Keeping our promise: choosing sustainable mobility
Many citizens have promised to change their lifestyles during confinement. As the climate crisis continues, we have to reconsider the way we travel. Specialists believe that public transport will play a key role in future society, and that in order to do so, it has to be multimodal.
Just like eating locally or taking fewer flights, changing mobility habits is a resolution that many Swiss people have taken during confinement. Why is public transport crucial to make these goals become a reality? Who are the users of the future? And what are the expected benefits? Analysis from two mobility specialists.
"All user profiles are concerned here", says Emmanuel Ravalet, project manager from the Mobil’homme design office in Lausanne. "Private car users, carpoolers, cyclists, pedestrians, scooter enthusiasts, etc.. Several recent studies show that single-mode practices are becoming increasingly rare," he adds.
Reduced carbon footprint
For this growing clientele, choosing sustainable mobility is essential from an environmental point of view. Opting for the tramway helps reduce air and noise pollution. Nationally, public transport’s share in CO2 emissions is less than 4%, compared to more than 77% for individual motorized traffic, according to the Federal Office for the Environment (see graph opposite). The planned electrification of Switzerland's large city networks should reduce this carbon footprint. The industry's goal is to completely eliminate CO2 emissions and increase energy efficiency by 30% by 2050.
Financial argument can also help change minds. "In Geneva, the savings are substantial. Those who prefer public transport over cars save roughly 10,000 francs a year", says Marc Defalque, director of marketing, sales and communication at tpg, referring to a TCS study. This amount increases for people who also benefit from incentive policies carried out by certain companies and municipalities as part of their mobility plan.
Ravalet, for his part, stresses the role an offer’s quality plays. "Time and comfort comparators are becoming more and more common.” From this angle, he believes that in order for public transport to play its role properly, it must offer efficient (speed, frequency, pricing), comfortable and ecological service. Comfort is the real challenge for operators. "We’re trying to respond to some constraints, such as having to change buses or being put with several people in a vehicle, by improving our schedules and our digital tools, as well as by rethinking our vehicles," says Defalque.
Minimized risks
As the coronavirus crisis continues, experts are looking to reassure everyone. “Using public transport is no more dangerous than doing any other activity together," Ravalet says. "From the moment you make the choice to travel, you make the choice to take a risk. Beyond that, it's important to provide safeguards to minimize that risk." This was confirmed by Defalque, for whom public transport is a highly protected place where wearing a mask is mandatory, unlike in the workplace, for example.
“Taking public transport means being able to read your e-mails at the beginning of the day, to consult social media when you go home in the evening, or to listen to music to relax," he says, stressing the comfort of being on board. "The stress of driving and worrying about finding a parking space vanishes. It’s a new kind of freedom," he adds.
However, the competition is becoming clearer. Do increases in bicycle lanes and the greater presence of electric bikes and scooters call public transport into question? “These are a good things," says Ravalet, "because public transport alone cannot provide a credible and complete alternative to private cars. Public transport isn’t developed just to have as many users as possible. Instead, we’re working for the general public, with goals to protect the environment and improve regional planning.”
Articulating all the options
Saving money, reducing pollution and nuisance, reducing stress, getting more exercise – what is missing from public transport? "If there is one aspect on which public mobility must improve, it is being able to articulate all different options – considering them not, or not anymore, as competing modes but rather complementary ones", says Ravalet. “Improving the combination of public transport and cycling will be essential in the future," Defalque confirms. “We are working to make the region easier to live in."
Choosing your travel pass is the last step. This is a crucial point for Ravalet: "The travel pass is a way to build loyalty for the operator and to make travel more flexible for the user. But the nature of the travel pass can vary. This diversity helps us best meet the needs of each person.” The health crisis has accelerated changes, such as telecommuting. Swiss operators could seize this opportunity to meet a new demand. Then there would be no reason not to use public transport. "Travel passes are being used more and more in different ways, for example in music. As an operator, we have a great deal of experience managing them. In the long run, our role will be to optimize the way the new modes of transport work together," Defalque says. To be continued.
A pragmatic choice for the private economy
Promoting sustainable mobility has become a necessity for the private sector. Many decision makers have arrived at the same conclusion. This demonstrates their awareness of the situation. It is no longer a matter of offering employees perks, but rather of considering the benefits of implementing a mobility plan. As such, business leaders are increasingly committed to eco-responsible transport both out of conviction and pragmatism.
Upon analysis, there are many benefits. By encouraging the use of different means of transportation such as public transport, walking, cycling, or carpooling, companies simplify parking management and commit to a responsible approach with their employees. While they enjoy boosts to their public image, they also take concrete actions to improve their employees’ health and quality of life.
The Sophia study "The Swiss and mobility" conducted by the economic and social research institute M.I.S. Trend in collaboration with "Le Temps" reported in May 2018 that leaders were mostly in favor of public transport in Switzerland. 59% of them felt that infrastructure development should focus on public transport. The arrival of the Léman Express and the upcoming tramway projects in Geneva and Lausanne are on the way to meeting some of these expectations. F. Mu.
For further information for media only:
François Mutter, spokesman for Geneva public transport (tpg)
+41 22 308 31 60/+41 79 694 49 44 – mutter.francois@tpg.ch