Switzerland: Grow with Public Transport International Awards Winners Announced

The International Association of Public Transport has revealed the winners of the Grow with Public Transport International Awards at the Opening Ceremony of the 60th UITP World Congress & Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland.

More than 240 applications from over 40 countries were submitted for the 2013 edition. This year’s edition rewards public transport stakeholders who have demonstrated outstanding innovation in supporting the growth of public transport.

“Following the success of the PTx2 Awards handed over in Dubai, the 2013 Grow with Public Transport International Awards call for more and better public transport worldwide and highlight the benefits of sustainable mobility,” commented UITP Secretary General Alain Flausch. “These awards will act as a key milestone every two years until 2025, by which time UITP is aiming to fulfil the sector ambition of doubling the worldwide market share of public transport”.

2013 Grow with Public Transport International Awards – winners:

Business model (i-move 2.0)

MTR Corporation Limited (Hong Kong, China) — for the project ‘Rail plus property development business model in Shenzhen Longhua Metro Line’. For the first time this project structures the property development business model into two separate deals: the rail deal and the award of the property development site as a different deal. This project proves that successful models can be adapted and answer public transport (funding) challenges and attract the interest of private investors.

Customer service

Swiss Federal Railways (SBB/CFF/FFS) (Switzerland) — for the project ‘SBB.Connect – travelling with friends’. This project promotes one of the biggest advantages of public transport, the much more efficient use of travel time. By “checking-in” your train you can find your friends, chat virtually, meet in a train or benefit from other advantages.

Integrated mobility

Land Transport Authority (Singapore) – for the project ‘MyTransport.SG – your one-stop integrated transport companion’. This mobile application empowers commuters, motorists and cyclists to make informed decisions and better plan their journeys contributing to help Singapore reach a market share objective of 70% at daily peak hours by 2020. Open data allows for the development of third party applications.

Information technologies

IVU – Traffic Technologies AG (Germany) — for the project ‘Open data for London buses: new lean United Real-Time Interface (URA) for real-time data from Countdown 2 system using cloud technology’. This is a joint application with Transport for London. IVU has provided a URA that means TfL is a leader in its open data strategy. The data is open to all and could become the future standard for our sector.

Design award

Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) (France) — for the project ‘Osmose Bus Station’. Innovative and multifunctional bus station demonstrator developed under the EBSF European Commission RTD project. It proposes new services for passengers and the neighbourhood designed to make the bus system more attractive and integrated into the city.

Political commitment

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (Turkey) – for the project ‘Istanbul’s 2023 Vision’. This project is bound to shape the future of Istanbul due to the thoughtful integration of transport and urban development. The implementation of the ambitious rail infrastructure development plans has already started at a fast pace.