Public transport sector committed to EU Green New Deal, says UITP

With the new European Commission taking office on 1 December 2019, the International Association for Public Transport (UITP) has addressed an open letter to President Ursula von der Leyen and Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans on the role of public transport in the EU Green New Deal.

In her political guidelines published in July 2019, Ursula von der Leyen committed to propose a European Green Deal in her first 100 days in office with the aim to make the EU climate neutral by 2050. UITP has welcomed this goal and has said that it is ready to fully contribute to the objectives of the Green Deal.

UTIP has stated that it is convinced that the fastest and most cost-efficient way to decarbonise people’s daily mobility – and reduce the carbon footprint of their mobility choices – is to promote the use of public transport, walking and cycling.

Thomas Avanzata, UITP Europe Senior Director, said: “The public transport sector is committed to fully contribute to the objectives of the Green Deal. Providing people with attractive clean transport options – such as public transport – is key to achieving net carbon neutrality while contributing to other EU objectives in terms of employment, social and territorial cohesion, economy, accessibility and air quality.”

With the support of the EU Green Deal, the public transport sector can achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions at the latest by 2050 in a cost-efficient manner, said the UTIP. The Open Letter was adopted by the UITP European Union Committee and endorsed at the international level by the UITP Policy Board.