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Abbreviation | UITP |
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Formation | 17 August 1885 |
Type | AISBL |
Legal status | Nonprofit Organisation |
Purpose | Advocating Sustainable Transport as a member-led association |
Headquarters | Secretariat-General, Rue Sainte-Marie 6, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Brussels-Capital Region, 1080, Belgium, Europe |
Region | Worldwide |
Membership | 1,900+ members |
Official language | English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Arabic |
President | Renée Amilcar |
Deputy President | Brieuc de Meeûs |
Secretary General | Mohamed Mezghani |
Main organ | General Assembly |
Subsidiaries | Youth For Public Transport (Y4PT) Foundation, created on 25 November 2005 by the UITP Policy Board and led by Sebastián Pernet as a Co-Founder. |
Website | uitp.org |
The International Association of Public Transport (French : Union Internationale des Transports Publics; UITP) [1] [2] is a non-profit member-led organisation for public transport authorities, networks and operators, policy decision-makers, scientific institutes and the public transport supply and service industry, that works to advance sustainable urban mobility.
Founded on 17 August 1885, initially as the Union Internationale des Tramways (International Union of Tramways), the association is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, with 13 offices around the world. With more than 1900 members in over 100 countries, UITP advocates for sustainable mobility and produces publications, oversees projects, hosts global events and brings together all those with a vested interested in advancing public transport.
Starting off, the association mainly focused on the development of tramway systems across Europe. However, as urban mobility increased, the scope of the association expanded multinationally. This expansion introduced the integration of buses, railways, metros, etc. [3]
The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) envisions a future where public transportation systems are more sustainable, accessible, and integrated with new technologies. Key strategies include increasing the use of zero-emission vehicles, [4] promoting multimodal transportation options, [5] and enhancing digitalization [6] for better efficiency and passenger experience. UITP also emphasizes the importance of partnerships between the public and private sectors to meet evolving urban mobility needs and reduce carbon footprints. These plans align with global efforts to combat climate change and make cities more livable.
UITP represents an international network of more than 1,900 member companies in over 100 countries and covers all modes of public transport: metro, [7] light rail, [8] [9] regional and suburban railways, bus, [10] trolleybus, taxi and ride-hailing, and waterborne transport. [11] It also represents collective transport in a broader sense, with active committees and working bodies on digitalisation, I.T., sustainable development, design and culture, human resources, transport economics, security, and more.
UITP is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, with thirteen regional and liaison offices worldwide, located in Abidjan, Casablanca, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg, New York, São Paulo, Singapore, Mexico & Central America, New Delhi, and Auckland).
The General Secretariat is managed by Mohamed Mezghani, who has been working for more than 30 years in public transport and urban mobility-related fields and became the association’s Secretary General in January 2018. He previously served in a number of internal positions, including as UITP Deputy Secretary General. His mandate was renewed for a second term, beginning in January 2023.
The President of UITP is Renée Amilcar, the General Manager of OC Transpo in Ottawa, who was voted into office in June 2023 as the association’s first female President. Joining the City of Ottawa as the General Manager in 2021, Renée oversees many projects in her daily role, including the electrification of Ottawa’s transit fleet and the deployment of 350 zero-emission buses.
Being a nonprofit, funding partially comes through memberships and collaborations with companies and individuals. The association selects its members based on their role and contributions to the public transport sector. Membership is open to a wide range of stakeholders, including public transport operators, authorities, policymakers, researchers, and industry suppliers. The organization emphasizes collaboration and innovation, bringing together those who are committed to advancing sustainable urban mobility. Key members include prominent transport authorities like Transport for London (TfL) and industry leaders such as Siemens Mobility, Alstom, and Bombardier. [12]
The transport system of Finland is well-developed. Factors affecting traffic include the sparse population and long distance between towns and cities, and the cold climate with waterways freezing and land covered in snow for winter.
A tram is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or tram networks operated as public transport are called tramways or simply trams/streetcars. Because of their close similarities, trams are commonly included in the wider term light rail, which also includes systems separated from other traffic.
