How buses can deliver true mobility for everyone: a European Mobility Week contribution by Arriva’s Sian Leydon

Below, a contribution by Sian Leydon, Managing Director for Mainland Europe at Arriva Group (from June 2022), on the occasion of the European Mobility Week.
The transport company is celebrating the European Mobility Week 2025 by highlighting the central role of buses, as part of an integrated public transport system, to deliver cleaner, fairer, and more connected communities across Europe. European Mobility Week, the European Commission’s annual campaign on sustainable urban mobility, promotes active travel, public transport and smart transport solutions, with this year’s theme – Mobility for Everyone – highlighting the need for better access to sustainable transport.

Every September, European Mobility Week reminds us that sustainable mobility is about more than moving people: it’s about inclusion, opportunity, and the health of our cities and regions. This year’s theme, Mobility for everyone, is especially poignant. If Europe is to meet its sustainability goals, deliver cleaner air, and unlock fairer access to opportunity, passenger transport must sit at the very centre of the solution.

At Arriva, we know this first-hand. With operations in 11 European countries, employing more than 36,000 people and delivering 1.5 billion passenger journeys each year, we see every day how buses, trains, trams, and shared mobility services connect people to jobs, education, healthcare, and each other. Public transport is not just a service, it is the backbone of Europe’s social, environmental, and economic ambitions.

When more people choose public transport, the benefits multiply: lower emissions and cleaner air, improved physical and mental health, more resilient local economies, and better access to jobs, education, and essential services for underserved areas. When transport systems are designed around the needs of passengers, they create a virtuous cycle. Higher ridership drives better services and investment, which in turn attracts even more users.

But to deliver true Mobility for everyone, we need a decisive shift in how people travel. Buses play a role in connecting people to public transport hubs, moving people out of cars. We have an ambition for public transport to become the natural first choice for most journeys. This requires services that are more frequent, more reliable, and more integrated, designed around the needs of passengers. At Arriva, we work with municipalities and transport authorities across Europe to design networks that do exactly this, creating the conditions for long-term modal shift.

European Mobility Week 2025 is a reminder that mobility is about far more than movement. It is about inclusion, sustainability, and shaping the future of our communities. At Arriva, we believe passenger transport is essential to achieving Europe’s environmental, social, and economic ambitions, and to ensuring every citizen can access the opportunities they deserve.”