Effective governance and communication between the public and private sectors is one of the main challenges facing public transportation in Latin America and the Caribbean, Hans Rat, outgoing secretary general of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), told BNamericas.
"I think the main challenge is probably governance - that is, to make sure that all government bodies and public transport operators work together in a coherent way," Rat said on the sidelines of the ninth assembly of UITP's Latin American chapter, held in Chilean capital Santiago.
Several Latin American cities, including Curitiba in Brazil and Bogotá in Colombia, are famous around the globe for their successful bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, and other cities in the region would do well to replicate that model, the executive noted.
 |
| Dilson Peixoto and Hans Rat - Derechos: Facultad de Ingeniería UDP |
Asked whether public transportation looks set to make a comeback, Rat said this is not a global phenomenon, but rather something that is taking place in more prosperous societies.
"In these societies, young, urban people consider driving a car as a feature of their parents. They are not so attached to the car as their parents. It is for them no longer a status symbol, and they see the ownership of a car as an embarrassment," Rat said.
Hans Rat will retire as UITP secretary general at the end of this year, having served for 13 years. He is replaced by Alain Flausch, UITP president since 2009 and CEO of Belgium's Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles (STIB).
By Juan Andres Abarca
Business News Americas
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário