NEXT RIDE

Public transport (PT) in the EU’s functional urban areas faces significant challenges such as congestion, staff shortages, road safety and high operating costs. Cooperative, Connected, and Automated Mobility (CCAM) promises to improve PT by making it more accessible, cost-efficient, and attractive, eventually reducing private car dependencies and promoting efficient, sustainable PT. However, Transport Authorities (TAs) often lack the resources and knowledge to plan for the future integration of CCAM into their service offerings. Their long innovation cycles (with inflexible, +10 service contracts) lock in outdated technologies, limiting the TA’s ability to adopt new concepts in line with rapid market developments. Without suitable policies, CCAM could become a burden for PT, leading to uncontrolled (private) integration, increased congestion, safety concerns, unequal access, and missed opportunities for sustainability.

NEXT RIDE aims to foster cooperation and knowledge exchange between EU regions by leveraging existing good practices. Countries in the EU's East and South (RO, MT, SL, UA) will benefit from the experience of partners like the lead partner De Lijn, who is at the forefront of planning for CCAM. In partner regions from the North and West of the EU (BE, NL, DE), ambitious visions for CCAM integration already exist, but long strategy periods delay their policies’ implementation and continuous adaptation to transport innovations.

NEXT RIDE will replicate and adapt these practices to improve the partners' policy instruments, ensuring sustainable and efficient PT through CCAM. By supporting the procurement and integration of CCAM, these technologies will contribute to a more accessible, efficient and sustainable PT. As many TAs in the EU are reviewing their policies and service contracts for the next period (starting in 2028), now is the ideal time to prepare this knowledge and keep it in line with the expected large-scale deployment of CCAM by 2030.