The Asia-Pacific Public Transport Community Comes Together
UITP showcases public transport leadership and innovation globally. And this September, the spotlight was turned on the Asia-Pacific.
Public transport professionals from across the region came together for a big week – and UITP Secretary General Mohamed Mezghani joined them for it. In six days of meetings in five cities, there was plenty of opportunity to share insights.
Meeting Leaders in Five Cities
We kick off in Shanghai. What makes this city of nearly 25 million people move? Many organisations of all kinds, working together!
Mohamed joined public transport leaders for a diverse series of meetings about mobility in Shanghai, from urban planning to the municipal transport commission, tunnel engineering, and metro and trolleybus operations. Mohamed also joined with Jiushi Group for to mark 100 years of trolleybus operation.
From there, we move onto an impressive innovation in Suzhou: a ride on the world’s first fully connected L4-level autonomous bus from HIGER. Indeed, the theme of technology and AI is ever-present in China.
Mohamed’s tour continues into Shenzhen for meetings, including with BYD, SZ Eastern, and a visit to SKYRail.
And of course, the Asia-Pacific Bus Platform. The city is an ideal place to host the region’s bus sector – Shenzhen was the first operator worldwide to run a fully electric fleet, not to mention that 2025 marks Shenzhen Bus Group’s 50th year.
The Platform brought together bus professionals to discuss key topics:
- People-centric technology & AI
- Inclusivity and accessibility for ageing populations, underrepresented communities, and those in need of extra assistance
- Resilience against climate change, from floods to extreme temperatures and energy security
- And much more!
The discussions carried over into Guangzhou for the UITP Asia-Pacific Division Meeting. Held alongside the city’s International Public Transport Expo, the city hosted young public transport professionals, as well as the region’s organising authorities and urban rail stakeholders.
Before leaving Guangzhou, there was just time to meet with the China Urban Public Transport Association (CUPTA) and check out the latest air mobility innovations from Ehang. And finally, on to MTR for a meeting in the heart of Kowloon Bay.
In a big week of activities, Mohamed and the Asia-Pacific region are showing what UITP is all about: international collaboration.
Together, we share and shape the story of public transport in the Asia-Pacific!
