The public transport industry has experienced an unprecedented level of development in recent years, due to a varying number of factors – whether it be the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate change emergency or, more recently, the energy and cost-of-living crises. In response to these events, in addition to many other influences, the industry has made a conscious effort to continuously innovate in order to best support and serve its passengers – and this trend is not set to end any time soon.

For the first instalment in a new online exclusive feature series focusing on the future of the public transport industry, Mohamed Mezghani, Secretary General of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), takes the opportunity to consider the challenges that the industry is currently facing, and discusses how public transport’s response to these challenge will influence its future development.