21 October 2020
UITP Press Office

PRESS RELEASE
PUBLIC TRANSPORT IS COVID-SAFE:A SECTOR READY TO BUILD BACK BETTER

BRUSSELS, 21 OCTOBER 2020
The COVID-19 crisis has shown how essential local public transport services are tokeeping our cities moving.
During the global lockdown measures, public transport was maintained to ensure
the mobility of essential workers - and now with economic activity returning in parts of theworld the demand for mobility is growing.
There is enough evidence to show that with all recommended safety measures in place,the risk to health from the coronavirus pandemic within public transport is very low.
Despite the lack of scientific evidence to hand, many governments and select media havecalled for people to avoid public transport, leading to an impact on image, reputation, andpassenger behaviour.
The benefits of public transport are fundamental to achieve strategic city objectives and wemust recognise that the sector is ready, committed, and reliable with data grounded inscience.

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In terms of safety in relation to COVID-19, there are more and more scientific studies andanalysis – ranging from Sante Publique France and the Robert Koch-Institut, to the RSSB andScience Magazine - showing the adept performance of public transport systems.
The wearing of masks on board, the continual disinfection of high-contact surfaces andfrequent air renewal and good ventilation are essential to maintaining that safety.
Public transport’s stakeholders are committed to restoring trust and reassuring passengers.
Public transport has taken the coronavirus pandemic very seriously by implementing allnecessary cleaning, safety, and deployment measures.
Although this has come at great cost, the sector has shown how it can adapt to serve itsresponsibility to staff and the communities they serve.
Financial support must now be provided to the sector for it to survive and thrive as we witness
a progressive resumption of activities.
Governments must invest in a city’s social infrastructure - health, education, public transport –as all go hand-in-hand.
“Public transport demonstrated its resilience by reacting adequately to an extreme situationand continually evolving throughout the global coronavirus pandemic. The sector has
faced stigmatisation without any verified argument to back it up and so we must show thefactual research conducted around the world to counter these false criticisms. We knowthat public transport and active mobility play a key role to building back better, so we needto ensure the progress and success of public transport by seizing a unique chance to shape
the future of our cities, for everyone.”
Mohamed Mezghani
UITP Secretary General*
Authorities and operators have adapted their networks and services to increase services,manage occupancy and continue to enforce key safety measures as demand grows.
As we look to the future for our cities, we must remain committed to providing better mobility
and move beyond a ‘business-as-usual’ approach.
Now is the time to devise visionary solutions and strengthen policy-making that fosters
inclusive, sustainable, and resilient cities leading to the urgent implementation of the
Sustainable Development Goals.

Additional efforts must be made to showcase the benefits public transport offers
to our societies, listen to the facts and to restore the trust of citizens along the way.
This should be a shared responsibility involving the political authorities, the public transport
agencies, and citizens.

View our new Policy Brief: “Public Transport is COVID-Safe”

2*acting on behalf of Mohamed Mezghani SARL
Pic © Edward Quinn

FOR EDITORSUITP, The International Association of Public Transport works to enhance quality of life and economic well-being by
supporting and promoting sustainable transport in urban areas worldwide. As a passionate champion of sustainableurban mobility, UITP is internationally recognised for its work to advance the development of this critical policy
agenda. With more than 1800 members in 100 countries, UITP has a long history to its name, and is the only worldwide
network to bring together all public transport stakeholders and all sustainable transport modes.
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Contact: Scott Shepherd
UITP Press and Media Manager scott.shepherd@uitp.org 0032-2-663-66-73

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