Background
Sustainable transport is fundamental to progress in realizing the promise of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development and in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development
Goals. Sustainable transport supports inclusive growth, job creation, poverty reduction,
access to markets, the empowerment of women, and the well-being of persons with
disabilities and other vulnerable groups. It is also essential to our efforts to fight climate
change, reduce air pollution and improve road safety. Yet despite this critical role,
sustainable transport has not been given adequate recognition.
A recent report of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable
Transport (2016) calls for urgent action to address the staggering social, environmental
and economic costs associated with externalities of the transport sector. Worldwide every
year 1.24 million people die in road accidents and a further 3.5 million die prematurely
due to outdoor pollution, including from transport sources; 23% of energy-related
greenhouse gas emissions come from transport; and road congestion is a tremendous
burden on the economy, currently accounting for 0.7% of GDP in the US, 2% of GDP in
Europe, 2-5% of GDP in Asia, and as high as 10% of GDP in some cities of emerging
economies, including Beijing, Sao Paulo and Lima. In the Indian context transport
emissions are key contributors to climate change and urban air pollution. The level of
fatalities and injuries being extremely high, we must start thinking of sustainability
dimension in transport. The Indian economy also faces the challenge to develop a
transport system which is efficient and reliable, and at the same time also affordable and
accessible for all.
IRU, the world’s road transport organisation, is leading a global initiative looking into the role and place of passenger transport, in particular that of buses and taxis, in the future mobility ecosystem by 2030.
Workshop Objectives
This workshop aims at contributing to a global vision on Mobility for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and implementing New Urban Agenda as also to help the developing countries like India to address the challenge of rising congestion and pollution, particularly in urban areas, and to better tap into the tremendous opportunities that sustainable transport can make possible.
More specifically, the objective of this workshop is to present and debate the preliminary findings of this global initiative, focusing on the main identified trends affecting mobility in general and buses and taxis in particular, as well as the future scenarios for the expected development of the bus and taxi markets.