IRU Smart Move Awards 2017 reward customer service and innovation in passenger transport

IRU is pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 IRU Smart Move Awards. Malta Public Transport wins the Bus Excellence Award for its outstanding public bus service and the Romanian municipality of Alba Iulia is awarded the City Trophy for the great attention paid to tourist coaches visiting the city.

Umberto de Pretto, IRU Secretary General said, “It is always satisfying for IRU to discover so many innovative projects in the bus and coach sector that truly embody what excellence in mobility is all about. My sincere congratulations to all applicants and to our winners in particular for their impressive commitment and efforts into making bus and coach transport a high quality service for passengers and city visitors setting the example for our entire industry.”

IRU Smart Move Bus Excellence Award winner, Malta Public Transport, a private company which operates scheduled bus services on the Maltese islands, did a great job in transforming public transport by bus into a reliable and comfortable service for passengers. Significant investments resulted in a growth of more than 15% in the number of passengers compared to 2014, better informed travellers thanks to the award winning Tallinja app and increased customer satisfaction.

Felipe Cosmen, Chairman of Malta Public Transport, said, “We are honoured to receive this award. We have come across various challenges over the past two and a half years, however our determination to provide people in Malta with a safe and reliable public transport service motivated our work as a team to achieve these positive results.”

IRU Smart Move City Trophy Award winner, Alba Iulia, impressed the jury with its collaborative and integrated approach to mobility, with group tourism by coach having an important role in their mobility planning. The measures implemented for welcoming tourist coaches in the city such as dedicated parking spaces located near the city’s main attractions, and facilities created for coach tourists brings Alba Iulia this well-deserved trophy.

Mircea Hava, Mayor of Alba Iulia, said, “Alba Iulia is committed to becoming a highly rated tourist destination. Facilitating the access of tourist coaches to our city and creating a welcoming environment for visitors coming by coach is an important component of this ambition. The official recognition by IRU of all these efforts are the confirmation that we are moving not just in the right but in the best direction.”

IRU will also be present at Busworld Kortrijk. Come and meet us at stand R30 on Rambla North to find out more about these winners and IRU’s work for the bus and coach industry in Europe.

About the Smart Move Awards

Smart Move Awards reward best business and public policies as well as industry practices that increase the attractiveness, safety, security, efficiency, environmental and social performance of bus and coach transport. The objective is to promote such achievements and performance worldwide, so that they serve as examples to be emulated by the entire industry, while improving its image.