FLIPPER Final Conference FTS as a way to Enhance Sustainability and Social Inclusion

1. FLIPPER Final Conference FTS as a way to Enhance Sustainability and Social Inclusion Almada, Portugal 21° October 2011 Opening Session Title: The Role of FTS in the Overall Public Transport Offer Presented by: Brendan Finn, ETTS Ltd., Ireland

2. The Transport Challenge • Modern society is structured around transport systems • This gives us opportunities, but also many challenges : • Reducing social exclusion and inequality of opportunity • Minimise negative impacts such as accidents, intrusion, noise • Optimise public and private spending • Minimise greenhouse gas and other emissions • Environmental concerns are now ‘centre-stage’ • We cannot wait for technology solutions for transport to solve either environmental or social challenges • The main solution lies in more use of Public Transport

3. But can Public Transport meet the Challenge? • Rail-based mass transit offer good technical solutions along the main arteries … • … but they are expensive, have long lead-times, and do not serve the modern diffuse travel patterns • Conventional bus services are functional, but are not attractive to car-users and lose time in traffic • Local travel and diffuse travel are poorly served by PT, so people use car even for short trips • Rural travel is also poorly served by conventional PT • Traditional PT offer is not sufficient for 21st Century society

4. New Concepts for PT • The fundamental concepts of PT need to be expanded • At the “high-end”, we need affordable, effective mass transit solutions • Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has emerged in recent years to provide a viable range of solutions • At the “low-end”, we need flexible, adaptive solutions which are people-based and at appropriate scale • This has not yet been solved • Flexible Transport / DRT can fill this role • Still at “building blocks” stage, it must upscale • Policy-makers must provide leadership and frameworks

5. The Emergence of BRT • Until recently, policy-makers and planners dismissed bus as a credible option – “car-users won’t ride a bus” • Only Metro and LRT were considered for mass transit projects, but these have high financing costs • There has been a “global revolution”, emerging from South America, North America and now Asia and Africa • Decision-takers understood the potential, gave support • What were the critical success factors? • Can achieve the functionality of rail at cost of bus ($3-7mn/km) • Flexibility – BRT is a range of solutions, highly adaptable • Can build on what’s there already, and expand/upgrade

6. What is the key lesson of Bus Rapid Transit? … that an effective new mode of transport can be developed if the decision-takers decide to support it

7. The Transport and Social Role for Flexible Transport • A large part of the transport consists of diffuse patterns, rural areas, and short trips (c. 50% of all trips < 5 km), • Conventional transport cannot serve these (nor BRT) • Outcome is either use car, or lack of travel opportunity • Negative transport and social impacts • A wider range of solutions is needed – these will not be as efficient as mass transit, but they will be effective • In environmental terms, more efficient and less emissions than alternatives per person trip/person-km

8. The Scope of Flexible Transport • A very wide range of solutions : • Flexible bus routes • Demand responsive transport (DRT) • ‘Jeepney’/paratransit • Shared taxi schemes • Car-sharing schemes • Special services for mobility impaired/elderly • Special services for closed groups (e.g. employees, Google-bus) • Occupies the ‘space’ between conventional fixed-route transport and normal taxi / private car • Different application in urban, peri-urban and rural areas

9. Mobility Challenge • Mobility services to meet the needs of citizens • Widely available, ‘always on’ • Flexible Transport needs to become a full mode of transport, rather than a fringe activity • Need step increase in: • Scale • Coverage • Frequency

10. Likely Attributes of Large-Scale Flexible Transport • Transport mode in is own right, understood as such by policy-makers, planners, operators and travelling public • One or more defined roles in the transport ‘hierarchy’ • Makes a visible contribution to the transport offer in the area of coverage • Most or all of the service available to the general public • ‘Large-scale’ by way of coverage area, intensity of coverage, range of destinations, volume of users, … • Operates within appropriate regulatory and fiscal frameworks (not a demonstration or special exempt)

11. The Issues for Local Decision-Takers • Which Flexible Transport concepts are applicable to the decision-takers’ area, and how would they work in practice? • Where does the Flexible Transport fit within the overall transportation offer of the area, and how does it relate to / integrate with it? • On what scale might it operate, what would be the impacts (transportation, social, benefit, fiscal, environmental), and what support should be given ? • What is the appropriate form of regulation?

12. What issues need to be developed? • Concepts and operating models • Business models • Legal and Regulatory Frameworks • Marketing and establishing mode/brand identity • Operating methods • ITS and other support tools • Vehicles – supply and specification • Assessment of impacts

13. Issues for Policy-makers • Conventional PT doesn’t provide the needed mobility • Alternatives need to be comprehensive and creative • “Large scale” does not imply large projects or vehicles • 1,000,000 = 10 x 100,000 = 100,000 x 10 • Implementation will be local and closely connected to the community it serves • Change in services cannot happen without change in policy and frameworks: • The willingness may be there, but regulations will stifle it • Will communities or operators invest without assurance? • The building blocks are already there, they need to be mobilised

14. Main challenges for FT • Policy • Are there any target levels of “Mobility” for citizens? • Whose responsibility is it to Operationalise them? • Planning • Role and potential of flexible transport not recognised • “Small vehicles for special needs” • Cannot model it, so ignore it • Regulatory • Existing transport regulations restrictive, protectionist • DRT, FT not recognised, so illegal • Financial Frameworks • FT not recognised, cannot allocate funds to it as PT

15. Reflection • The Public Transport concept must be expanded • BRT has successfully done this at the mass transit end – ten years ago, this would not have been considered possible • A “paradigm shift” is needed at the “low end” of the transport market, where conventional PT cannot compete with private car • Flexible transport has the potential to do in the next 10 years what BRT did in the last ten – become a new transport mode • The FLIPPER project demonstrates many “building-blocks”, both for transportation and social benefit motivations • It is now the responsibility of policy-makers to develop the vision and supporting framework for flexible transport on large-scale