Doubling the use of collective bus and coach transport in the next 10 to 15 years through appropriate public transport and travel policies is realistic and crucial if we are to meet ambitious CO2 reduction and road safety targets to provide green and safe mobility to all, say “Smart Movers” IRU and Busworld.

Kortrijk – “Smart Move”, a joint bus and coach industry campaign, was launched today to meet ambitious environmental and road safety targets and achieve sustainable mobility for all, by promoting and significantly increasing the use of bus and coach transport in the EU and beyond.

Initiated by the world’s road transport organisation, IRU, and the world’s biggest specialised bus and coach exhibition, Busworld, Smart Move is endorsed and supported by national bus and coach operators’ associations and major manufacturers and suppliers worldwide.

Primarily addressed to policy and opinion makers, the Smart Move campaign will also be pursued in close collaboration with bus and coach operators and drivers, through industry initiatives and best practices to further improve the quality, safety, environmental-friendliness and efficiency of services offered.

The campaign aims at successively achieving the following steps:

· provide up-to-date facts and figures on bus and coach transport worldwide

· raise political awareness of how safe, green, efficient, affordable and user-friendly bus and coach services are;

· ensure an informed debate in public transport and travel policy-making to increase the share of buses and coaches in public transport and travel systems ;

· guarantee an optimal operating environment for buses and coaches at local, national, regional and international level;

· contribute to the creation of regulatory frameworks and incentives that encourage and facilitate a greater use of bus and coach transport by citizens;

· double the use of buses and coaches within the next 10 to15 years.

In Europe alone, such an increase would result in a reduction in CO2 emissions by at least 50 million tonnes per year; a reduction in road fatalities by over 3000 per year; a spectacular fall of congestion in cities at zero cost for taxpayers subsequent to an expected 10-15% reduction in car traffic, and the creation of 4 million new jobs.

A long-term awareness-raising and advocacy campaign, Smart Move is open for support and contribution to any stakeholder or individual who shares the objective of the campaign: showcasing and promoting the huge potential of buses and coaches as key components of safe, green, efficient mobility and travel solutions affordable to all, including policy-makers.

CEO of Busworld, Patrick Van Impe, emphasised, “Buses and coaches are one of the most safe, environmentally-friendly, flexible, efficient, affordable and inclusive means of transport. Used effectively, they are the best solution to a range of current mobility-related issues, such as climate change, congestion, road safety, connectivity and social inclusion.”

IRU Secretary General, Martin Marmy, further explained, “Bus and coach transport’s flexibility makes it a highly efficient, yet safer and greener alternative to complement or even replace private cars, with obvious advantages for society as a whole. Investing policy attention to incentivise the use of buses and coaches is the smartest way of expediting the behavioural change needed to meet ambitious targets for efficient, green and safe mobility at the least overall cost for society. Doubling the use of bus and coach transport over the next 10-15 years is not only a realistic and cost-efficient policy; it is also a commendable approach from a public interest point of view.”

Make the Smart Move and support the campaign!

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