UITP Australia New Zealand publishes new ‘playbook’ highlighting opportunities for public transport post-pandemic

The International Association of Public Transport Australia New Zealand (UITPANZ) has announced that it has partnered with Accenture to produce a new publication focussing on practical measures that the public transport industry can implement to attract passengers back to the network and grow modal share. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has eroded public transport patronage on even some of the world’s most utilised services, with ridership numbers reaching historic lows in some cities. Experts say that getting those numbers back up is critical to a sustainable future. UTIP Australia New Zealand’s newly published ‘Customer Attraction Playbook‘ identifies emerging themes in customer experience, highlighting opportunities for the public transport sector to better meet customer needs. 

UITP Australia New Zealand’s Acting Executive Director, Angé Anczewska, says that this playbook recognises the importance of sustainable mobility while balancing passenger concerns for health and safety. 

“COVID-19 disrupted our industry in an unprecedented way, and we now have the opportunity to completely rewrite the rules. We know that, to get passengers back on public transport, we have to convince them that leaving the car at home is better for their health and the environment. From simple measures such as sharing service disruption information with local governments for wider community distribution, to significant actions such as transitioning to zero emission fleets, this playbook offers a range of options for authorities and operators to ensure that public transport remains the backbone of how people move around our cities and regions,” said Anczewska. 

Russell Yell, Principal Director at ANZ Mobility and Cities Lead at Accenture, said that the public and private sectors must work together to achieve outcomes that appeal to customers: “Through our research and customer experience events with UITPANZ and other industry advocates, we’ve gathered world-leading case studies, insights and ideas and turned them into actionable items. The playbook outlines a range of opportunities for cross-sector collaboration to implement measures that will meet passenger needs and make public transport a more attractive travel choice.”