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Opening speech
by Mr Martin Marmy, IRU Secretary General Ladies and gentlemen, Dear colleagues, Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to be present today to open this 5th European Bus and Coach Forum, an event which has become renowned thanks, in part, to the success of Busworld, which is today the biggest and most respected bus and coach event in the world. Inspired by the work of our partners and longstanding friends, as well as by the international vocation of the IRU, we have chosen to open this Forum, which was initially an exclusively European Forum, to the worldwide public, through inviting IRU Members and transport operators from all over the world to share their experience with their European colleagues. In this undertaking, we are also lucky to be able to count on our particularly expert partners, UFTAA and ETOA. I would like to particularly thank them for their valuable contribution to the organisation of this event. Indeed, this partnership is very special for us, because it is only through working in a real partnership that we will be able to best identify the numerous social, legal and economic challenges with which we are confronted today. Please allow me also to thank our speakers from the European Parliament and European Commission, the representatives of the cities of Venice and Dresden, our English, German and Spanish colleagues, as well as our friends from the American Bus Association, who are here today to share their valuable experience directly with you. The title of this Forum: « Coach Travel: The Green and Safe Alternative » could not have been better chosen. In fact,
What do the figures tell us? In Germany, statistics indicate that the mortality rates for transport by bus and coach (0.26 deaths per billion passenger-kilometre) are very much lower than those of other modes of transport. In the United States, as I hope will be confirmed by our respected guest Mr Peter Pantuso, President and Director-General of the American Bus Association, the mortality rates for buses and coaches are the lowest: only 0.4 deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles, which is three and a half times lower than those for cars. In the European Union, the latest available data from the Commission indicate that transport by bus and coach is the safest of all modes of road transport and is classed among the best, taking all transport modes into account. However, we are ready and willing to improve. Faithful to their long-term commitments, the passenger transport operators represented by the IRU have agreed to regroup numerous initiatives undertaken by this sector, such as the safety programme in buses and coaches and the driver’s security checklist, into a kind of “IRU toolbox”, which will be distributed to a huge number of bus, coach and taxi operators via the international network of national IRU Members. Through distribution of the IRU experience in road safety to every business and to every professional driver, the sector aims to remain, in the long-term, the champion of safety which today deserves the confidence of its clients, of the public and the private sector.
Here too, what do the figures tell us? According to the conclusions of a European conference on the environmental impact of tourist travel in Europe in 2006, buses and coaches represent the greenest mode of transport there is. Concerning external costs of modes of tourist transport, a recent German study undertaken by … the Deutsche Bahn ... (!) showed that transport by bus and coach is clearly number one, in both absolute and relative terms. The external costs of buses and coaches are 26% lower than those of rail transport (classed at number two) and this is thanks to excellent scores in terms of noise pollution and climatic change. Environmental damage caused by buses and coaches has been decreased by 60% during the period 2000-2005, which clearly demonstrates again the dynamic and strategic character of our sector with regard to one priority – respect for the environment – which is shared by society as a whole.
In Belgium, a global improvement in fleet quality has been observed since 1986, when the IRU star classification system was installed for all tourist coaches. 1-star coaches now represent only 13% of the entire fleet (compared to 28% in 1986), while 3-star coaches represent almost 60% (compared to 11%). The share of 4-star coaches, the most comfortable, now represents more than 11% of the fleet (compared to 0.5%).
Tourists who travel by coach spend at least 40% more at their destination than any other group of visitors. In spite of exceptional and incomparable performances which are capable of delivering transport services by coach and bus, it must unfortunately be admitted that these qualities are not sufficiently recognised by the decision-makers. So what do we have to do to make ourselves heard? What do we have to do in order that the exceptional social and economic advantages provided by coaches and buses are transformed into the appropriate encouraging measures in the legal, administrative and commercial domain of our businesses? I cannot answer these questions myself. This is why I hope that thanks to your contribution, this Forum will respond at least in part to these questions and that the Forum will allow you to look forward to the future with confidence. Thank you for your kind attention, and I wish you very fruitful discussions. * * * |
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