Our director of the Center of Excellence Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and deputy director of the Centre for Sustainable Urban Development (CEDEUS) Juan Carlos Muñoz leads the welcome of the 14th International Conference Series on Competition and Ownership in Land Passenger Transport (Thredbo 14). This meeting held in Santiago brings together local and global experts to discuss the problems and challenges of the transport sector, counting more than 200 participants.
The meeting features the participation of one of the most renowned scholars of the world in this area and member of our Centre of Excellence, the Australian David Hensher. Also attended by directors of urban transport in London and Australia, Michèle Dix and Neil Smith, respectively.
«I hope that you can take advantage of the unusual blend of academia, industry and government authorities present here, to have a very positive exchange of ideas and experiences that will help us improve the sustainability of our cities and the quality of life of their citizens» said the Deputy Dean of the School of Engineering of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Juan Carlos Ferrer.
The Thredbo conference series returns to Latin America after 12 years, and the first one held in a Spanish speaking country. In eight workshop, the discussion will be about:
- Innovations in service delivery and performance management;
- Effective institutional relationships, regulatory frameworks and contract transition strategies;
- Sustainable funding sources, and related cost/benefit measurements for public transport;
- Developing inter-modal transport systems;
- Harnessing big data;
- Reassessing public operations;
- Market initiative through regulatory design, implementation and performance;
- The wider economic, social and environmental impacts of public transport investment.
«I think Chile is looking like many developed economies in terms of how it operates transport. I have observed it over the last 20 years and I have seen how everything has changed: before and during the Transantiago. I think the quality of service has to be though more carefully. «
“The current challenge facing Chile is increasing the capacity of the public transport system, both the Metro and in Transantiago. Overcrowding and congestion translate in a poor perception of the service by the users. (…) At the end of the day what matters is the frequency, connectivity and visibility of the routes. «
«I hope that from this conference more innovative ways of financing public transport will be pull out, which could involve greater participation of the private sector and see if there will be a refinement of the currently used model for the contracts. We are at the precise time to analyze and discuss this, because it takes some years for new ideas to infiltrate in the decision-making process. «
David Hensher, Co-founder and International Chair of the Thredbo Series
Director, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, The University of Sydney Business School, Australia
Photo Gallery at School of Engineering of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
