Smart Move Going for Growth

Doubling the use of buses and coaches

Patrick Van ImpeSecretary General BusworldBirmingham, November 3rd

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Smart MoveThe Movie

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About Smart Move

What is Smart Move?

• Smart Move is a global awareness campaign, advocating a greater use of collective passenger transport by bus and coach worldwide, initiated jointly by the IRU and Busworld during Busworld Kortrijk 2009.

• Smart Move is endorsed by the bus and coach industry, manufacturers, suppliers and, ultimately, all professionals and individuals who share the rationale and objectives of the campaign.

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Why are we campaigning?

• Buses and coaches are – One of the most environmentally-friendly, safe, flexible and

affordable means of transport;– Offer an optimal response to a range of mobility-related

challenges, such as climate change, road safety, congestion, social inclusion and connectivity;

– And as such have the largest potential to contribute to doubling the use for many reasons (flexibility, private initiative, potential related to road use etc.).

– .

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Why are we campaigning?

• Regrettably, citizens, politicians and mass media are often unaware of this reality. On the contrary, buses and coaches are often wrongly associated by politicians and the public with problems commonly attributed to road transport, such as pollution and congestion.

• This misperception has led to a situation where buses and coaches are not only underperforming in terms of use and contribution to society but also suffer from political negligence and often ill-informed, improper and even restrictive legislation.

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Campaigns objectives?

• The Smart Move campaign aims at changing this state of play by providing to policy and opinion makers updated facts and figures to ensure an informed debate in policy-making processes and tools to encourage people to switch from cars to buses and coaches whenever possible.

• By documenting and advocating the implementation of policies that support and incentivise bus and coach travel at local, national, regional and global level, hundreds of millions of cars can be taken off the road, thus dramatically contributing to road safety and carbon reduction targets of governments throughout the globe, to everybody’s benefit.

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Campaigns objectives?

• The industry itselfBus operating companies, manufacturers, suppliers, agents are also addressees of the campaign. Actually, it goes here about a shift of our industry’s mindset, – The industry should be proud of what we do for customers and society and – Further improve it’s key competences, (offer, services, safety, environment

etc.) so that the industry does it’s part of the deal in doubling the use. We have to remaiin the champions in our core competences.

“Doubling the use” means – efforts by politicians, but also efforts by industry itself.

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• The aim of Smart Move is therefore to raise political and media awareness, in order to double the use of bus and coach transport at EU level and beyond. In Europe alone, such an increase would have the following impact:– A reduction in CO2 by at least 50 million tonnes per year; – A reduction in fatalities on EU roads and streets, by more

than 3.000 per year;   – A spectacular fall of congestion in cities at zero cost for

taxpayers, as a result of the expected 10-15% reduction in car traffic;  

– The creation of 4 million new jobs.

• Remaining the champions in the field of our core competences.

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Why are we campaigning?

Some results

• 82 committed partners around the globe;• Thousands of individual companies supporting the campaign;• Over the past year, Smart Move has gained foothold

– in the Middle East– Russia– Asia – and the Pacific.

• Green characteristics of bus and coach transport were also promoted at the United Nation’s COP15 global summit in December 2009.

• Finally, the European Parliament also has integrated Smart Move’s objective of doubling the use of buses in its June 2010 report on a Sustainable Future for Transport in the European Union, which will serve as a basis for designing the strategic EU White Paper on Transport Policy for the period 2010-2020.

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Smart Move is gaining global momentum with 82 committed partners around the world sharing the values and advocating the objective of Smart Move.

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Smart Policies

• Smarter mobility and travel choices can be achieved by:– Properly informing oneself and others of the benefits of passenger

transport by bus and coach; Read through the various sections of the Smart Move website. Discover the best practices and implement them or make them known to those who can!

–  Using and promoting the use of buses and coaches (cfr. Greener Journeys)

– Giving priority to buses and coaches• Special bus and coach lanes • Priority at traffic lights • Sufficient coach parking areas near city centres and tourist attractions

with appropriate facilities and signage.

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Smart Policies

• Smarter mobility and travel choices can be achieved by:

– Authorities should help promote and improve ticketing systems and interchange facilities to allow quick and convenient transfers between different modes of public transport.

– They should stimulate cooperation between the different transport modes.

– Authorities must also ensure equal fiscal treatment (excise duties, VAT, etc.) between all transport modes.

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Smart Policies

• Smarter mobility and travel choices can be achieved by:

– Providing funds for infrastructure improvements and better services; Authorities must invest in improved road infrastructure, including multimodal bus and coach terminals, to allow buses and coaches to optimise their services in conjunction with those of other transport modes for the benefit of the individual passenger and society as a whole.

– Authorities should support the contracting out of public transport to private bus and coach operators, as these often provide the most cost-efficient solutions.

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Smart Policies

• Smarter mobility and travel choices can be achieved by:

– Boosting public-private partnerships;  Bus operators are already reaping the benefits of their commitment to improve their fleets and services. Local authorities are also enjoying a return on their innovative approaches to transport strategy and planning. The net result is renewed consumer confidence exemplified by the modal shift to buses that is occurring in many countries, cities, towns and rural areas across the globe.

– To realise the full potential of coach tourism, local authorities, coach operators, businesses and tourist attractions must continue to work in partnership and provide conditions in which coach travel can prosper. Adequate parking facilities, pick-up and drop-off points together with suitable access to amenities are essential if authorities want to make their localities even more welcoming to coach parties.

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Industry examples

How does it work?

• The Smart Move is a Smart Campaign – Embracing the bus and coach community and – Using it’s multiplying effect;– Everybody investing it’s fair share, no mather how modest it is.

• www.busandcoach.travel is at the heart of the campaign– Exchanging and Showcasing best practices;– Succesfull campaigns;– Providing facts and figures;– Providing communication tools;– Policy requirements;– Etc

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www.busandcoach.travelIndustry initatives

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www.busandcoach.traveldownloads

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www.busandcoach.travelBest practices

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What about you?

How can you be of help?

• Join us at www.busandcoach.travel;• Inspire yourself and download the necessary tools;• Spread the word !• Forward us through info@busandcoach.travel

– Your best practices;– Your facts and figures;– Ideas and proposals;– Your realisations, your campaigns;– Etc.

• Every contribution, no matter how modest it is, is valuable.

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How can you be of help?

Shaping our future by working together is a

Smart Move!

Thank you

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