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Home News Newsletters - Smart Move Global Policy recommendations to double collective transport by bus, coach and taxi.
The EU public-private Smart Move High Level Group has met last week to finalise its policy recommendations to double the use of collective passenger transport by road within 10 years. Fifteen short, medium and long term measures include concrete proposals and incentives to prioritise public transport over the use of the private car.
Brussels, 21 February 2013 - The EU public-private Smart Move High Level Group (HLG) met today to finalise its policy recommendations for EU public and private stakeholders and policy decision makers. The group’s recommendations focus on short, medium and long term policies, outlining a realistic road map for decision makers on how to double the use of collective passenger transport by road in the EU within 10 years.
Recommendations take into account all the contributions that have been received covering the three topics of the group’s focus:
- inter-city and long distance regular bus and coach services - group tourism by coach; and - commuting, urban mobility and taxis.
IRU Vice President and President of the IRU Passenger Transport Council (CTP), Yves Mannaerts, stressed "This Smart Move High Level Group is the first of its kind public-private group that has come together, with the support of the European Institutions, to articulate policy recommendations that will double the use of collective road transport within 10 years. We must build on these recommendations and work together to ensure that they are fully implemented. This is in the interest of not just our industry, but European citizens and society as a whole".
The HLG adopted a common vision on the role and place of buses, coaches and taxis in the multimodal mobility chain, as the viable alternative to the private car. It has also proposed that the objective of doubling the use of collective passenger transport by road within 10 years become a formal EU policy objective. The 15 sets of concrete proposals made by the HLG range from enabling efficient, transparent EU cooperation and guidelines for city access restrictions and Low Emission Zones, to the establishment of a ‘zero rate’ VAT for collective passenger land transport, and the creation of a permanent EU platform to promote the use of collective passenger transport.
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