The public transport sector is looking for solutions to optimise public funding and reach the target of 10% modal share by 2030. The study to be presented at NME, carried out by Politecnico di Milano with the support of AGENS, ANAV and ASSTRA, will focus on this issue. It will analyse the economic and social benefits of an integrated and sustainable local public transport system. The premise of the study is that although the investments in fleet renewal are there, there still aren’t enough vehicles in service, a situation aggravated by inflationary pressures, rising energy costs, decreased demand and a shortage of drivers. These factors hinder the development of the sector and undermine the financial stability of the companies involved.

ANAV, the National Association of Italian Road Transporters and Travellers, will present a study by Professor Paolo Beria of Politecnico di Milano. The study aims to define a new national strategy for bus transport and tourism, focusing on the commercial bus sector. In 2019, these operators had a turnover of €400 million, making use of 1,700 buses and 3,500 employees, while the bus rental sector generated €2.2 billion with 24,000 buses and 25,000 employees. The study is directed towards formulating strategic guidelines to relaunch demand in this sector, which is regaining strength in the wake of the pandemic. It puts ANAV at the centre of initiatives to shape the future of commercial transport and tourism in Italy.

MaaS (mobility as a service) is also in the spotlight, thanks to a collaboration with Club Italia, the association that represents the entire electronic fare collection world and that has made great efforts in the area of MaaS in recent years. Space is also dedicated to the energy transition with the conference “Energy transition to Class III: a future powered by biogas, batteries and hydrogen” by Autobus magazine. Major electrification projects are also being presented for the cities of Turin, Milan, Rome, Naples and Catania. Attention will also turn to the European area thanks to the Sustainable-bus platform, which will bring the biggest international players together in Milan for a conference, “Balance shifts in public transport: operators and industry in the energy transition era. Internationalization | business models | strategies”, which will analyse the challenges, dictated by the energy transition, that the sector’s big players are currently facing.