Transport chiefs from six European countries will meet in Aberdeen next week (Monday 2 March) to discuss new ways of making public transport as simple as possible to use.
The University of Aberdeen will host a two day international training session involving transport organisations and public authorities from countries including Germany, Switzerland and Belgium.
The seminar is part of a series of meetings highlighting efforts across Europe to reduce private car use by making public transport more accessible and attractive.
The seminar follows the launch of a major €7.3M European Union (EU) funded project last November involving academics from the University's Centre for Transport Research, focusing on reducing the environmental impact of transport throughout North West Europe.
The 3 year Bridging Mobility Gaps: Improving Connectivity and Mobility Access (ICMA) initiative will work on the delivery of a wider range of accessible, cost effective and sustainable transport choices for the public.
It is hoped the project will provide cities from across the EU with the information required to make practical improvements to transport services which directly meet public need and demand.
Professor John Nelson, Director of the University of Aberdeen's Centre for Transport Research said: "Travelers making a journey from A to B will often come across issues such as inconvenient connections, insufficient information, or timetabling constraints. These factors combined make a person far more likely to choose to use their own private car rather than public transport – particularly for the beginning or end of their journey.
"The ICMA initiative was launched last November to bring together partners from across Europe working to tackle the challenge of how we promote public transport in order to reduce the impact private car use is having on our environment.
"Today's seminar provides a forum for key experts in this area to discuss how we can bridge this transport gap through creating new options which are more accessible, cost effective, convenient and sustainable."
Over the next 3 years, the 11 partners in the IMCA initiative will pilot projects including:
- New models and technologies for implementing transport services that involve different operators, which is a particular focus of activities led by University of Aberdeen partly in cooperation with Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) and Strathclyde Transport Forum (SPT)
- Travel training to teach young people and adults who need help or support to make public transport journeys confidently and safely on their own
The seminar will take place on Monday 2 March and Tuesday 3 March at the University of Aberdeen's King's College Campus.