With this, solutions are being brought forward with urgency.

In a discussion with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) President and CEO Nadine Lee, it was noted that DART has approved a “Strategic Plan to Guide Future Priorities and Innovation”, with an empowered workforce as one of the key priorities. The development of that plan involved input from employees, passengers, city leaders, and regional partners. (Again, showing the importance of collaboration!)

The North America Forum is just one of many ways in which UITP brings public transport professionals together. For one, our committees meet regularly across the world and discuss the sector’s hot topics. During the Forum, attendees had a behind-the-scenes look at TransLink Vancouver’s design and culture strategy and output. That went hand-in-hand with a UITP Design & Culture Committee meeting that also took place in the city.

And of course, the UITP Summit 2025 takes place in Hamburg, Germany, and welcomes professionals again from all over the world. The challenge to innovate, build, and transform public transport continues!