Cooperation and innovation for a better mobility
With over 30 participants, on 20th February 2025, the 4th Italian Stakeholders Group Meeting for the EMBRACER project was held in Cagliari, organised by TTS Italia and the Metropolitan City of Cagliari. The meeting focused on “Rethinking modal integration between Public Transport and shared, connected and autonomous mobility”, sharing an overview of the weak mobility areas in Sardinia and presenting some of the most innovative Italian solutions to bridge the gap between urban centres and underserved areas. Representatives from several Sardinia’s Municipalities, and public ICT and transport planning organisations took part in the meeting.
Alessandro Bordigoni, Metropolitan City of Cagliari, chaired the meeting opening with a brief introduction. The meeting started with institutional greets from Francesco Lilliu, Mobility Delegate from the Metropolitan City of Cagliari (MCC), also on behalf of the Mayor of Cagliari. Soon after that, Leonardo Domanico, TTS Italia, quickly introduced the Association and its role in the EMBRACER project.
Lorenzo Valletta, TTS Italia, shared a quick overview of the EMBRACER project, explaining its features, objectives and themes. In particular, he focused on the exchange of experiences not only between national stakeholders, but on internationalisation, which is particularly desired by the project. Specifically, he reported the case of Vilnius, which saw an international collaboration with the University of Tampere. Finally, a focus and recommendation were made on the submission of Good Practices.
During the following presentation, Paolo Mereu (PM) – Head of the MCC Council, presented the strategic vision, priorities and key projects of the Cagliari Territorial Strategic Plan. The MCC is currently carrying out 13 projects aimed at improving the integration of mobility and infrastructure services, with a focus on sustainable mobility and the connection between urban and peripheral areas.
Next, Silvano Angius, Director of MCC's public transport Service, illustrated the development of the Demand Responsive Transport service in areas of weak demand in the Cagliari metropolitan area. The project aims to bridge the gap between urban centres and underserved areas, through the use of on-demand shuttles and flexible transport solutions. The initiative is part of a broader framework to optimise the public transport network, ensuring greater accessibility for citizens.
Francesco Sechi, Chief of Staff of the Regional Department of Transport of the Sardinia Region, presented an analysis of the current state and prospects of public transport in areas of weak demand, highlighting demographic and mobility trends, as well as the challenges related to the economic sustainability of the service. Among the proposed solutions, he emphasised the importance of strengthening connections with interchange poles and encouraging innovative solutions such as demand-responsive transport and car pooling.
Benedetta Sanjust, Playcar, illustrated the opportunities offered by sharing mobility for areas with weak demand. The presentation highlighted how innovative solutions, such as flexible car sharing and demand responsive transport based on advanced algorithms, can contribute to making the regional mobility system more efficient and sustainable. In particular, Playcar's ‘Spiralmove’ model allows an optimised use of shared vehicle fleets, reducing operating costs and improving service availability for users.
Fabio Gregorio, AMT Genoa, shared the experience of MaaS (Mobility as a Service) in Genoa with the GoGoGe project. The system integrates different public and private transport services, allowing users to plan and pay for their journeys through a single digital platform. The project is a virtuous example of how digitisation can improve the efficiency and convenience of urban mobility services, with a special focus on the needs of commuters, students, the elderly and tourists.
The final debate focused on the practices and resources put in place to foster sustainable mobility in marginal and rural areas, with a particular focus on road safety for pedestrians and the transport needs of students. In addition, the importance of a strategic and coordinated approach was emphasized to ensure the sustainability of projects in the long term, with an eye on replicability. The synergy between public and private actors, combined with the willingness to experiment new mobility strategies, is the key for improving the quality of life of citizens and enhancing the interconnection between the different areas of the region.