Smart Move Campaign

Spent yesterday in London at the Confederation of Passenger Transport - Regional Managers meeting where we heard directly about the international campaign to lift bus and coach use -Smart Move for our future

Smart Move is the global awareness campaign launched by the International Road Transport Union, advocating an increased use of buses and coaches worldwide to achieve sustainable mobility for all by placing buses and coaches, and the optimal solutions they offer, at the centre of the transport policy debate.

The Smart Move campaign aims at providing policy and opinion makers with accurate and reliable facts and figures in order to ensure informed legislation and induce policies that support and pro¬mote doubling the use of bus and coach transport at local, national, regional and global level to encourage citizens to switch from private cars to bus and coach whenever possible.

Clearly the New mobility patterns, combined with increasing environmental concerns at global level, have significantly raised political and public awareness about the urgent need to rethink our transport systems and change people’s travel behaviour. Right across the European Uniom Governments are concerned about the environment and o course on economic development.

Tomorrow’s transport policy will have to focus on efficient public transport systems that encourage a greater use of safe, green, energy-efficient, flexible yet affordable transport modes, to guarantee the sustainable mobility of everyone, everywhere in the world.

Buses and coaches encompass all these qualities and are amongst the best travel solutions, on short and long distances alike. This reality is well known among industry professionals: buses and coaches are identified as one of the most safe, environmentally-friendly, efficient, user-friendly, affordable and inclusive means of transport.

Used effectively, buses and coaches are an optimal response to a range of current and future mobility related challenges, such as CO2 emissions, congestion, road safety, connectivity with other transport modes and social inclusion. Regrettably, policy-makers, mass media and citizens are often unaware of this reality. On the contrary, buses and coaches are often wrongly associated with problems, such as pollution and congestion.

This misconception has led to a situation where buses and coaches not only under-perform in terms of use and their contribution to society, but also suffer from political negligence and often ill-informed, improper and even restrictive legislation, which prevents them from reaching their full potential in the delivery of high-quality, flexible, efficient, green and safe transport services.

Raising awareness

By documenting and advocating the implementation of policies that support, promote and encourage a greater use of bus and coach transport at local, national, regional and global level, hundreds of millions of cars can be taken off the road, thus dramatically contributing to the ambitious environmental and safety targets of governments throughout the world.

In Europe alone, achieving the objective of Smart Move and doubling the use of bus and coach transport would result in:
o a reduction of at least 50 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year;
o a reduction of over 3,000 road fatalities per year;
o a spectacular decrease in congestion in cities at zero cost for taxpayers as a result of an estimated 10-15% reduction in car traffic;
o the creation of 4 million new jobs.
Engaging the entire industry-This objective is pursued by actively promoting a greater use of collective passenger transport by bus and coach worldwide, and making sure that decision-makers at all levels are aware of just how safe, environmentally-friendly, affordable, user-friendly and efficient buses and coaches really are.

Officially launched at Busworld Kortrijk on 14 October 2009, Smart Move aims at the largest possible involvement, endorsement and support of the organised bus and coach industry in Europe and worldwide, as well as manufacturers, suppliers and all professionals and individuals who share the vision and objectives of the campaign.

Concurrently, industry stakeholders, such as bus and coach operators and drivers, are highly involved through industry initiatives and the wide implementation of best practices to keep improving the quality, safety, environmental-friendliness, efficiency and user-friendliness of bus and coach transport, notably through increased training, checklists and dedicated awareness campaigns.

Doubling the use of bus and coach services is a realistic policy objective. It is also a commendable approach from a public interest point of view. Buses and coaches, together with taxis, are the only transport mode which can successfully compete with the private car in offering a sustainable alternative while maintaining a high level of flexibility.

Drawing political attention and inducing the right incentives to increase the use of buses and coaches is therefore the smartest way of achieving sustainable mobility for all.

So there you have it almost in a nutshell! It is just not the fact that the West Midlands needs a better approach to Bus and Coach travel, we fit into the European scene, and Europe needs to increase their travel options.