More public transport, more of the time. This should be the mantra for all of us who have dedicated our careers to making our cities more liveable, more sustainable and more active.
The best way to do that is to look to the future. There are over a billion cars worldwide, and more and more people are choosing to live their lives in cities. Urbanisation is expected to keep increasing to result in around 70 per cent of the world’s population living in cities by 2050, as opposed to the approximately 56 per cent (4.4 billion) of the world's population that lives in cities today, and therefore we need to redefine how we look at what is best for cities – fewer cars, and more space for the people who call them home.
We know that cities currently account for 70 per cent of carbon emissions, most of which come from both the energy and the transport sectors. Cars represent half of all CO2 emissions. Decarbonising urban mobility – an important aim for the sector – is largely dependent on increasing the share of trips made by sustainable modes, such as public transport and its natural neighbours, walking and cycling. More active mobility, more of the time.
There is a great deal of work to be done to arrive at this ideal. When those of us who work in public transport discuss the future of our sector, it is often the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region that is raised as a great example of investment, invention and innovation. The significant investments in public transport projects within the region show that there is a clear paradigm shift towards more public transport. Public transport is seen as not only a solution to the issues our cities face – congestion, pollution, overcrowding – but a vital component to making our urban lives better.
The International Association of Public Transport (UITP), of which I am Secretary General, has had a strong presence in the Mena region for many years now, beginning in the mid-1990s. We established a dedicated Mena office in Dubai in 2005, not only to provide opportunities for members at the local level, but to reinforce their voice within UITP and the development of public transport on the global level. This progress eventually led to a second regional base, in Morocco. These offices hope to help unite the entire supply chain of public transport players across the region, and add real value to the operations, long-term policies and business expansions of its operators and networks.
In order to keep advancing public transport, however, the sector needs continued financial investment and political attention. Decision makers in the region cannot afford to ignore the obvious solutions that public transport brings to the table. We know that investing in public transport reaps financial rewards for a city, and we also know that by reducing one-person-one-car journeys, we can create cities that are less congested, with cleaner air and more pedestrianisation. In other words, people-centric cities. The potential for achieving this in the Mena region is strong.
In fact, it is so strong that the UITP’s Global Public Transport Summit, the largest event of its kind in the sector, will return to Dubai in 2026, under a new annual format, having hosted a hugely successful edition in the city in 2011. UITP will host the Summit alongside our local partner, Roads and Transport Dubai (RTA Dubai), a long-standing and valued member of UITP.
It is at the UITP Summit where the future of urban mobility is defined, and with Dubai being known for its radical transformation every few years, I cannot imagine what our delegates will think when they see how the city has transformed in what will be 15 years since the Summit was last held there. One indicator perfectly reflects this transformation: the public transport and shared mobility mode share has increased from 6 per cent in 2006 to 19.4 per cent in 2022. Dubai is on the right track to reach its target of 25 per cent by 2030.
Within Mena more broadly, there is currently more than $100 billion worth of investment in multimodal public transport projects. The region has an incredible focus on advancing sustainability and is currently expanding sustainable mobility services on all fronts to meet the climate challenge and ensure people’s wellbeing.
From Morocco to Oman, decision makers across the region are seeing the value of investing heavily in sustainable public transport projects across their cities, including metro networks in Doha and Riyadh, bus-based rapid transit networks in Amman, Cairo and Casablanca, tramway systems in Algeria and autonomous mobility projects in Dubai.
Electric mobility is also a topic of focus for the region, with electric bus trials and first-and last-mile projects ongoing in the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Qatar.
In Morocco, the tram network is being extended by 26.5 kilometres across two lines and 29 stations in Casablanca, and in Marrakesh, their BRT project will see six new lines launched across 97.7km and 167 stations. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, their existing metro network will expand across 176km, six lines and 85 stations, with their bus network launching 3000 new stops across 1,850km. In Egypt, their high-speed rail network will expand to 60 new stations and 1,985 km of lines. And within the UAE, the National Rail Network (Etihad Rail) will expand across 1,200 km and 11 stations.
These are just a selection of the incredible examples of investment in public transport to grow cities, countries and regions. Built around the people they exist to serve, we can make our cities more accessible and better for all. And Mena is a region that can lead by example when it comes to delivering on this pledge. The region is known as a great international location for many reasons, and when it comes to urban mobility, the future of public transport is a bright one.
