On June 19th ICARUS partners held the 3rd webinar during which participants had a chat with Prof. Giovanni Longo, from the University of Trieste and Mr. Giuseppe Zottis, Operation Manager at Trieste Trasporti. 
Trieste Trasporti is the third public transport company in Italy, after Venice and Milan, with the youngest fleet and a very high number of customers. Surveys have shown 98% of satisfaction rate with the service offered and almost 96% have a positive opinion about the company and their investments in innovation. During the webinar speakers discussed about the importance of public transport and their integration with other transportation mode. To ensure such an integration it is necessary to have an appropriate and inclusive mobility plan.
Innovation is very important to provide timely and useful information, reduce waiting times and meet everyone’s needs. This is ensured through electronic display on the stops for timetables and waiting times, monitors on board for information on the route and stops, an app providing information on available lines, connections. Trieste Trasporti experimented in an EU funded project on-demand-service, tested in the Trieste outskirts. This service was used again during the lock down on three lines in the city center, which was particularly important to help passengers feel safe and allow them to reach their destinations.
The lockdown caused an immediate decrease in demand and number of customers, meaning revenues reduction and cost increase as the company had to guarantee social distancing by increasing the number of buses or trips. This was the problem for most of the public transport companies and confirmed once again that the cooperation with public administrations is crucial. Public transport needs planning and services must be organized in advance to avoid damages to the companies. 
To ensure adequate integration of transport modes additional exchange points must be ensured, as well as precise information about this possibilities. There are areas inaccessible for buses or bigger transportation means, therefore integration with other smaller modes (bike/car sharing) would be useful.
In conclusion, public transport remains a key component of transport supply and innovation is necessary to increase its performance. Integration between modes is essential in public transport, however companies cannot do it on their own. 
The watch the entire webinar click here.