Sir Peter Hendy CBE elected President of UITP
Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Commissioner of Transport for London, has been elected President of the International Association of Public Transport during the General Assembly of the 60th UITP World Congress in Geneva
Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Commissioner of Transport for London, has been elected President of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) during the General Assembly of the 60th UITP World Congress and Mobility & City Transport Exhibition in Geneva.
Since becoming Commissioner of TfL six years ago, Sir Peter has made London a world leader in integrated and innovative transport delivery, overseeing record breaking operational performance, passenger numbers and the largest ever investment programme.
He led, and played a key role in preparing for, the successful operation of London’s transport for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In 2013, Sir Peter received a knighthood in recognition of his inspiring leadership as Commissioner of TfL and has stated: “It is a real privilege to take up the presidency of UITP’s worldwide community of public transport professionals”.
TfL is at the cutting edge of transportation and is leading the way in terms of innovative transport solutions. The UITP is a vital platform through which knowledge and expertise is shared between world cities and is promoting the case case globally that investment in transport delivers sustainable growth and jobs.
Alain Flausch, UITP Secretary General, said: “It is a great honour for UITP to welcome Sir Peter Hendy CBE as President of the Association. As London’s Transport Commissioner, Sir Peter has been at the helm of the largest sustained investment programme in London’s transport networks in generations. Londoners can be proud that their city boasts a world-class public transport system, with an ever expanding network and continual improvements in reliability and punctuality. Sir Peter’s leadership and collaborative approach, in evidence before and during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games – the first ‘public transport Games’ – means that he will be a great asset to the Association,”.
Sir Peter is participating in the upcoming Sustainable Cities report, which is published by Climate Action, and is being released on Monday, June 10 2013. The TfL Commissioner's feature will focus on London's target to reduce CO2 emissions by 60 per cent by 2025, the introduction of innovative hybrid bus technology and the Department for Transport’s Green Bus Fund.
The 60th edition of the biennial UITP World Congress & Exhibition ran until May 30 and demonstrated that the global movement for sustainable mobility is gaining significant ground. 2097 participants from 78 countries came to Geneva to share innovative solutions that will help transform urban mobility in the coming years.
The Mobility & City Transport Exhibition – running alongside the Congress – received some 25,000 visitors and also saw 326 exhibitors. Alain Flausch has predicted that a further 7 million jobs in public transport operating companies could be created if the Associations objectives are realised.
UITP also launched the worldwide ‘Grow with Public Transport’ action which will take place from 16-22 September 2013. UITP members all around the world will all display the same ‘Grow with Public Transport’ message to show that there is a united world movement to make cities more sustainable. 240 applications from over 40 countries for the first Grow with Public Transport Awards in Geneva illustrated the momentum already behind the movement.