Current Activities 2024

Specific engagements

Expert Group on Urban Mobility (EGUM) – membership main EGUM and of sub groups on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, Urban Vehicle Access Regulations and Public Transport & Shared Mobility. Contribution to papers from these sub groups adopted by the EGUM and subsequently by the Commission.

Decarbonisation – ongoing engagement with workstreams on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation and TEN-T nodes and networks with dedicated electric charging and hydrogen fuelling facilities for public transport modes.

Passenger Rights – consultees on multi-modal, rail and bus& coach passenger rights, currently working on the terminals and luggage handling workstream for the latter. Whilst supportive of the initiatives to protect the rights of passengers and make public transport an attractive choice, a balance has to be struck to ensure unreasonable costs and risks are not placed on operators, particularly those of short distance and urban services.

Euro 7 – lobbying for the Commission’s approach to regulations to concentrate on zero emissions achievement rather than further standards for diesel engined vehicles

TAP-TSI – part of the Common Support Group helping to develop rail industry data, passenger information and ticketing sharing platforms and protocols.

Vocational driver licenses – supporting IRU, Swedish Bus Federation and UITP in seeking changes to the class D driver license regime to allow suitably qualified individuals to drive buses and coaches from a younger age in and between Member States. This will help to address the current significant recruitment problems faced by operators across Europe by granting access to the profession at an age comparable with that for heavy goods vehicle driving.

Wider policy initiatives

EPTO works with the European Commission and industry partners on the ongoing development of the following initiatives:

Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS) - Involvement in MDMS to guide the development of digital mobility services in Europe in support of modal shift and climate neutrality but ensuring no undue burdens on industry.

EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL -Supporting the development of sustainable public transport systems providing healthier and cleaner alternatives for mobility and increasing the uptake of sustainable alternative transport fuels for land in the EU.

EU MOBILITY DATA ACT - To achieve a smart and innovative transport sector that makes the most of digitalisation and automation, supported by adequate funding and fit for the digital age.

TEN-T NETWORK - To achieve a fully integrated and connected Trans European Transport network with appropriate funding for a robust and modern European transport infrastructure with full connectivity.

ENERGY SUPPLY - EPTO has significant concerns about energy supplies and connectivity to ensure that decarbonised public transport services can continue to operate efficiently. Concerns include the direct supply of energy to operators’ depots and other premises. availability of opportunity charging points both in urban and regional areas, as well as supplying the long-distance operators. Liaising with DGMOVE and DGENERGY.

INCREASING COSTS OF OPERATION IN THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SECTOR - EPTO is working with POLIS and UITP continuing to raise awareness of the increasing operating costs burden being placed in transport operators throughout the EU. Particular focus on the increasing costs faced by operators due to additional regulation and decarbonisation, with the increased operational costs due to increasing traffic congestion, but not currently offset by patronage and revenue growth as recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic continues, particularly for older travellers.

UNECE PROPOSALS ON ACCESSABILITY FOR CLASS 1 BUSES - Work continues with bus and coach industry representatives to ensure any changes to the regulations maintain consistent and comprehensible standards for passengers, deliver practical benefits and do not impose unreasonable additional costs.

MARKET OPENING - Continued focus to maintain and promote further market opening in the rail sector through the Fourth Railway Package to ensure that Member States delivers a more efficient rail network and can provide passengers with the optimum standards and coverage of service. EPTO continues to highlight and seek to redress instances of overt or effective market closure (for instance due to unachievable mobilisation deadlines) with the Commission. Since the ending of legal direct awards of new rail contracts from December 2023, this has assumed even greater importance.

EPTO maintains an overview on emergent trends in the public transport sector in particular the establishment of new in-house road public transport operations which is a threat to open market tendering under regulation 1370/2007. EPTO has also been involved in the process to revise the Interpretative Guidelines for this Regulation.

Position Papers

20 June 2023
Collective passenger transport needs new blood to survive. We call for your help through the revision of the Driving Licence Directive

15 April 2023
EPTO Position paper- Proposals to end the production of diesel buses and coaches by 2030

14 April 2023
EPTO Position Paper - Euro 7 standards

6 April 2023
EPTO Position Paper – Minimum Driver Ages For Bus And Coach

28 September 2022
Proposals to address driver shortages in the bus and coach sector

31 August 2022
Open data, ticket sales and re-selling, passenger rights and operator liabilities: Multimodal Digital Mobility Strategy by the Multimodal Passenger Mobility Forum

14 March 2022
EPTO Position on the proposal by the European Commission for a revision of the Community Guidelines on State aid for railway undertakings

22 February 2022
EPTO position on multimodal digital mobility services

8 February 2022
EPTO Position Paper on the proposal by the European Commission for a revision of the PSO interpretative guidelines

10 November 2021
COP26 Transport Declaration

23 September 2021
EPTO 10 Point Plan
As part of the European commissions consultation of the Urban Mobility Framework, EPTO launches a 10 point plan to challenge the commission on review.

23 September 2021
EPTO Joint Statement
Representative bodies including UITP and POLIS and others launch a Joint Statement on the EU’s Urban Mobility Framework