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    Decarbonising transport

Decarbonising transport

At the core of the energy transition

To accelerate the energy transition, public transport authorities are making a concerted effort to deploy decarbonised or low- CO2 emitting fleets.

A concerted effort to achieve the energy transition

All over the world, Keolis is developing low-carbon mobility services that help combat climate change. By drawing on its expertise in alternative energies and a commitment to making public transport more efficient, the Keolis Group is helping local communities and citizens make the transition to a low-carbon society.

1) Developing alternatives to combustion engines and individual car use

Faced with the climate emergency, mobility actors are proactively stepping up efforts to find alternatives to combustion engines, reduce individual car use and promote the use of both public and soft modes of transportation. Keolis assists and advises public transport authorities in procuring and deploying low and zero-carbon vehicle solutions such as electric trams and buses, or buses that run on natural gas, and in developing and financing multimodal, low-carbon networks.

2) Encouraging new mobility habits

To accelerate the modal shift, the connection between different transport modes like trains, trams and buses needs to go further. These new behaviours require policies to encourage soft mobility, such as bikeshares or rentals, as well as on-demand transport, carpooling and carsharing.

3) Co-constructing sustainable mobility services throughout the entire community

Providing an alternative to the private car is especially important in suburban and rural areas. To promote this change, public transport authorities and Keolis must work together to construct a transport offer tailored to the needs and desires of passengers in these suburban areas.

Key figures and trends

  • 30%: the transport sector's share of greenhouse gas emissions. (Forthcoming Pulse p.7)

  • Without action, the movement of people and goods could account for 40% of global CO2 emissions by 2050. (Forthcoming Pulse p.17)

  • Improving public transport or designing cities that allow for its expansion could contribute to the 20–45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions required to limit global warming to 1.5°C (see forthcoming Pulse p.12)

  •  54% of citizens believe that lifestyle changes will be required to combat climate change (Forthcoming Pulse p.21)

The expert's view

"There is no universal scenario but rather solutions appropriate to each local community, combining technology and sobriety. However, the priority must always be to curb the increase in travel distances and speeds while encouraging soft mobility and low-carbon public transport, because a historical causal link exists between the increase in demand for motorised transport and the growth in carbon emissions. New neighbourhood planning concepts, such as the ‘15-minute city', can help to achieve this."

Aurélien Bigot, Researcher on decarbonisation of transport, associated with the Energy and Prosperity Chair.