Urban Transport

The People’s Public Transport Policy provides a worker vision of public transport that is accessible, affordable, efficient, reliable, safe, clean and integrated with a city-wide network of buses, trains, metro, ferries, taxis and trams, including cycling and walking options. The policy looks at the impacts of new technologies like electric buses, increased surveillance and the automation of ticketing, and shares union responses. It also gives recommendations for sustainable and socially just public transport funding.

Our work on buses focuses on the impact of new bus rapid transit (BRT) systems as they are introduced in cities of the global south. While policymakers promote BRT as a win-win solution, we support informal workers displaced by these systems to develop alternative models of worker-led formalisation. Informal workers need to be sure of a just transition to a future of decent work.

Our work on metro focuses on ensuring that major public transport investment benefits workers and passengers rather than corporate interests. New and legacy metro systems should be publicly owned and democratically accountable, characterised by decent work and equality between different occupational groups.

The ITF has teamed up with C40 Cities and other partners to launch The Future is Public Transport campaign. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are calling on governments and international institutions to prioritise public transport. Together, by investing in and shifting traffic to public transport, we can both drive economic recovery and combat climate change.