From 10-14 April, Dubai will be the place to find solutions to the major problems caused by increasing transport demand in growing urban areas around the world. The 59th Congress & Exhibition of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), hosted by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), will gather public transport stakeholders and decision makers to explore how to achieve a better balance in urban space allocation through demand management and a new business culture that will promote innovative entrepreneurship and talent.

Cities’ growth and the consequent increasing mobility needs require an imminent sustainable solution. In this regard, continuous monitoring and management of transport demand is crucial as a first step towards curbing the total volume of traffic and promoting shifts towards more sustainable travel choices.
                                                                                        
Successful transport demand management consists of the availability of improved travel options, constraints on excessive car traffic (incl. pricing), and smart integrated land-use policies.

Two sessions at the 59th UITP Congress will be dedicated to the soft measures and methods of containing demand through urban planning, partnership with the business community and traffic management, and the additional instruments that can enable citizens to live in the city without a car – or with fewer cars: car-sharing, bike-sharing and taxis in combination with public transport and restrictive parking policies and congestion charging.

Such constraints – and hence the success of new mobility patterns – will only meet public acceptance if attractive public transport services are widely available. This is why changing public transport companies’ corporate culture, from fleet managers into sheer customer-oriented service companies, is essential.

‘Time to make a switch’ is the background leitmotiv of two other Congress sessions tackling the issue of business culture change in public transport. Operators’ representatives will show how it is possible to boost the sector’s potential and attractiveness through innovative human resources practices and integrated management models enhancing their staff’s motivation, and through new services that meet customers’ needs.

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Notes to Editors

UITP (International Association of Public Transport) is the international network for public transport authorities and operators, policy decision-makers, scientific institutes and the public transport supply and service industry. It is a platform for worldwide cooperation, business development and the sharing of know-how between its 3,400 members from 92 countries. UITP is the global advocate for public transport and sustainable mobility, and the promoter of innovations in the sector. For more information, please visit www.uitp.org. For more information about the 59th UITP World Congress and Mobility & City Transport Exhibition, please visit http://www.uitpdubai2011.org.

For more information about the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai (RTA), please visit www.rta.ae.

UITP Press contact: Sarah D'Angelo | Press Junior Manager

Direct phone: +32 (0)2 6636639 | Fax: +32 (0)2 6601072 | sarah.dangelo@uitp.org