The MOBILITIES FOR EU project hosted its second Mobility Meet Up, bringing together participants from cities across Europe for a 90-minute online session on “Funding Pathways: From Pilot to Scalable Investment for Urban Mobility Solutions. Organised by We Right Click and the International Road Federation (IRF), the session tackled one of the most persistent challenges in sustainable urban mobility: how to move promising pilots into long-term, investment-ready programmes.

The Financing Landscape

Harry Wain (BwB / Climate City Capital Hub, NetZeroCities) opened by framing the scale of the problem. EU transport decarbonisation requires roughly €150 billion annually through 2030; public funding covers only around €45 billion, leaving a structural gap of €105 billion every year. Through the Climate City Capital Hub, Harry’s team supports 112 EU Mission Cities in translating climate ambitions into bankable projects — offering integrated help on data analysis, stakeholder mapping, financial modelling, and implementation. He highlighted active work in Cork, Thessaloniki, Suceava, and Parma, and a joint procurement mechanism aimed at aggregating city demand to unlock economies of scale.

Making Projects Fundable

Tom Parke (Green Finance Institute) explored what it actually means for a project to be “bankable”. He stressed that technically sound projects are often not fundable due to:

• unclear risk allocation
• weak financial structuring
• lack of investor-oriented design

He highlighted the growing role of blended finance — combining public funding with private capital — and presented practical tools such as guarantees and innovative financing mechanisms to de-risk investments and attract funding.

Making Projects Fundable

Sergio Fernández Balaguer (EMT Madrid) closed with a concrete use case from one of Europe’s largest municipal transport operators. Since retiring its last diesel bus in 2022, EMT is targeting a fully electric fleet by 2033 and has invested over €1 billion in fleet and infrastructure since 2021. To do so, they combine:

• municipal funding
• European funding (over €170 million secured)
• sustainable finance frameworks
• innovative revenue streams (including monetising energy savings)

His advice to other cities: link every funding application to a clear internal strategy, plan for infrastructure not just vehicles, and invest in transparency and external verification — these are what build lasting credibility with funders.

Watch the recording

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About the Mobility Meet Ups

This session is part of the MOBILITIES FOR EU capacity-building programme, designed to support cities in accelerating the transition to climate-neutral urban mobility through knowledge sharing, peer exchange, and practical guidance.

The next Meet Up is scheduled for early May 2026. Follow us on LinkedIn or visit our website for updates!