Redefinition of Public Transport in the Alto Minho Region, Portugal – An Overview

Abstract

Mobility redefinition is essential in any City/Region, towards attaining sustainable mobility in terms of the triple bottom line dimensions (economic, social and environmental). Therefore, it is urgent to improve and to create a more inclusive system towards enhancing public transport, based on population needs and using viable infrastructures and alternatives. Aiming to identify recent keys mobility systems, this paper presents an overview of various solutions adopted in public transports area, in some regions of the world with points in common with Alto Minho’ Region and/or to the Region headquarters (Viana do Castelo). Furthermore, it is intended to identify and discuss those innovative combinations of transport modes currently employed, that could positively impact the Alto Minho Region transportation system. The overall assessment will support the definition of the main criteria to design a novel and efficient transport system, fully adapted to this region characteristics and population’s needs. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to propose a viable and efficient public transport system that meets the region’s sustainability requirements, along with the opportunity to involve the population, the transport companies and the different stakeholders, as well as the policy makers.