In mid-September, an EPF delegation visited the development centre of bus manufacturer IVECO in Vénissieux, France, near Lyon. During a full-day workshop, solutions designed with passengers in mind were discussed in detail. How can access to buses be better organised? How can seating and standing areas be arranged so that all passengers can travel in the best possible conditions? And what do passengers need during their journey?

The discussions covered several key topics for developing mobility solutions that are more closely aligned with the passenger experience. These included accessibility and passenger flow, onboard comfort, and inclusive connectivity to ensure reliable and continuous access to real-time journey information, regardless of users’ profiles, habits or equipment.

The future role of driverless buses was also discussed. From the perspective of passenger organisations, a key opportunity would be to use such services to extend public transport to areas that have previously not been viable to serve.

This was the first time a major European bus manufacturer had engaged directly with end-user associations in this way. EPF sees this as a very positive example of how public transport manufacturers can involve passengers in the development of future vehicles and services.