Mobility Week Highlights Indispensable Role of Transit

The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) is supporting the 2015 Mobility Week with a campaign aiming to highlight the vital role that public transport plays across the globe, transporting millions of people on a daily basis. 

In a world in which over 1,000 cities of more than 500,000 citizens are facing major mobility problems, UITP encouraged its members – and other transport stakeholders – around the world to join together in celebrating Mobility Week Sept. 16-22, to underline the crucial role played by public transport in keeping cities moving.

In 2005, 47 percent of the daily trips worldwide were still made in private motorized vehicles, creating both pollution and congestion, degrading air quality and holding back economic growth. If significant action is not taken, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions are predicted to rise by nearly 30 percent by 2025 compared to 2005, primarily caused by a surge in the global stock of private vehicles.

Encouraging a significant modal shift to public transport, as per UITP’s strategy of doubling the modal share of public transport by 2025, would play a major role in climate mitigation, making cities better places to live and work.  

“With more and more people living in cities across the globe, demand for urban mobility is rising, especially in developing countries,” said Alain Flausch, UITP secretary general. “UITP’s campaign aims to highlight the vital role that public transport plays in both climate mitigation and sustainable growth.”