Public transport is recovering in 2022 the travelers that it had lost in the previous two years due to the pandemic – the global user figures are between 70% and 90% of those in 2019 – and now it seeks to reinvent itself and attract more public driven by changes in habits and climate concern. Mohamed Mezghani (Sfax, Tunisia; 58 years old) is Secretary General of the International Union of Public Transport (UITP), the most important organization in the sector —which brings together 1,900 companies in a hundred countries and with headquarters in Brussels—. He believes that subways, trains and buses can face the future with optimism because it is clear that “cities cannot survive with so much traffic.”
Ask. How has the pandemic affected public transport in the world?
Response. The pandemic caught the sector by surprise. The first effect was the drastic drop in travelers of up to 90%. Public transport was not used to a crisis of this magnitude and had to adapt its service: disinfections, distance on the platforms, more ventilation… At the same time, its essential role was revealed: while the cities were closed, the doors of public transport remained open. Some governments —such as Germany— decided to give financial support to public transport, while others considered that it had to be supported by its own means, while giving aid to the automobile industry or tourism. Later, studies have shown that the risk of contagion in subways and buses is not so great and people began to return: passengers are between 70% and 90% pre-pandemic on a daily basis, despite teleworking, and almost 100 % weekends. This means that people feel safe, and there is also a growing awareness of environmental issues and less car use.
P. There are people who are still afraid to use public transport. What can be done to get them to use it again?
R. We must reinforce that people feel safe. I believe that the new practices, such as opening all the doors of the subway at each station whether or not there are people to get on, or opening them at bus stops so that they are ventilated, can give more confidence. In addition, you have to look at studies, such as the one carried out by Imperial College London on the use of the London Underground, which states that there is no added risk to using public transport. I think that fear will go away. Perhaps there is a problem with masks, because many governments [como el español] they enforce their use on public transport, but not elsewhere. The greatest impact is due to the fact that many people continue to telework and there are also those who have returned to the regular use of private cars, as seen in traffic congestion charges.
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P. How do you imagine the future of the sector?
R. I am very optimistic for many factors. The first is increasing traffic congestion: our cities cannot survive with so much traffic, even if all cars were electric and zero emission. Creating alternative solutions is essential and public transport is part of the solution. The second factor is the need to decarbonize our mobility, and this is helped by the growing awareness of the environmental consequences of our mobility. There are many young people who don’t even get their driver’s license, they look for other ways to get around. And we see it in the growing offer of light motorcycles, shared bikes… People are no longer so interested in using the car. Furthermore, governments have not postponed or canceled their investments in public transport. The key is that there is political will.
P. How will digitization influence?
R. It is a fundamental tool because it makes public transport more efficient, makes maintenance less expensive and helps personalize and improve customer relations. It will help make collective transport better suited to people’s needs, combining high-capacity public transport with new mobility services (shared motorcycles, bikes, scooters…). Digitization makes it possible to plan and operate public transport door-to-door, not just station-to-station. With the new tools we will find the appropriate means to move, depending on the time of day or day of the week, and people will no longer need to own a vehicle. But for this to be possible, public and private companies must collaborate to make apps and tickets that allow travel in all means of transport.
P. Do you think that in 10 years we will see driverless buses or automated shuttles?
R. Driverless buses will operate on protected infrastructure, in corridors with separate bus lanes. They are already beginning to be experimented with in the workshops: when the bus arrives at the warehouse or terminal, it parks automatically without a driver. If we can do this successfully, we will optimize the space on that ship. Then we will see it in exclusive use lanes for buses. The important challenge will be when we see that bus without a driver in the middle of the traffic, and not only the buses, but also the cars [sin conductor]. In this case, the technology still has to be developed to make it possible.
P. How does advertising affect that people value cars more than public transport?
R. There are still people who think that it is worth more to have a car, but perhaps it is the car manufacturers who continue to believe that people believe that. We must distinguish between those who can choose and those who have no choice. When you live in a big city you don’t need a car. I think that more and more we will live in cities where the use of cars is controlled. If we look at the periphery and rural areas, there will be people who have no choice and who have to use their car. We have to provide new mobility solutions so that those who do not have a car can also move easily in these areas. For example, on-demand transportation could be part of the solution. Regarding car advertising, of course there are people who still think that cars give you a very positive image, but we also see that the number of cars sold has fallen in the last two years, and this means that the market is already is not what it was, and that we must provide new mobility solutions.
P. There are environmental organizations that advocate banning certain car ads.
R. There are many messages that cars are like cigarettes and if we have banned tobacco advertising, we should ban car advertising. This may seem very extreme, but if something is bothering people, we should not communicate the benefits of what is causing discomfort. We must make people aware of the impact of their behavior when driving a car. People have to bear the consequences of their behaviour, the inconvenience and inconvenience they cause while driving. Communicate that impact, those consequences, and also the accidents.
P. Will the change from conventional to electric car help?
R. Cars are getting more and more expensive, especially with electrification, and this is not going to encourage people to buy cars. And even if you have an electric car, if you get stuck, you’re going to be stuck. It does not matter if you have a gasoline, diesel or electric car if you are in the middle of a traffic jam […] We have to take the approach of attracting commuters and making them proud of public transport, just as they can be proud of owning a great car, an SUV.
P. Will we see more transport on demand in sparsely populated areas?
R. Yes. But the challenge of mobility on demand is the business model: we have not found a system that is good for the operator and the user. One way to develop mobility on demand is by sharing cars, for example, from a sparsely populated area to the train station. The authorities can subsidize this practice, and we must provide the regulatory framework that makes it easier and integrate it into the public transport network.
P. What role will mobility as a service, that is, the combination of public and private transport services, play in the sector?
R. Mobility as a service is an excellent concept: it integrates all public transport and on-demand mobility services in one apps, and makes it possible to book and pay for those services from the same place. The key to success is collaboration between the different operators and sharing of data in a trusted environment. The other condition is to ensure that the algorithm that suggests routes always offers the most sustainable mobility service, not the most profitable for the operator.
P. Should public transport be paid for after use, like most services?
R. There are more and more initiatives tending to pay at the end of the month, where the traveler receives a statement or an invoice for all the journeys made. This makes it possible to adopt a charging system that benefits frequent users. Public transport has to evolve towards an approach that makes it easier to use. If you pay at the end of the month, there will be less constraints, you will not have to worry about where to go to get the ticket.
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