First World Public Transport Day celebrates public transport in everyday lives
Public transport authorities, operators and international bodies have marked the first ever World Public Transport Day, a new annual awareness day designed to highlight the role of buses, trains, trams and other shared mobility systems in supporting sustainable travel, economic activity and social inclusion.
image: UITP
The initiative, launched by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), was first announced in late 2025 and held for the first time on 17 April 2026, with organisations across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas taking part in commemorations and outreach activities.
UITP said the day is intended to provide a global platform to showcase how public transport supports daily life and long-term development goals. It described the initiative as a way of demonstrating “the critical role public transport plays in our everyday lives, in the success of our towns and cities, our economic prosperity and sustainable development.”
UITP Secretary General Mohamed Mezghani said the aim of the initiative is to place “people at the heart of public transport” and encourage a broader conversation about mobility policy. He said: “We will use this day to powerfully showcase the role public transport plays in so many lives across the world, driving economic growth and connecting our cities. One day. Millions of journeys.”
UK Transport Minister Lord Peter Hendy described World Public Transport Day as “a global celebration of the journeys that connect us and the remarkable people who make these journeys possible every single day.
“Whether it's a bus to school, a train to work or a metro across a city you've never visited before, public transport is one of the great shared experiences of modern life. Public transport doesn't just move people from A to B, it connects communities, opens up opportunities and brings people together in ways that nothing else quite can. It is how people get to jobs, to hospitals, to family, to adventure. It is quite simply essential to the way we live.”
In a broader statement for the inaugural day, UITP also called on governments to recognise public transport as a strategic public service requiring sustained support. It said public transport should be prioritised so it can “operate efficiently, remain affordable, and be protected when economies are hit by volatile energy prices and wider shocks.”
The organisation has positioned World Public Transport Day as part of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport and expects it to become an annual fixture, with partners in more than 60 countries already supporting the campaign.