Public transport is a public good which must be run in the interests of the working class, not to generate profit for a small handful of private companies and multi-nationals.
This is the key message coming out of the ITF’s Urban Transport Conference which took place today at ITF’s Congress in Marrakech.
Delegates reaffirmed that workers and their unions and communities are committed to improve and expand public transport, thereby providing decent jobs, vital services, and reducing emissions.
ITF affiliated unions agreed that securing the future of public transport will require a focus on new technologies and their impact on workers.
A pair of motions put forward by the USA and Canada’s Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) highlighted the impact of digital platform companies on public transport, as well as the issue of digitalisation and autonomous vehicles in the sector.
"Microtransit is being introduced as a way to replace existing transit services with smaller vehicles in the name of increasing efficiency. But microtransit companies are relying on precarious platform work. We must ensure that microtransit boosts fixed route ridership, preserves union workforces, and avoids the use of precarious labour," said John Lyons of the ATU.
In a global roundtable, panellists discussed key priorities that will shape the activities of the “Our Public Transport” programme over the next five years, including organising new metro workers’ unions, the expansion and electrification of services such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), improving conditions for informal workers, strengthening networks of unions with common multi-national employers, and cementing commitments by all levels of government to sustainable investment and public ownership.
“If we are serious about a worker-led just transition to protect our planet, sustainable funding and investment in public transport by our governments is key,” said outgoing ITF Urban Transport Committee Chair John Mark Mwanika from the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) of Uganda.
“That funding must result in a transition from informal to formal jobs, achieve gender equality, create employment for young workers, and secure labour rights for all workers.”
In addition to approving these strategic areas of work, participants endorsed the membership of the Urban Transport Steering Committee for 2025–29 which will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of these priorities, including the election of Eric Campos Bonta, President of FESIMETRO and General Secretary of CUT Chile, as the new Committee Chair.
