The groupement des autorités responsables de transport (GART, "Association of Transport Authorities") is a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 Association (as defined by the ) founded in 1980. It is formed of 263 , of which 185 are agglomeration communities  or urban communities, 59 are general councils

General councils (France)

The General councils are assemblies of the French departments. They are elected by universal suffrage.-List of the Presidents of the General councils:-External links:*...

 and 19 are regional councils. These members have the objective of implementing and improving public transport

Public transport

Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

 in France. GART is a platform of exchange and transport matters, representing all political tendencies, and acts as their spokesbody at the national and European level.

Mission

To be the spokesbody for French transport organisations before institutions, government, parliament, European Union bodies and the mass media.

• To offer to its memembers advice and expertise on economic, financial, legal and technical matters.
• Sustain and enliven debates on new projects and propose solutions that are both practical and innovative.
• Bring together players in the transport industry. GART stands up for "" ("The concept of a public transport service accessible to all at the economic, spatial and physical levels. The poor, those far from town, or with reduced mobility, should all benefit from the best possible transport to have access to education, work, facilities and services").

Leadership

The association is headed by a President, in November 2011 this was Roland Ries

Roland Ries

Roland Ries is a French politician from Alsace, occupying several posts on local, regional and national level since 1997....

, the senator-mayor of Strasbourg

Strasbourg

Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...

, who was elected unanimously in 2008. The previous incumbent was Michel Destot

Michel Destot

Michel Destot is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Isère department, and is a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche. He has been the mayor of Grenoble since 1995.-References:...

, the deputy mayor of Grenoble

Grenoble

Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...

. Ries was vice-president of GART from 1996 to 2001.

Complementary activities

In 2005, together with the (UTP, "Public transport and railways union"), GART created the "" ("GIE Transport Objective"). Its mission was to promote sustainable public transport both to the public at large and to professionals in the sector (organising major European events and national mobilisation campaigns).

Sources

" ("Public transport and GART's rôle")|journal=||issue=8|date=November/December 1994|pages=29–31|language=French}}

External links

|language=French|accessdate=9 November 2011}} Official website|date=27 May 2008|publisher=GART|last=Destot|first=Michel (signatory)|accessdate=9 November 2011|language=French}}