In the run-up to EuMo Expo 2024, we’re meeting various leading and influential figures hard at work improving public transport and sustainable mobility on a daily basis.
In our latest interview, we spoke to Marie-Ange Debon, President of France’s Public and Rail Transport Union (Union des Transports Publics et ferroviaires – UTPF).👇
Marie-Ange Debon
President of France’s Public
and Rail Transport Union
European Mobility Expo will be opening its doors in Strasbourg in October. What are your expectations for this new edition?
As someone who’s committed to Europe, I’m delighted that this edition of the event is going to be in Strasbourg; European Mobility Expo has never been so European! We already know that trains play a key role in connecting countries across Europe; now, in Strasbourg, people will also be able to see how trams and buses can help people cross borders too. This is all the more important in that a lot of the legislation to do with mobility is enacted at EU level.
This edition will have a particularly European feel because it’s happening in an attractive city at the crossroads of Europe, and as such it’s an opportunity for us to put topics with a specifically European focus right at the top of our agenda: EU funding, for one. Despite being highly relevant for public transport, the various sources of funding are relatively little known. Another topic is industrial strategy, to which they make a significant contribution. Cross-border mobility is a key issue too, not only for rail transport, but also for city transport in urban areas that span two countries. Rail freight has been shown to have environmental benefits, but requires EU support if it is to be competitive.
Europe also serves as an excellent arena in which to look at the wide variety of practices and approaches to funding and management methods, with plenty to learn for everyone. To address these different topics, all our talks will feature at least two speakers from other EU countries; we’re looking forward to some really interesting conversations.
Furthermore, we’ll be looking at the issues facing European operators, such as recruitment difficulties. Indeed, UTPF has been on the front foot in this respect, launching its ‘Transformer’ project to implement a training policy for the entire profession, benefiting all the companies involved.
We’ll also be talking about the role of digital technology and ticketing: EU policymakers need to deal with this aspect during the new parliamentary term so that EU citizens can enjoy a really straightforward, seamless passenger experience whilst benefiting from all their rights.
Last but not least, EuMo Expo 2024 will be an opportunity to flesh out the details of tomorrow’s ‘calmer cities’, looking at what role we’d like public transport to play in that and how we can help encourage modal transfer. So as you can see, over and above technical questions the event will be a great place to look together at what sort of society we’d like to see in the future.
EuMo Expo 2024’s opening keynote on Tuesday 1 October will look at the aspirations of the new European parliament for transport. UTPF has made twelve recommendations aiming to achieve sustainable transformation of tomorrow’s mobility. Can you tell us more about that?
In the run-up to the EU elections, UTPF made twelve proposals in a ‘Manifesto’ seeking to encourage the development of high-quality offerings everywhere and meet European citizens’ expectations in the realm of mobility. The Manifesto calls on MEPs to focus on four strands:
- mobility embodying care for the planet and social cohesion
- rail and urban public transport getting the investment it needs
- smarter mobility
- and training and skills for tomorrow.
In very practical terms, these twelve proposals include a call by UTPF for a broad European policy declaration recognising the benefits of public transport and advocating for national governments to be required to earmark resources from EU mechanisms such as ETS emissions quotas for rail and urban public transport.
These measures are very much a live issue and UTPF will continue to lobby for them throughout the term of the new EU parliament.
Indeed, this edition of EuMo Expo comes just after a major reshuffle in the political landscape, both in France and at EU level. Public transport needs to promote its benefits to incoming EU policymakers (both newly-elected MEPs and future EU Commissioners) and to the new government and its MPs in France. It’s vital that these new policymakers put public transport right at the top of their priorities so as to improve quality of life for everyone.
EuMo Expo 2024 is an opportunity for visitors to find out all about new mobility solutions. How can the EU support the industry so that it stays at the cutting edge of innovation?
UTPF is a strong supporter of innovation in the transport sector. Proposal 8 in our Manifesto is to encourage dynamic exchanges of best practices, with a special focus on issues surrounding ticketing and the use of data. We welcome any initiative that would make it easier for transport operators to share success stories and learnings in order to speed up the development of innovative solutions.
If we want to be able to offer mobility services that are more innovative, more efficient, more practical and more environmentally-friendly, we need to change the status quo and create new opportunities so as to change mindsets and habits. To do that, we need to engage as many stakeholders as possible to look at all the latest ideas. I’m convinced that doing so will be a source of innovation – and that’s a key part of what we do at EuMo Expo.