Light rail is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology while also having some features from heavy rapid transit.
Veolia Transport was the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia until the 2011 merger that gave rise to Veolia Transdev, later renamed Transdev. Veolia Transport traded under the brand names of Veolia Transportation in North America and Israel, Veolia Transport, Veolia Verkehr in Germany and with the former name Connex preserved in Lebanon, Melbourne and Jersey.
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit group of approximately 1,500 public and private sector member organizations that promotes and advocates for the interests of the public transportation industry in the United States.
Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas:
The Siemens S70 and its successor, the Siemens S700, are a series of articulated low-floor light-rail vehicles (LRV) and modern streetcars manufactured for the United States market by Siemens Mobility, a division of German conglomerate Siemens AG. The series also includes a European tram-train variant, the Siemens Avanto.
Keolis is a French transportation company that operates public transport systems all over the world. It manages bus, rapid transit, tram, coach networks, rental bikes, car parks, water taxi, cable car, trolleybus, and funicular services. Based in Paris, France, the company is 70% owned by SNCF and 30% owned by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.
Light rail is a commonly used mode of public transit in North America. The term light rail was coined in 1972 by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration to describe new streetcar transformations which were taking place in Europe and the United States. The Germans used the term Stadtbahn, which is the predecessor to North American light rail, to describe the concept, and many in UMTA wanted to adopt the direct translation, which is city rail. However, in its reports, UMTA finally adopted the term light rail instead.
A medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. MCS trains are usually 1 to 4 cars. Most medium-capacity rail systems are automated or use light-rail type vehicles.
Trams in France date from 1837 when a 15 km steam tram line connected Montrond-les-Bains and Montbrison in the Loire. With the development of electric trams at the end of the 19th century, networks proliferated in French cities over a period of 15 years. Although nearly all of the country's tram systems were replaced by bus services in the 1930s or shortly after the Second World War, France is now in the forefront of the revival of tramways and light rail systems around the globe. Only tram lines in Lille and Saint-Étienne have operated continuously since the 19th century; the Marseille tramway system ran continuously until 2004 and only closed then for 3 years for extensive refurbishment into a modern tram network. Since the opening of the Nantes tramway in 1985, more than twenty towns and cities across France have built new tram lines. As of 2024, there are 28 operational tram networks in France, with 3 more planned. France is also home to Alstom, a leading tram manufacturer.
Public transport is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typically managed on a schedule, operated on established routes, and that may charge a posted fee for each trip. There is no rigid definition of which kinds of transport are included, and air travel is often not thought of when discussing public transport—dictionaries use wording like "buses, trains, etc." Examples of public transport include city buses, trolleybuses, trams and passenger trains, rapid transit and ferries. Public transport between cities is dominated by airlines, coaches, and intercity rail. High-speed rail networks are being developed in many parts of the world.
Transdev, formerly Veolia Transdev, is a France-based international private-sector company which operates public transport. It has operations in 17 countries and territories as of November 2020.
Yapı Merkezi Holding A.Ş. is a group company whose field of activity is primarily in the construction industry. It was founded in 1965 by Ersin Arioglu and Koksal Anadol in Istanbul. As the first and largest company of the Yapı Merkezi Group, Yapı Merkezi Construction and Industry has realized the design and construction of a wide variety of buildings, rail systems and heavy construction projects. Since 1980, the company has also realized contracts in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Slovenia.
The Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA) or International Association of Lawyers is an international non-governmental organisation, created in 1927, that brings together more than two million legal professionals from all over the world.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to public transport:
Urban rail transit in Africa has emerged as a growing form of transit due to rapid urbanization that has occurred in recent decades across the continent. Some of these transit systems are older and more developed, such as the metro in Cairo which opened in 1987. Others such as the light-rail system in Addis Ababa are much more recent, which opened in 2015. A variety of technologies are being used ranging from light-rail, bus rapid-transit, and commuter-rail etc. Africa for several decades saw minimal investment in rail infrastructure, but in recent years due to urban population growth and improved financing options, investment in rail networks has increased.