The Tep public transport service will be active on an experimental basis from 1 July, giving workers and visitors the opportunity to reach the Parma Interport directly from the city railway station.
The new shuttle aims to improve the mobility offer and facilitate travel to and from the Interport, one of the most important logistics infrastructures in the region.
At the presentation press conference held this morning at the headquarters of the Province of Parma, the president of TEP Roberto Prada explained the methods with which the service will be created: “It is known that the cost borne by users, i.e. the fare of travel tickets, it covers only a small part of the overall cost of the service. At this time, characterized by a general scarcity of resources, it would not be possible to activate new transport services without additional support. For this reason, Tep has established positive collaborations with various companies to expand the services provided, as happened in this case too.”.
The president of the Interporto Consortium Giovanni Pellegri expressed satisfaction with the result achieved: “We worked with SMTP (Society for Mobility and Public Transport) to arrive at an economically sustainable solution that was favorable for the workers of the Interporto. The institution’s Board of Directors had the sensitivity to understand that the improvement of the logistics center also involves creating greater attractiveness for those who work there. This will be the challenge for the 92 Interporto companies for the foreseeable future.”
SMTP councilor Francesco Castria underlined the characteristics of the new connection: “In these first months the service will be provided directly by Tep with a bus with capacity for 90 passengers. The trial period will be useful to verify whether the shuttle is suitable for the needs of the workers”.
The service includes two outward journeys, with departures from the station’s extra-urban terminal (stop 1) at 7.55am and 4.55pm, and the same number returning from the Interporto (stop via Unione Europea) at 8.30am and 5.30pm.
Six stops will be established within the Interporto
Stop n°1: between the roundabout via Unione Europea/via Bonn and via Berna; Stop n°2: in Piazzale Europa in front of the headquarters of the Customs Agency; Stop n°3: in via Stockholma in front of the Catone company; Stop n°4: via Unione Europea immediately after the intersection with via Lisbona
Stop n°5: via Unione Europea immediately after the intersection with via Parigi; Stop n°6: via Unione Europea after the intersection with via Vienna.
In this way all companies in the logistics hub will be able to comfortably benefit from the service.
The new connection responds to the needs expressed by numerous workers who, arriving by train or bus from various localities in the area, needed to be able to reach their workplace quickly. It will also be important to support the economic development of the area and to make the Interporto more attractive as an employment opportunity for new candidates.
The trial will last until the end of 2024. In these six months it will be possible to verify the usefulness of the service and its appreciation by potential users. Subsequently, the bodies involved will be able to evaluate the opportunity to maintain it for the future. Normal Tep travel tickets are valid on the service.
The activation of the new connection was financed by the Interporto Consortium with an investment of 18,600 euros.
Gianpaolo Serpagli, president of Cepim, was also present at the press conference: “This service solves one of the problems of logistics workers. We are also working to launch a new railway terminal at the Interporto, which we hope will bring new advantages for both companies and employees. It’s an important factor at a time like the current one when companies have difficulty finding staff to hire when they need them.”
The mayor of Fontevivo Tommaso Fiazza underlined the issue of safety: “The new shuttle solves a problem for many workers who today arrive at the Interporto by any means of transport, even on foot or by scooter, with obvious problems for personal safety especially in the evening hours. The response offered by Tep and SMTP goes in the right direction to preserve people’s safety”.
