In times of municipal elections, public transport by bus takes center stage as an issue on the public agenda and on the platforms of the main candidates across the country. Those seeking re-election or running for mayor already know that they need to have proposals for expanding and strengthening this service, which is essential to life in cities. It's no coincidence that issues such as public subsidies and zero fares are increasingly on the agenda of society, which is also demanding that the government take effective measures to renew and decarbonize the national fleet. The population also expects better quality services, more efficient operations and compliance with the principles established more than a decade ago by the National Urban Mobility Policy, the updating of which is also on the agenda.
The time is ripe for concrete progress in this area. There is a solid set of proposals for recovering the economic vitality of the segment and making its role as a social right effective. They are the result of intense work and strong mobilization by leaders engaged with the issue of urban mobility in recent years. Sometimes by initiative of the legislative or the executive branches, and always with the active participation of business representatives, ideas such as a new Legal Framework for Public Transport are advancing and maturing, ready to be considered, approved, and put into practice.
At the same time, the companies that operate public transport, employers' organizations and municipal and state governments have been making progress in building new business models that innovate in their approach and bring promises of more and better results, both for those who operate and for those who use the service. New arrangements are also emerging for financing fleet renewal, with low-emission vehicles, and financing infrastructure, which is essential for providing a quality service.
With so many possibilities, it's time to evaluate the journey so far and choose the right path to our desired future. To this end, the 37th edition of the NTU National Seminar will bring together in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, businesspeople, trade associations, experts, and representatives of the public authorities, from the three spheres of government, to discuss the progress made and the challenges still facing the sector, with a focus on regulation, business models, financing and decarbonization.
Passengers cannot be overlooked, for they are the starting and finishing point of every effort to strengthen and improve public transport. As such, the service user will be the focus of the event, with the presentation of the results of the new Urban Population Mobility Survey, drawn up by the National Transport Confederation - CNT, with technical support from the National Association of Urban Transport Companies - NTU.
The NTU National Seminar 2024 is taking place at the same time as LAT.BUS Transpúblico, the Latin American Transport Fair, the largest urban mobility event in Latin America, which brings together all segments of public urban transport and road transport, in Brazil and surrounding countries.
The program of the event will be released shortly.
