Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe’s mobility landscape has undergone one of the biggest periods of upheaval since the end of World War II. With businesses, schools and regular day-to-day activities forced online during the early months of the crisis, demand for public transport effectively disappeared in towns and cities overnight, with only essential workers being encouraged or allowed to use transport.

Passenger rates dropped by 90 percent and roads fell eerily quiet. Parking and congestion fees were suspended in many cities to help essential workers, and transit fares were even made free in some municipalities due to fears of contact between drivers and passengers.

Through a series of roundtables, the Cities Today Institute brought together Europe’s leading transport policymakers, business and thought leaders to discuss their experiences during one of the most challenging periods for the mobility ecosystem. This paper sets out the vision and insights from those discussions.