Public Transport Trends Report 2019: a global view on a redefined sector

18/04/2019

Global
Accessibility
Future of Mobility
Urban mobility

The UITP Public Transport Trends Report 2019 opens with this proclamation.

Over the past few years, we have been talking about the “disruption” of digitalisation, and the emergence of new mobility players in the public transport market. Digitalisation can no longer be seen as a “disruption”, and new mobility players are no longer “new”. Instead, our sector has fully embraced these “disruptions” as opportunities for growth, progress, and innovation. In doing so, we are pushing the boundaries of the very definition of our sector.

“We once limited the definition of public transport to mass transit, combining public access and collective use, but it is only one element of that definition, which now embraces every collective or shared mobility solution. In other words, public transport should include all collective and shared modes.”
Mohamed Mezghani
UITP Secretary General

While mass public transport will remain the backbone around which sustainable mobility solutions will thrive, the multiplicity of complementary solutions is making the passenger transport market more complex.

Thus, as public transport encompasses an ever-growing landscape of sustainable urban mobility solutions, this 2019 edition of the Trends Report seeks to address the new challenges and trends that have arisen at this stage.

We have observed, for instance, that trending technological innovations have paradoxically reinforced the importance of the human dimension in public transport.

“As leaders of our sector, we need to have a comprehensive understanding of the trends presented in this report. More than ever before, the future of our cities relies in part on our capacity to redefine public transport with a people first mentality”
Pere Calvet
UITP President

The Trends Report therefore begins with the people-centric mindset that our sector is increasingly shifting towards. With the first chapter on customer service excellence, the following covers attracting talents and skills.

With the core mission of our sector being to serve the public good, the third chapter of the Report addresses the challenges for governance models to preserve this mission, while adapting the business structure to a new urban mobility market. In the final chapter, we learn how the public transport sector is adapting to a changing cost structure and managing financial constraints by exploring new revenue sources.

The Public Transport Trends Report 2019 provides a first step in our efforts to redefine public transport, but this process does not end here… This redefinition will also continue at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Stockholm (9-12 June 2019), where we will have a dedicated session on this topic. Read more about it here!

Read the executive summary of the report here!

Check out our official press release for the Trends Report 2019!

Are you a premium or advantage UITP member? Download the full Report on MyLibrary here!

Not a memberof UITP, but eager to read more? Contact [email protected]to order your digital copy today!