Multimodal, seamless mobility: city, country, region

How can one improve the transport services that link suburbs and rural areas with inner cities? Which public transport concepts will ultimately be successful? A panel of experts discussed these questions on the Future Forum Stage at BUS2BUS.

Romain Erny, Head of Mobility at Choose Paris Region, Agency for International Attractiveness, had travelled from Paris. For many people, the city on the Seine is a role model for the mobility transition. The Grand Paris Express project for example aims to double the number of metro lines. Driverless trains form part of this concept. A circle line will ensure better connections for suburban areas. 68 new stations are currently planned. The bus fleet, with over 10,000 vehicles, is to be converted to electric and biogas. Many startups are waiting to test their innovative e-mobility and charger infrastructure solutions in the city.

According to Dr. Rolf Erfurt, COO of Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), Berlin has also set itself ambitious targets. All buses are to be electrified by 2030. Currently, the main obstacle was the approval process, he said. The buses could only be purchased once the infrastructure was in place. In order to increase the speed of buses in urban traffic, which was currently 2.5 km/h lower than it could be, an important traffic policy step would be to prioritise bus lanes. The BVG was currently modernising its fleet with new buses, underground trains and trams. To manage the last mile in suburban areas, better public transport links with on-demand services were required. In the long term, semi-driverless buses were a conceivable option. BVG was working with the Senate and the police to improve the cleanliness and safety of stations and trains.

Lasse Repsholt, head of Public Transport at DANISH PASSENGER TRANSPORT, the association of local transport providers, saw intermodality, i.e. linking public transport in the city centre with suburban areas, as a transport policy issue in Copenhagen. A mix comprising buses, express trains and other modes of transport needed to gain a more attractive image than car use. Fares covering the entire country would be a good way to achieve this. He admired the transparency and simplicity of the Deutschlandticket, but in order to persuade car drivers to use buses and trains, services above all needed to run on time.

Zeina Nazer, co-founder of CITIES FORUM, which advises transport associations on smart city issues, was in favour of making driving as expensive and unattractive as possible. The returns from inner-city congestion charges for example should be invested in expanding public transport, she said. This would mean that only people with a very high income would be able to afford using their own car in city centres. However, car drivers also needed to be offered a financial incentive to switch to public transport, i.e. a functioning transport system with regular services and affordable fares.