Collective passenger transport can have a wide variety of co-benefits, such as reduce GHG emissions, reduce energy needs, boost local businesses, proximity economy, social cohesion, increase employment rate and jobs, raised awareness/behavioural change, improved access to job opportunities, improve air quality, reduce noise pollution, reduce road danger, enhance attractiveness of the city, healthier and more attractive lifestyles, better physical activity of individuals, better access to living areas for all, or reduce ecological footprint.

There are not one size fits all aspects regarding the governance of public transport systems. The governance of urban transport systems is a product of wider arrangements for the governance of metropolitan areas. These in turn are embedded in wider commonly held national conceptions and legacies which can very between nations. These include:

• The relationship between the role of the state and the private sector
• The relationship between the roles of national and sub-national Government
• The strength of, and degree of trust in, public institutions

To operate efficiently, public transport systems need the support of strong transport political commitment with long term vision, goals and implementation strategies. These can be reached through the creation of governing agencies such as public transport authorities in charge of managing and coordinating transport and mobility around the city and that work also hand in hand with urban planning.

Technical aspects / infrastructure:

Public transport systems require massive investments on infrastructure needs. Infrastructure needs will be different from one type of transport to another. Bus transport requires in general less investments in infrastructures than rail transport (trams, metros and trains).

Policy and regulatory / legal framework:

Legal framework based on national, regional and EU laws

Need for a regulatory framework and clear responsibilities under a transport authority with a vision and strategy. The regulatory framework determines the way in which transport services are designed, planned and produced. Therefore, transparent rules have to be established between the different agents of the systems. Operators from different modes and authorities from different jurisdictional levels have to co-exist both in time and in space.

Integrated mobility and urban planning approach

Mobility planning needs to be coordinated with urban planning. For this a long-term planning approach beyond administrative borders (e.g.: metropolitan region) is needed. This can be achieved by creating a unified plan and vision for the city/metropolitan area focusing on the principles of quality of life and sustainability, densification, mass public transport and active mobility; e.g.: strategic planning and sectoral plans (SUMPs, urban development plans, housing plans for smaller hubs).

Reinforced cooperation between the public and private sectors

Funding and financing:

The public transport sector requires stable funding and financing for capital investments and operations in line with the expected quality standards, transport coverage and frequency levels.

In order to ensure both the legal framework and capacity to deploy locally earmarked revenue from either existing or new sources, this requires the definition and establishment of diverse mechanisms to cover the costs of operating and maintaining the transport systems.

Funds can come from various sources:

National / regional funds

• EU funds
• Public and private financing such as:
• Property developers’ contributions
• Levies of parking places
• Taxes on salaries
• Taxes on cars spent on improving public transport
• Tax on fuel which are invested into to local transport

The challenges of urban transport are many but they include getting the balance right between:

• Funding and financing
• Spending available resources on maintaining existing infrastructure
• Expanding the infrastructure facilitating different types of journeys made by different types of people
• Funding raised from the users of public transport networks and funding raised from taxation and other sources
• Competition and regulation in the public interest

   

Digitalisation can lead to loss of front-end jobs and less customer services

• Better Urban Mobility Playbook (UITP)
• Video: https://www.uitp.org/campaigns/mobility-for-life

Urban economies cannot function with transport. Public transport and active mobility help address as well the following challenges:

• Reducing carbon emissions and air pollution
• Reducing social exclusion by providing affordable, acceptable, accessible and available access to opportunity
• Contributing to wider urban climate resilience
• Supporting urban economies by reducing congestion and making better places that people want to spend time in

Source: GeSI, Mobile Carbon Impact, 2016

Need for a Transport Authorities or governing bodies in charge of organising and managing the transport systems

Contractual relationships between the authority and the operator

Public Private partnerships

• Better Urban Mobility Playbook (UITP, 2021)
• How to build successful cities (UITP, 2021)
• Transport authorities for metropolitan areas (UITP,2022)