On 15 April 2026, the OPTI-UP partnership gathered in Ljubljana for the 4th Technical Meeting and Steering Committee meeting. The meeting brought together project partners to review progress, discuss ongoing activities, and align on the next steps as the project enters its final implementation phase.
The final period of the project is dedicated to transforming the work carried out so far into concrete, practical, and transferable results for small and medium-sized cities across Central Europe.
During the meeting in Ljubljana, partners reviewed progress across all work packages. Discussions covered the status of analysis and planning activities, updates related to pilot implementation and monitoring, and progress on the development of the project’s final toolkit.
Particular attention was given to Work Package 2 activities related to pilot monitoring and evaluation. These discussions were important in order to reflect on the implementation experience so far, compare findings across project areas, and prepare the ground for final recommendations and future scaling-up of project solutions.
The meeting also addressed Work Package 3 activities, including the status of the toolkit development and communication and dissemination efforts. The comprehensive strategy developed within the project highlights the importance of creating coherent, actionable, and measurable public transport plans and of supporting cities with practical tools that can be adapted to different local contexts.
An additional highlight of the meeting were guest lectures on the new Ljubljana Passenger Centre project. These presentations brought a valuable local perspective to the event and enriched the discussion on sustainable mobility, integrated transport planning, and the development of modern passenger transport infrastructure.
Beyond the technical discussions, the Ljubljana meeting was an important opportunity for the partnership to exchange knowledge, strengthen coordination, and confirm priorities for the closing stage of the project. With the final phase now underway, OPTI-UP continues to work toward results that can contribute to better public transport planning, improved accessibility, and more sustainable mobility solutions in Central Europe. The project’s overall objective remains to support greener public transport services by improving network efficiency and increasing ridership, while making transport planning more integrated, evidence-based, and responsive to local needs.
We would like to thank our hosts in Ljubljana for the warm welcome and excellent organisation, as well as all project partners for their active participation and constructive contribution to the meeting.