The mode of transportation we use partly influences the health of our planet. The average carbon footprint per person is 5.9 tons per year, according to UN data. It is not a trivial issue and for this reason it has become a priority on the international agenda in the fight against climate change.
Last May, the UN General Assembly decided to declare November 26th World Day for Sustainable Transport. A day that invites us all to become aware of the importance of environmentally friendly transport and the need for an efficient, safe, affordable and accessible transport network committed to intermodality. [la combinación entre medios de transporte].
Therefore, today is a good day to take stock: review progress and update challenges. Public transport is an essential public service to ensure the right to mobility of all citizens. Public authorities are obliged to regulate and protect it as a means of exercising other rights.
Facilitating travel favors not only the freedom to choose where to live – something that could go some way to solving the problem of access to housing – but also access to essential rights such as health, education and work, as well as tourism, leisure and Sports . We are also aware that the epicenter of pollution lies in cities. According to the Ministry of Transport, 70% of emissions occur in large cities. In this way, social rights and climate responsibility are two variables that must be combined in the model we are moving towards so that no one is left behind. Commitment to sustainable public transport is now more important than ever to make cities more livable.
We have just begun a new political period. On several occasions I have referred to the just-ended legislative period as the “public transport legislative period” because it was crucial for Spain’s recovery both in the post-pandemic period and during the economic crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine .
One of the government policies that has promoted this the most has been public transport bonuses. This aid has made it possible to achieve record demand figures this year. According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), the number of citizens traveling by bus has increased by more than 20% compared to 2022. According to a recent study by Greenpeace, this measure would have prevented the emission of 160 to 320 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per day into the atmosphere as users switched from private vehicles to public transport. The effects were therefore very positive from both an ecological and social perspective.
In this sense, it is good news that the government has expressed its willingness to extend public transport discounts in 2024 and, above all, that it has committed to making this a structural measure. The commitment to a sustainable and modern mobility model must not be reduced to isolated and temporary measures, but must be one of the main axes structuring a transport system accessible to all.
But we have to go further. Its massive deployment must be the cornerstone of the sustainable mobility model and this is recognized in the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan. With this plan, the Ministry of Ecological Transition commits to Spain reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 16.6% between 2020 and 2030. This is above the 14.5% required by the European Union. This plan also calls for the number of public transport users to increase by 145% in 2025 and by 238% in 2030.
More public investment
To achieve these ambitious social and climate goals, it is essential to increase public investment in mobility. We need to expand public transport networks to offer them more capillarity, more frequency and better stops. In addition, it is crucial to promote intermodality to promote the flow of passengers between different modes of transport and make the entire system safer and more efficient.
It is also important to develop a public transport financing law that provides a stable, regulated financing framework that is not subject to drastic fluctuations, with the aim of allowing regional and local administrations to plan the future of transport with guarantees. The public transport network. Spain is one of the few European countries that does not have a state law with these characteristics, and the level of state contributions varies depending on the economic situation.
Transport should not be seen as an end in itself, but as a means to achieve sustainable development that puts people and decarbonization at the heart. On the occasion of the first World Day for Sustainable Transport, I would like to express the bus sector’s commitment to a common goal that affects us all. It’s about the air we breathe and the health of the planet.
Rafael Barbadillo He is President of the Spanish Bus Transport Association (Confebús).
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