Driving Innovation in Transport & Mobility by the Porto Metropolitan Area

The EU Region’s Talk focused on how the Porto Metropolitan Area has undergone a significant transformation in its public transport management, aligning with EU policies to promote sustainable mobility and reduce carbon emissions. The shift towards a new public transport strategy was driven by legislative changes, aiming to address regional mobility challenges and bring citizens together. To improve public transport utilization, the Porto Metropolitan Area focused on creating a new, more efficient bus fleet, reducing the number of operators and ensuring uniform quality standards. The new bus lines were designed to improve connectivity between them and with other modes of public transport. Emphasis was placed on ensuring access to public transport for areas with low population density, especially for school transport. The new public transport service is branded as "UNIR," meaning "to unite" in Portuguese, symbolizing its goal to unify and harmonize mobility solutions in the region. Future plans involve using collected data to optimize routes, timetables, fares, and personalized marketing to provide better mobility solutions and bridge the gap with private cars.