Worldwide buses and coaches have played a major role in passenger transport for more than a 100 years. However, recently the industry has been faced with some important headwinds. Among them are the competition from low-cost airlines in the tourism sector and the impact of traffic congestion on commercial speed in the public transport sector. Also in the future the industry will have to face some important challenges if it wants to keep playing a vital role in society. 

During the seminar a number of these future challenges were discussed. First we looked at the short-term future with two case studies of new markets that can be conquered for bus and coach. In the mid-term, we looked at what to expect from regulatory changes such as road pricing and further steps in liberalization. Finally, we discussed if and how self-driving vehicles will impact the long-term future of the sector. We ended the seminar with a debate among representatives of some of the major political parties in Belgium.

The entire conference programme and the conference leaflet can be found beneath. By clicking on the presentation names, the hand-outs can be downloaded.

Conference Programme

13:00 WELCOME COFFEE & REGISTRATION

13:30 OPENING

13:40 THE SHORT-TERM FUTURE: (Re)conquering markets for bus and coach

• The office bus - Nicole Van Doninck (VIM)
  
• Long haul coach connections - Dr. Steven Lannoo (ICB)
  

14:20 THE MID-TERM FUTURE: Liberalisation and road pricing

• Road pricing and the competitiveness of bus and coach - Prof. dr. Stef Proost (KU Leuven)
  
• Benefits and drawbacks of liberalisation in collective passenger transport - Dr. Arnoud Mouwen (VU Amsterdam)
  

15:20 COFFEE BREAK

15:40 THE LONG-TERM FUTURE: The impact of self-driving vehicles

• How will self-driving vehicles change the collective passenger transport sector? - Prof. dr. Chris Tampère (KU Leuven)
  

16:20 CLOSING DEBATE: What role for government in the future of the sector?

• An Poot (CD&V), Bjorn Rzoska (Groen!), David Geerts (SP.A), Lode Vereeck (Open VLD), Julien Vandeburie (Ecolo), Bruno Caria (CDH), Marc Cools (MR).
  
• Moderator: Prof. dr. Frank Witlox (Ghent University, BIVEC-GIBET chairman)
  

17:00 NETWORKING RECEPTION