ASSTRA president Andrea Gibelli at the European Mobility Exhibition in Paris commented on the most representative data of the Italian LPT, taking inspiration from the analysis of the impact of the pandemic which affirmed new expectations and new styles of mobility consumption in Italy.
“We need to give continuity to the investments undertaken by public transport companies to support them in the ecological and digital transition process in the current post-pandemic context, aggravated by the Russian-Ukrainian war. It is essential to affirm a new model of mobility in which public transport can play a primary role ”began Gibelli.
Connectivity, through physical and digital networks, is the factor that determines the quality of life of a territory and its ability to attract human and economic capital. ‘Mobility as a Community’, in particular, is the mantra to be inspired by. Good collective mobility is a factor of social, cultural and economic development and this takes on a continental rather than a local dimension organized by areas that we can define as ‘Mega Cities’ ”added the president of ASSTRA.
According to Gibelli, “the challenge of the ecological and digital transition, stimulated by the Next Generation EU and defined by the Government with the PNRR, has strengthened and accelerated the evolutionary process undertaken by companies aimed at satisfying the needs of communities of citizens, but which today is held back by reduction in traffic revenues linked to the effects of the pandemic and the increase in energy costs. A dynamic to be countered in order to give continuity to investments over time and to avoid further repercussions on the economic-financial balance of service contracts “.
“While appreciating the economic effort put in place by the Government, the current allocations are insufficient to cover the losses that the sector suffered in 2021 and which continues to suffer in 2022, compared to the pre-pandemic period” added Gibelli. Given the total value of traffic revenues in the pre-Covid era around 4 billion euros, the overall losses that LPT companies recorded in 2021 can be estimated at 1.7 billion euros, also taking into account the emerging costs incurred for cope with the epidemiological emergency and costs for personnel and raw materials (considering that in 2021 service levels were restored to 100%). “Faced with this situation in which the LPT took charge first of the country’s holding and then of the recovery, the share of refreshments available for the year 2021 (as the residual of the” traffic revenue compensation fund “) is today it can be estimated at around 160 million euros, to which we must add the residual contributions for additional Covid-19 services not used for 2021, quantifiable at just over 510 million euros.