Quality of urban transport service will be the central theme of the international congress which will be held in Brazil.
Just about to host the major world sporting events such as the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013, World Cup 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games, Brazil is in the spotlight on infrastructure and urban mobility. To promote further discussion about the quality of urban public transport, the country was chosen to host the III Conference “The Best Practices SIBRT in Latin America” which happens from June 4-7 in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais state.
The Conference, organized by the Latin American Association of Integrated Transport Systems and BRT – SIBRT, will focus discussion on issues related to quality, both in terms of delivering excellent service to passengers, as of staff training and support of public or private initiatives. According to Luis Ricardo Gutierrez, general secretary of SIBRT, Latin America strategic director for EMBARQ and member of our CoE, some factors influence the quality of services provided. “We want to inspire discussion on factors such as drivers, training, importance of institutional framework and government regulations, subsidies and financing, public policies that encourages a high quality transportation and a deeper look at cities that need improvement in terms of urban mobility”, he points out.
Gutierrez says that the choice of Brazil as host of the event is related to the thriving and prosperous economy of the country in recent years. “Brazil has public policies in favor of public transport, since investments from PAC (Growth Acceleration Program) to the Urban Mobility Act, in force since 2012. Factors that prove the importance of this sector to the government, “he explains.
To the EMBARQ Brazil President and also CoE member, Luis Antonio Lindau, this will be a chance to conduct a research on the understanding of service quality from the passengers’ point of view. “From the approach of transit agencies and private initiative in several cities will be possible to lead efforts to standardize quality indicators in Latin America. Thereafter, we can prioritize improvement initiatives according to users’ needs, “he says.
In the schedule are reserved meetings, technical visits, lectures and interactive sessions, among other initiatives, which promise to promote an intense discussion about quality of integrated transport and BRT led by experts from Brazil and abroad. They will share experiences and challenges faced by urban public transport systems to improve quality of service.
The Conference will gather about 500 participants from five continents formed by opinion leaders, researchers, government officials, private operators, industry representatives, public authorities and over 30 agencies from the most advanced public transport systems in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru and Mexico.
The event will present 22 international speakers experts in urban public transport, and the key speaker will be Jaime Lerner, architect and urban planner, former mayor of Curitiba and former governor of Parana state. Also, participating are mayors from important Brazilian cities which transportation systems are recognized: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Belo Horizonte. These authorities will participate in the panel “The Role of Transport in the Cities Development” that happens on June 7. Operators, transit agencies and public transport industry suppliers will take an active part in the discussions.
A trade fair with 2,000 m² of exhibition area is being organized for the event. It will bring together suppliers, manufacturers, equipment representatives and dealers, supplies, machinery, technology and consulting services for exchanging experiences and sale of products and services as well as creating business opportunities for the sustainable development of urban public transport systems.
This third SIBRT Conference is co-organized by BHTrans and EMBARQ Brazil, and has the support from the city of Belo Horizonte.
About the organizers
SIBRT was established on April 15, 2010, in Curitiba, in order to qualify, standardize and disseminate Latin America urban transport systems.
The alliance of managers from Integrated Systems Transport and BRT promotes the exchanging of knowledge for creating the best practices for the management and operation of urban transport and its multiplication. It is estimated a potential implantation of more than 7000 km of BRT corridors with high performance in the 100 largest cities in Latin America. Currently, members of SIBRT provide services to more than 20 million users per day, in more than 700 km of exclusive bus corridors.
BHTrans is the transit agency responsible for planning and implementing operational actions in traffic and transport in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais state. BHTrans’ mission is to ensure urban mobility focused on quality of life and sustainable development of Belo Horizonte, contributing to the metropolitan integration. Founded in 1991 by a local law number 5953, the agency is subsidized by the FTU (Urban Transport Funds), established by law and managed by the Local Urban Services. BHTrans regulates and supervises the Public Transport System for Buses, Supplemental Transport, School Buses, taxi and charter service for passengers. In its history are listed repeated awards from ANTP (National Association of Public Transport) as the agency that better manages public transport and traffic in the country.
EMBARQ Brazil assists governments and companies in developing and implementing sustainable solutions for transport and mobility problems in Brazilian cities. It helps to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, reduce pollution, improve road safety, improve population health and create safe public spaces, accessible to all and pleasant to be in. Founded in 2005, EMBARQ Brazil is a nonprofit association that integrates EMBARQ network. It is present in six countries and headquartered in Washington, in the WRI (World Resources Institute).
The full conference program is available at the official website.
More information:
CINTIA NEVES
Interface Comunicação Empresarial
Press office – III Conference The Best Practices SIBRT in Latin America
contato@congresosibrt.org
Contact: +55 31 3211-7509 / 7514 – +55 31 8428-9322 – Belo Horizonte/MG
