On 3rd of October 2018, the first technical committee meeting has kicked off the project “EGTC GO Cross Border Public Urban Mobility Plan”, financed by the B-Solutions initiative. In the occasion, the partners highlighted the main obstacles for an integrated network of local public transport within the EGTC GO area and identified the methodology that will be applied for the analysis of the mobility flow in the EGTC GO area.

WHO?

The Municipalities of Gorizia (IT), Nova Gorica (SI) and Šempeter-Vrtojba (SI), contiguous to each other on the Italian-Slovenian border, cover an area of 46,7 kmq and altogether they include a population of approximately 75.000 inhabitants. On August 8, 2011, they established the EGTC GO to identify and cope with common challenges as well as to find solutions for the integration of services reducing the public spending and improving the quality of life of the citizens.

WHAT?

The proposal “EGTC GO Cross-border Public Urban Mobility Plan” intends to identify a sustainable solution to the removal of the obstacles hindering the integration of the urban transport networks operating in the EGTC GO area. The obstacles of administrative and legal nature are: 

The EC Regulation 1073/2009 lays down restrictions on cabotage operations (art.15 c) at cross-border level for “transport services meeting the needs of an urban centre or conurbation, or transport needs between it and the surrounding areas” unless they shall not be performed independently of the international regular services in accordance with the EC Regulation. Yet, art 8.4 e of the Regulation establishes that “authorization is granted unless the Member State decides on the basis of a detailed analysis that the principal purpose of the international passenger service is not to carry passengers between stops located in different Member States”.
The pricing systems: in Gorizia a ticket fare is applied whereas in Nova Gorica the service is free of charge (except for the existing international bus-line connecting the two cities where a ticket fare of 1,30 € is applied).
The use of different languages on both sides of the border and inadequate information as regards the service provided by the transport operators across the border which makes it difficult for an individual to plan a trip from one side to the other.

HOW?

The proposal “EGTC GO CB P.U.M.P.” intends to mobilize relevant actors at local, regional and national level to conclude a cooperation agreement by mean of the art 25 of the EC Regulation 1073/2009. Such an agreement, based on an analysis examining the traffic flows in the cross-border area and the financial viability of an extended cross-border transport service, shall enable the transport operators to set up new cross-border bus lines within the target area. It would also enable to conceive the border area shared by the three cities as a single urban system and, accordingly, to make a distinction between international commercial bus lines and cross-border bus-lines, more similar to local public bus transport service.