MTR Corp to host UITP Asia-Pacific transport summit on Wed

The MTR Corporation will host the Asia-Pacific transport summit of the Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP) starting this Wednesday (Nov 1), with participants from different regions to explore the theme "Transforming Asia: Smart Public Transport".

The 22nd UITP Asia-Pacific Annual Meeting will span three days - including a day dedicated to platform meetings, another for congress activities, and a third for technical visits – for shaping the future direction of the region's public transport sector and bringing in a smart public transport landscape.

The summit will bring together UITP members from over ten different territories in the Asia-Pacific region, including public transport authorities and policy decision-makers, operators from the public transport supply and service industry, as well as research institutes.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung will deliver a welcome keynote speech focusing on Hong Kong's public transport policy, strategic plan, and the integration of the city's transportation network with the Greater Bay Area.

UITP, an international public transport association, said Hong Kong's rising prominence in the realm of smart public transport makes it an ideal location for the annual meeting this year.

"We expect to host the physical meeting to connect the participants in the region with an aim to facilitate them to exchange insights on future public transport and gain understandings of the development of smart mobility," said the chairman of the MTR Corp Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen. 

The president of UITP, Renee Amilcar, expressed her excitement about the upcoming event as it marks the resumption of the association's physical meeting after a four-year suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

"We believe face-to-face interactions during the meeting will facilitate more idea exchange," she added.