Position Paper on the clean vehicles directive (2009/33/EC)

UITP welcomes the Commission’s intention to reduce emissions stemming from the transport sector. Our association has signed the voluntary Commission “Declaration on promoting large scale deployment of clean buses in Europe”, is engaged in research projects testing the newest bus technologies, and is supporting our members to introduce new bus systems step by step in a (socially, operationally and environmentally) sustainable and cost-efficient way.

To our surprise, the proposal for a revised Clean Vehicles Directive, which would make the purchase of the cleanest types of vehicles obligatory, places the highest burden on public transport, which is already a clean, energy-efficient and climate-friendly mode of transport. While UITP recognises the benefits public procurement may have for the manufacturers of certain technologies, it wants to remind decision-makers that public transport companies are at the same time required to provide a cost-efficient service, especially since the demand for public transport is raising while cities’ budgets are limited.

Read our Position Paper