The sectoral focus on local public transport (LPT) reconstructs the photograph of a sector that shows lags in Italy compared to other European situations. Yet LPT represents the cornerstone of mobility in urban areas where more than 70% of the Italian population lives.
The critical issues for urban mobility in Italy concern both supply and demand. The number of fixed installations, such as metros and tramways, is low and the bus fleet is characterised by a high average age (12.3 years in 2018 compared to an EU average of 7 years), which has increased over time. On the other hand, the demand for mobility, although it is gradually evolving towards collective transport, remains strongly skewed towards private vehicles (about 60% of all travel is done by car).
In this picture, total public resources allocated to support the LPT are beginning to be significant and come to over €22 billion for the period 2017-2033, available over a multi-year horizon and differentiated over time so as to provide a stimulus to the sector from the first few years.
If these resources were to be transformed into mobility investments, they would be capable of making a significant impact not only on the quality of life in urban environments, but also on the economic system. Already in the five-year period 2019-2023, according to the estimates made, the volume of resources allocated, amounting to about €2.8 billion per year, could generate added value of almost €4.3 billion a year (0.2% of GDP) and help create over 110,000 additional work units per year (0.5% of total employment).