UITP launches eBRT2030, a new flagship project on electric mobility

Brussels, Belgium (Urban Transport News): UITP announced the launch of eBRT2030, the new EU project and major milestone in electric mobility that seeks to support sustainable urban transport by proposing innovative solutions for electric Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

Coordinated by UITP, eBRT2030 is launched during a two-day Conference (Brussels, 1-2 February 2023) gathering 45 leading partners in public transport, including the European Commission, Polis, TMB Barcelona, Volvo, Arriva, and many others.

Climate change and air pollution are of major concern in Europe and worldwide, and public transport is at the core of efforts for achieving sustainable mobility and improving the environmental footprint of urban transport. UITP acknowledges that BRT is one of the biggest innovations the bus domain has ever seen because of the positive transformative effects on cities in terms of reduction of congestion and air pollution.

Bringing together 45 partners from across the EU and beyond, eBRT2030 aims to demonstrate the applicability of a new generation of eBRT systems in different urban contexts with innovative solutions that are economically viable and enhanced with new automation and connectivity functionalities. Ultimately, the main objective is to drastically reduce emissions, pollutants and congestion, supporting the transition towards zero emission sustainable transport across Europe.

"The coming years will present a key moment for the achievement of our climate commitments and the EU Green Deal’s objectives. A new generation of BRT systems advanced with automation and connectivity functionalities means a big leap towards achieving these goals. As UITP we are proud to facilitate the much-needed collaboration of an entire sector to make this happen," commented Umberto Guida, Head of Projects Strategy at UITP.

eBRT2030 will work closely together with end-users to understand how the developed eBRT services can be improved to support the needs of citizens. Following this, the project will heavily focus on advancing passenger experience and enhancing mobility access of underserved areas, or regions with increased transportation needs.

eBRT2030 solutions will be tested in real-life demos in Europe and beyond, bringing around the table public transport operators, bus manufacturers, technology providers and academia. An important focus of the project will be to translate and apply eBRT solutions not only in Europe, but also to tackle challenges on pollution and emissions in developing countries.

The eBRT2030 project is in strong line with UITP’s goals to help advancing electric mobility for cleaner and more sustainable cities.