Business & Human Resources

Only a satisfied employee can make a satisfied customer. That age-old conviction rings true in the business of public transport too. Indeed. a motivating company culture in which staff feel empowered, respected, and valued,  is essential to sustaining any business.

Creating an employer brand that recognises Corporate Social Responsibility is a big part of this, but implementing strong internal policies for a diverse and well-included staff is equally important. Given this, internal policies should set a capacity-building framework that allows businesses to obtain, improve, and retain the necessary knowledge and resources, while at the same time, enabling worker performance and engagement. To be engaged, employees must have proper working conditions, including a respectful work-life balance.

The success of public transport depends entirely on the strength of our workforce. At UITP, we provide an platform to exchange knowledge among our members in a dedicated Business and Human Resources Management Committee. And that means sharing success stories, but also errors and challenges that we can learn from. More specifically, the committee is focused on the development of tools of knowledge in the area, particularly in the identification of the public transport job skills of tomorrow. In November 2023, UITP formed a taskforce on workforce shortage to tackle the unprecedented challenge that the whole sector faces.

We also partner with labour and trade unions to provide recommendations and best practices to public transport businesses around the world, as well as on how to properly motivate, train, and recruit staff.

As Howard Schultz, Founder and CEO of Starbucks, once said “we are not in the coffee business serving people, but in the people business serving coffee.” The same is true for the business of public transport!