Communauto becomes the first car sharing organization to sign the International Association of Public Transport’s Charter on Sustainable Development |
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MONTREAL, OCTOBER 27, 2008 – Communauto is the first car sharing organization in the world to have signed the International Association of Public Transport’s (UITP) Charter on Sustainable Development. The Charter was signed as part of the 2nd UITP Sustainable Development Conference, which took place October 22-24. The goal of the Charter is to recognize, on a global scale, worthy examples of voluntary commitment toward sustainable development, and to foster constant evolution in the sector. It addresses the three components of sustainable development: environmental protection, social justice and economic sense (http://www.uitp.org/Public-Transport/sustainabledevelopment/list-signatories.cfm). Introduced in 2003, it has already been signed by 140 organizations from around the world.
 Benoît Robert, CEO of Communauto, and Heather Allen, UITP Senior Sustainable Development Manager, during a recent meeting in Montreal. |
“Communauto sees its inclusion in the family of UITP Charter signatories as a means of recognizing the role of car sharing in sustainable development, as a complement to public transportation and active transportation. It also highlights Quebec’s leadership in the sector. Subscribing to the Charter will encourage us to improve through continued innovation,” said Mr. Benoît Robert, CEO of Communauto. |
According to a study published in 2006 by the engineering firm Tecsult (www.communauto.com/ptcs.html), car sharing in Quebec, which currently has 16,000 subscribers sharing 800 vehicles, reduces the CO2 emissions of the average subscriber by 1.2 tons a year. The study also estimates that each shared car replaces 8.3 privately-owned vehicles.
This year’s Sustainable Development Conference was the second edition. It featured 200 delegates from 27 countries including Canada, Brazil, Australia, the United States, China, South Africa and the members of the European Union. Besides Communauto, Canada was represented by the Société de transport de Montréal, the Agence métropolitaine de Transport and the Canadian Urban Transit Association, all of which have signed the Charter.
The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) is the international network for public transport authorities and operators, policy decision-makers, scientific institutes and the public transport supply and service industry. With 3,100 members from 90 different countries, UITP is the global advocate for public transport and sustainable mobility, and the promoter of innovations in the sector (www.uitp.org).
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Contacts :
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UITP Cara McLaughlin Director of Communications Phone: 32 2 6636639 cara.mclaughlin@uitp.org |