Antonio Musso

Visioning the Bus System of the Future: Stakeholders’ Perspective

The European Bus System of the Future (2008–2013) was a project funded by the European Commission within the seventh Framework Program. The core of the project was to develop a new generation of bus systems to increase the attractiveness and improve the image of this transport mode. Seven European cities were selected to test the innovative measures described in this paper: Bremerhaven, Germany; Brunoy, France; Budapest, Hungary; Gothenburg, Sweden; Madrid, Spain; Rome; and Rouen, France. The results served as a basis to develop the transferability exercise, that is, the assessment of drivers and barriers that might endorse or hinder the transferability of the measures to other cities. The transferability exercise required a specific method to define what was transferable from the experience of the seven cities (the use cases) and “to which contexts,” according to the panel of stakeholders who took part in the transferability exercise. The paper describes how the method was applied and the outcomes of the transferability exercise, which simulated the transferability of the experience of the seven use cases to a cluster of target cities across Europe. The resulting key factors for transferring (or not) the innovations and for developing a new generation of buses far beyond Europes borders are reported.

SOFTICE: Survey on Freight Transport Including a Cost Comparison for Europe

To achieve a better understanding of freight transport costs in Europe, a Survey on Freight Transport Including a Cost Comparison for Europe—SOFTICE—was sponsored by the European Commission and intended to answer two fundamental questions: (a) which factors affect freight cost structure and demand for transport and (b) how may a change in transport policy affect transport costs and, consequently, the relative competitiveness of industries in different countries? First, SOFTICE focused on the main parameters affecting cost structure. A cost data collection survey was conducted with a group of 40 European shippers. The main methodological issues were developed for market segmentation, types of integrated supply chains, and quality of service, which were used to analyze the situation and test the effects of various factors and market sensitivities. The consequences of different policies of taxation and cost internalization on spatial production organization were assessed. A second shippers’ survey was conducted to evaluate the shippers’ reactions to policy changes in European countries. An overview of freight cost structure is provided, and survey results are presented for shipment costs and the effects of working hour regulations. Selected findings from the main methodological issues are emphasized. Key features of the shippers’ reactions to policy changes are outlined, and lessons learned on pricing and policy coordination are identified.

From EBSF to EBSF_2: A compelling agenda for the bus of the future: A decade of research for more attractive and sustainable buses

EBSF - European Bus System of the Future (2008-2013) and the recently started EBSF_2 (2015-2018) are two research projects led by UITP and funded by the European Union with the aim of developing a new generation of buses across Europe. If the (accomplished) goals of the former were to increase the bus attractiveness by testing innovative vehicles (e.g. providing improved comfort and accessibility for drivers and passengers, and making smart use of energy on board) integrated in the European urban scenarios (e.g. adapted to different cities, featuring new services for passengers and operators, and being the core part of the whole transport network), the latter is committed to raise the image of the bus through solutions for increased efficiency of the system, mainly in terms of energy consumption and operational costs. More comfortable and accessible bus layouts, advanced maintenance tools and processes, energy management, interoperable IT solutions based on European standards and ecodriving are key working areas in both projects. All of the above relies on demonstrators, i.e. the innovative measures are tested on vehicles operating in real urban environments, and performance are independently assessed. The paper describes the methodology and the test process adopted in both projects, and reports the many results so far achieved and the new challenges ahead, with the research objective to provide advance knowledge for further applications beyond the European projects field.