Project Turntable– Learning and Applying the Paris Agreement to Public Transport was a joint research project between EU Business School and the International Association of Public Transport (UITP). The aim of this project was to research and develop public transport possibilities in support of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement, now in force, is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gases emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020. The agreement provides a framework for each member country to propose and implement a set of Nationally Determined Contributions summarizing their contribution. More than 70 countries have cited public transport initiatives as part of their NDCs.
The envisioned 6-month research program was held between January-June 2018 and resulted in the submission of specific plans that will assist the UITP members in approaching national and local governments to develop bus, ferry, light or heavy rail systems. The program focused on the development of skills in: data collection, analysis, presentation, marketing plans and documentation. The research program included ongoing contact with international public transport experts from operators, authorities and manufacturers. The outcome of this project was concluded with a presentation to senior UITP management.
Thirteen students from EU Business School (both Germany and Swiss Campuses), were selected to participate in this joint project. The selected students were:
Dr. Glenn Frommer, Honorary Chair, Sustainable Development Commission, was in charge of directing and overseeing the project, as well as guiding the students in their research. He was assisted by Dr. Suddha Chakravartti, Head of Research, EU Business School, in coordinating the research activities. The project was divided into six main phases. Each phase is described below.
Students were asked to familiarize themselves with the relevant Agreements, documents and organizational issues:
Phase 1 commenced with a briefing by Glenn Frommer in early January 2018.
The initial analysis discovered which countries’ NDCs include offerings of public transport, and the type of offerings envisioned. In particular, the analysis concluded with a one-page summary for each country concluding the following.
The precise template for the one-page summary was proposed by the students and endorsed by the UITP Turntable Coordinating Committee prior to commencing analysis.
An interim report was prepared including:
The interim report was developed in cooperation with the UITP Coordinator.
A set of comments / suggestions could be provided by the UITP for response by the students and inclusion into the Final Report.
Phase 3 concluded with the UITP endorsing a prioritization of markets for public transport initiatives.
In Phase 4, detailed marketing plans were developed for the prioritized countries. The plans considered the envisioned UITP involvement, resources and benefits, timing, impact, segmentation of offerings, cities, institutional and financial capabilities.
The marketing plans would evolve in close cooperation with the UITP Turntable Coordinating Committee.
A collaborative workshop session between students and selected UITP professionals was held to kick off Phase 4.
A practice session of the presentation was held prior to the final initiative. Glenn Frommer was present to provide comments and guidance.
Phase 5 concluded with a presentation of the marketing plans to the UITP.
Phase 6 concluded with full documentation of the project development for Phases 4 and 5. This includes a full set of materials, references and presentations.
With the conclusion of Phase 6, the Final Report on the Turntable Project was submitted by Dr. Glenn Frommer. Furthermore, the main lessons learned and country-specific recommendations outlined under the project were submitted as inputs to the 2018 Talanoa Dialogues (UNFCCC). Both documents can be downloaded here: