«Mobility, especially local mobility, is undergoing profound transformations. It is essential to give a medium and long-term vision like the one we have tried to give us in these 20 months of government ». Thus began Enrico Giovannini, Minister of Infrastructures, at the closing of the first national Forum of new collective sustainable mobility which was held yesterday in Rimini during IBE Intermobility and Bus Expo, an appointment moderated by the director of Sole 24 Ore, Fabio Tamburini. During the event it emerged that at least 3 thousand buses would have to be replaced by 2023, a path that proceeds, however, thanks to an economic context deteriorated by the Ukrainian conflict.
We should speak of a sustainability emergency because in Italy the average age of buses is 10.3 years with Molise’s negative record reaching 16.8 years. These are the data presented by Giuseppe Catalano, coordinator of the technical mission structure for strategic direction, infrastructure development and high surveillance of Mims and president of the IBE scientific technical committee. In terms of pollution classes, Tuscany, Umbria, Veneto, Abruzzo, Calabria, Basilicata, Sicily and Molise are the regions with the highest percentage of Euro 2 and Euro 3 buses: over 40% according to Mims data updated at the end of September. “In the last three years, the renewal of the LPT fleets has certainly been central to the ministry’s action – continues Catalano – having completed the allocation of the resources provided for by the National Strategic Plan with over 3 billion from 2019 to 2033, the additional funding of 2, 5 billion euros envisaged by the NRP and the complementary national plan, and lastly, 175 million in the context of the React-Eu Fund ».
“Important resources, but decided before the war” recalls Andrea Gibelli, president of Asstra, the national association of local public transport companies in Italy which is asking for the recognition of refreshments for lost revenues for 2021 and 2022 and to unlock the payments to companies. A game of at least 1.2 billion euros necessary to guarantee the economic and financial balance of the LPT companies. Without refreshments “Asstra will not pay the workers the 2 tranche of theonly one foreseen with the agreement of the contract of 10 May 2022 »adds the president.