The Public Transport Council (PTC) has been awarded the UITP (International Association of Public Transport) Asia-Pacific Special Recognition Award for the “Co-creation Project to Foster a Caring Commuting Culture”, specifically for the Heart Zone and the related Heartwheels@Linkway projects. This was announced at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit held in Stockholm, Sweden on 10 June 2019.

The UITP Awards acknowledge ambitious and innovative public transport projects undertaken in the last two years in cities and regions around the world, positioning public transport as the backbone of urban and local mobility solutions. The awards are given to international participants in various categories, such as diversity and inclusion, public and urban transport strategy.

PTC’s co-creation projects form part of the Caring SG Commuters movement. They are a result of PTC’s extensive engagement and focus group discussions with commuters and stakeholders. The movement is therefore for commuters, enabled by commuters themselves, where they help shape and transform the public transport experience. Co-creation trials, such as Heart Zones and Heartwheels@Linkway, aim to improve the commuter experience between hospitals and the nearest MRT stations, while projects, such as Care Ride @ South West and CARE by Chung Cheng, were co-created with partners, the community and commuters to foster a culture of care between commuters of different backgrounds.

Mr Richard Magnus, PTC Chairman, received the award from Mr Ogata Masaki, UITP Asia-Pacific Division President yesterday during the Asia-Pacific Special Recognition Awards ceremony of the UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Stockholm, Sweden.

Mr Richard Magnus, PTC Chairman, said: “Commuting is not just a functional experience of getting from Point A to B, but also an emotive one beyond infrastructural and design enhancements. PTC considers the whole journey experience of commuters, addressing gaps through the help of commuters and enhancing bonding among fellow commuters, so as to create a more inclusive and caring public transport system for all. We are delighted to receive this honour from UITP, which will spur us to continue our efforts towards a caring commuting culture.”