The Group’s role in the mobility of the future

(103-2, 103-3)

The Covid-19 crisis has inevitably left a mark on passenger and freight transport and modal distribution in contrast to trends in recent years which, according to Audimob Report18 estimates, had seen an upswing in demand for mobility in the 2017-2019 three-year period (+8% journeys, +14% passenger-km), after almost a decade of contraction born from the 2008 financial crisis. In general, it is safe to say that people’s travel habits underwent a dramatic upheaval during the pandemic, on the one hand due to restrictions and, on the other, evolving along new paths of demand for mobility which was still sluggish in 2021 despite the spread of the virus potentially abating. An analysis of data during the pandemic shows a huge downswing in the volume of demand for mobility, especially due to the lower impact of travel for work and study, spatial clustering and shifting focus to staying local, and the crisis of collective transport, partially due to social distancing rules and fear of infection, contrasting with the huge upswing in active mobility. In 2021, especially from the second half of April, there was a considerable rise in road travel, thanks to the effects of the vaccination campaign, with traffic on the Anas network in September just 2% lower than the same period of 2019. Though gradually recovering, public transport continued to trail private mobility (cars and motorbikes) by some distance. It was mostly medium and long haul transport in the railway segment that continued to lag significantly behind pre-Covid figures, falling behind with regard to modal distribution as car travel increased its share. The offshoots of the pandemic, such as huge numbers working from home and reduced business travel and commuting, are some of the main drivers for change in the future demand for mobility, highlighting the frailty of the old transport systems which need to be completely overhauled, driving us to develop new models focused on building a more equitable and sustainable society. The strong impetus in fighting climate change, confirmed by the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package (the EU’s climate and energy plan), stepped up by the NRRP funds, give us the opportunity to reshape the mobility of the future, a sustainable, innovative, resilient, inclusive mobility, to create long-term value for all stakeholders.

18) Report on mobility in Italy by ISFORT (Higher Institute of Transport Training and Research) in partnership with CNEL (National Council for Economics and Labour) and the scientific contribution of AGENS (Confederal Transport and Services Agency) and ASSTRA (Transport Association).