Our Priorities

ETF believes that mobility is a citizen’s right which must be guaranteed by access to inclusive and affordable public transport. Moreover, public transport is a solution for sustainable mobility, contributing to the fight against climate change, congestion and air/noise pollution in cities. UPT thus contributes to the health and wellbeing of European citizens.

The sector employs more than one million people and is often a main employer in local communities. However, workers in the sector face threats from liberalisation and privatisation agenda. Social dumping in public transport is facilitated by the growing competition created by tendering of public transport services, some of which is encouraged by EU rules. New forms of work such as Uber are also undermining quality employment in urban public transport.

For the ETF quality public transport services for citizens and good working conditions for public transport workers go hand in hand. One is not possible without the other.

The priorities of the ETF Urban Public Transport (UPT) Committee for the 2022 – 2027 period are:

• To campaign for a greening of urban mobility that has the UPT at its core;
• To promote an urban public transport that stays in public hands, centred on job safety and quality, democratic control, mobility equality;
• Build capacity to enable UPTC members influence policy making at national and European level
• Foster alliances with organisations and movements sharing same goals and objectives, to build power in fighting for a socially and environmentally sustainable urban mobility