Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – The 20th ASSTRA National Conference, "Valuable Mobility, Value to Mobility," concluded at the Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel in Rome. The two-day conference focused on the present and future of local public transport. At the closing plenary session, the Association's President, Andrea Gibelli, outlined the direction for the next round of investments in the sector.
“The PSNMS and the PNRR have allowed us, in recent years, to renew public transport services through planning, experimenting with a method for transferring value to the territories based on certain funding, tight deadlines, milestones, and reporting.
"It was an experience that shouldn't be wasted, as it bore much fruit," said ASSTRA President Andrea Gibelli. "In the current national socioeconomic and global geopolitical context, ensuring continuity of what has been achieved and continuing to invest in local public transport means simultaneously addressing the country's energy, environmental, economic, and social policies. It's time to define an ambitious plan for the country's public transport development."
A plan that requires clear resources to plan new infrastructure, new vehicles, and new services, and to absorb potential inflationary shocks; clear and consistent rules with the European regulatory framework to foster competition; and adequate service contracts to enhance the industrial and commercial nature of service management.
A sector that weighs on the country – In his report, Gibelli highlighted the size of the sector: approximately 12 billion euros in turnover, 113 employees, 15 million passengers per day, and approximately 40 billion euros in investments between 2015 and 2033.
A sector that, according to ASSTRA calculations, has a multiplier effect on GDP: 1 euro generated by local public transport generates another 4 in the economy.
With the PNRR's push now over and the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Mobility set to expire in 2033, the President's report highlights the need for new resources for investments and current spending. Complying with European regulations on energy transition, according to the ASSTRA model, requires approximately €740 million per year in investments and €300 million in additional operating costs. The issues of the National Transport Fund's loss of purchasing power (approximately €800 million relative to inflation), the transition to regional IRPEF co-payments starting in 2027, and the €1,25 billion in resources already allocated and awaiting disbursement to companies remain unresolved. Further impacts include increases in diesel prices (+52%), methane (+48%), and electricity (+40%), the renewal of the 2024-2026 National Collective Bargaining Agreement (CCNL), which is only 54% covered by 2027, and the increase in insurance premiums, up to 150%.
Asstra calls for a simpler, more stable regulatory framework aligned with Regulation (EC) 1370/2007 and European principles. This framework affirms the specificity of sectoral regulation, reduces regulatory layers, and reduces constraints on public companies, particularly when operating in competition. The demands also include adequate contracts. Service contracts with a duration compatible with investments, adapted to external dynamics, and capable of ensuring economic and financial stability, in view of the upcoming awarding season for expiring contracts.
President Gibelli's speech emphasized how "the innovative interactive conference format has revealed a very pragmatic Asstra. The message we want to convey is that transport companies have changed: they are more technologically advanced and much more energy-intensive; therefore, they deserve a legal status that recognizes this role."
Gibelli then emphasized the issue of rising energy costs and the resources allocated to public transport, highlighting the need to link fuel price trends to fares: "We have put forward proposals, including consistently linking fuel costs to fares, because this allows us to continue providing a service as stipulated in the contracts. We offer jobs in sectors that are still largely identified solely with drivers. Today, being an employee of a transport company means having skills in the energy and digital sectors. And this, why not, also means a very different way of traveling for the driver than in the past," Gibelli concluded.
Following the parallel thematic sessions on October 21st on the economy, labor, regulation, and innovation, whose contributions inform the strategic summary document, the plenary session on October 22nd hosted institutional greetings from the President of the Transport Regulatory Authority, Nicola Zaccheo, and the Director of ANSFISA, Domenico Capomolla, and two round tables, "Economy and Regulation" and "Labor and Technologies," with representatives of national and European institutions, regions, municipalities, and industry operators. "Local public transport is one of the most important and crucial sectors for our country: it is precisely by public transport that millions of people travel every day. Right now, we need investment in the sector to ensure that environmental sustainability truly becomes a reality. Local public transport, if it were able to attract ever more users and modal share, would certainly contribute to environmental sustainability," stated Nicola Zaccheo, President of the Transport Regulatory Authority. Closing the conference, Domenico Capomolla (ANSFISA) emphasized the role of prevention, maintenance, and risk-based surveillance in ensuring infrastructure safety, citing the Agency's autonomy and dialogue between institutions and operators as two levers for strengthening the transport system.
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