Bus Driver Safety Seminar @ Busworld Europe 2023

Across Europe, encouraged by the European Green Deal, cities are actively working to expand public transportation, cycling and walking, and to reduce private car usage. This increases the need for an active and ambitious approach to safety in bus transport.

Many solutions are available on the market, in terms of reducing risks of accidents and their consequences, risks of criminality, and risks related to the implementation of new energy buses - indeed, innovative technologies and strategies are being developed by bus manufacturers and operators to improve the safety of the passengers, the drivers, other road users and pedestrians.

The Bus Driver Safety Seminar will present the newest safety tools to be implemented in bus operations, testimonials on how bus operators and drivers experience these tools, the latest results of academic research on their effectiveness and the vision of the European Commission on how to increase safety related to the growing use of public transport systems.

Background information

The Seminar will take place during one of the 4 high-level international conferences during Busworld Europe 2023:

• The EU Zero Emission Bus Conference: 9 - 12 October
• The EU Bus Driver Safety Conference: 10 October
• The IT-conference: Digital Mobility Solutions for Bus & Coach operations: 11 October
• The Coach Tourism Conference & network event: 12 October

The Seminar will be on 10 October, between 14:00 and 17:00. It will take place at Brussels EXPO – Meeting Center Hall 11, Meeting room 1122 (Belgiëplein 1, 1020 Brussel/Place de la Belgique 1, 1020 Bruxelles).

Agenda

14:00 - Opening

Moderated by Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General of POLIS Network

• Welcome by Redgy Deschacht, President of Busworld Foundation
• Introduction by Jon-Ivar Nygård, Minister of Transport of Norway

14:15 - Launch of Academic Report on Bus Driver Safety 

• Keynote: Available and possible risk-reducing and consequence-reducing measures in bus transport
  • Institute of Transport Economics in Norway, Tor-Olav Nævestad, Head of the research group on Safety & Resilience.

• Panel: Perspectives on safety from bus drivers and soft road users. Safe co-existence between public transport, pedestrians and cyclists as cities become greener:
  • ETF (European Transport Workers Federation) & bus driver at Keolis, Guy Van Hyfte
  • International Federation for Pedestrians, Geert Van Waeg, President

14:45 - Safety Systems, Solutions and Requirements

• Keynote: Introduction to the EU General Safety Regulation
  • Van Hool, Filip Nolf, Product Manager Bus & Coach
• Panel:
  • Scania CV AB, Nicklas Sandberg, Product Manager Buses and Coaches
  • SMART EYE, Elsa Magner, Senior Project Manager in Fleet and Aftermarket (SE), focussing on the influence of GSR on technology development

15:15 - Coffee Break

15:45 - Policy Making for Improved Safety of Bus Drivers and Passengers

• Keynote: Towards a European Standard for Driver Safety in Low Floor Buses
  • Transport for London, Tom Cunnington, Head of Bus Business Development

• Keynote: Safety Learning System Based on Analysis of Recent Accidents
  • Accident Investigation Board Norway, Per Olav Hetland, Inspector of Accidents
  • Norwegian Road Supervisory Authority, Vegard Hansen, CEO

16:15 - Implementation of Safety Tools and Measures by the European PTAs

• Panel:
  • VIAS Institute, Ky-Tho Ly, Project Engineer
  • MIV Brussels, Gaëtan Deckers, Risk & Safety Manager
  • Empresa Municipal de Transporte de Madrid (EMT), Julián del Olmo, Head of the Rolling Stock Division
  • Transport for London, Tom Cunnington, Head of Bus Business Development, Standardizing Safety in Bus Transport
  • CANAPAT, Lucio Rodríguez, President: Visions on driver safety tools & measures in Mexico & Latin America
  • RUTER, Bernt Reitan Jenssen, CEO

17:00 - Closing

• Closing remarks by Siv Wiken, Chair of Public Transport Norway