Mobility Innovators Podcast

Transformation is always challenging, and the public transport sector is no exception. Around the world, this industry is undergoing significant change as travel patterns evolve and expectations grow. The rise of autonomous mobility will further reshape travel habits and the broader mobility landscape. However, it is crucial that the core principles of public transport remain intact. To stay relevant, public transport agencies must adapt to shifting rider behaviors. Internal factors such as service reliability, comfort, and convenience, as well as external factors like urban planning and transit-oriented development, will play an important role in driving the adoption and success of public transportation in the future.Adam Giambrone spent 20 plus years working in North America, Africa and the Middle East. He has held senior roles in all three regions. Currently, he is Infrastructure and Transportation Project Management lead at HDR Middle East. Prior to this, he was the head of Land Mobility and Road Transportation at Neom, a new city in Saudi Arabia. He served as General Manager at Saudi Public Transit Company (SAPTCO) from 2018 to 2021. He also spent 7 years with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) including 5 years as the Commissioner and Chair of the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) from 2003 to 2010. He was an elected councilor.

New York City Transit (NYCT) is the largest public transit agency in North America, carrying more than 2.5 billion passengers every year. NYCT is going through transformation and implanting new initiatives including predictive maintenance. The agency is implementing many new initiatives including new ticketing solution. The agency is planning to introduce electric buses and using AI to improve the maintenance of existing buses. The episode will highlight some of the key initiatives launched by NYCT and the new innovation culture within the agency. Richard Davey is President of New York City Transit and is responsible for managing the largest transit agency in North America. He joined in May 2022. Previously, he served as a Partner and Director at the Boston Consulting Group in their Public Sector and Industrial Goods practice areas. He also served as CEO of Boston 2024, the organization that sought to bring the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games to Boston. He is a transit enthusiast and was the Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation from September 2011 to October 2014 and previously the General Manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority from March 2010 to September 2011.

Many cities and countries globally are setting ambitious targets to achieve net-zero emissions, with mobility and logistics playing a pivotal role in reaching these goals. Fleet operators are confronted with the significant challenge of planning for energy transition, necessitating substantial capital investments in the coming years. However, they must prioritize between various projects and adopt a data-driven approach. Data will also be crucial in ensuring compliance and accessing a rapidly expanding array of climate-based financing products. This will entail leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze and comprehend the data, enabling informed decision-making and strategic planning for energy transition initiatives.Danielle Walsh is co-founder and CEO of Clearly, a startup based in the UK, which helps the global transportation sector to reach net zero emissions. Clearly is the company with the data and AI stack that enables corporations to actually achieve their net zero targets in the largest part of the economies - transport and anything related to that. It uses AI to gather, combine, and enhance data across the supply chain so companies know exactly where the most emissions are coming from in the fleet; easily assess optimal projects to reduce emissions, and automate the access of shared and cheaper financing. The company is already operating in 8 cities around the world, has more than 50,000 assets under contract, and has tracked over 100 million trips. Prior to founding her venture, she was a Director in TMT Investment Banking at HSBC and led Technology for Future Cities & New Initiatives. She is also an Angel Investor.

The global momentum towards electrification is accelerating, driven by numerous cities setting ambitious net-zero goals. Leveraging advanced technologies can expedite and streamline this process. Digital Twins emerge as a powerful tool for fleet operators, offering the capability to construct real-world scenarios and simulations that precisely reflect the impact of electrification on operations. This enables operators to gain valuable insights into potential challenges and opportunities. The integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence further enhances the optimization of various scenarios, facilitating a more efficient path towards achieving net-zero goals.Daniel Hilson is Founder and CEO of Evenergi and BetterFleet. Evenergi is a company that focuses on accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and helping fleets transition to zero-emission technology. The company works with utilities, governments, and businesses, in implementing EV charging infrastructure and optimizing their energy systems. He also launched BetterFleet to plan, optimize and manage the transition to zero-emission fleet. Before co-founding Evenergi, he worked with some key players including Flow Systems, Veolia Environment and Siemens. He is a lifelong learner and has earned degrees in Environmental Management, Strategic Management and Music & Communication.

The automobile industry is going through a big transformation. Mckinsey coined the term ACES to define that how Automation, Connectivity, Energy transition, and shared mobility will redefine the sector. Technology will change the traditional method of how we purchase and use vehicles. New business models are emerging and new entrants especially technology companies are looking to reshare the industry with Software Defined Vehicles (SDV), autonomy, and electric drive. These changes will also create opportunities for new technology startups and build new ecosystems.Mark Norman is General Partner of FM Capital. FM Capital is a venture capital fund focused on technologies transforming the transportation industry. He is responsible for fund leadership, investment strategy, and portfolio management. Prior to setting up the fund, he was president of Zipcar, where he led the company’s expansion creating the world’s largest carsharing network. He was also the CEO of Flexcar, a vehicle subscription company, CEO and Chairman of Chrysler Canada, and Managing Director of Summit Systems, a European technology startup.

School Bus Transportation is the largest transit system in North America. In the US alone, there are 50 million K-12 students in public schools and there are 5.8 million in private schools. So it's in total it's like 57 million students or kids who need to be transported every day. However, School Bus transportation is facing many challenges including a shortage of bus drivers, funding constraints, and increasing complexity. Technology will play an important role in improving the school bus operation and managing resources optimally.Keith Corso is the Co-founder & CEO of BusRight. He ideated the company in high school and built the foundation for BusRight during his time at Northeastern University in Boston, alongside several other team members. BusRight is a transportation technology startup, reshaping the student transportation industry with its routing software, real-time GPS, dynamic driver navigation, and a bus tracking app for parents. He has held roles on both sides of the venture ecosystem, from serving as the President of the Entrepreneurs Club in college, to working as an Analyst for MassMutual Ventures, a Venture Fellow for Underscore VC, and Venture Director for Origin - a deep tech hub

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and is well-known for its busy port, which is among the largest in the world. Hamburg Hochbahn is the public transport operator in the city, operating 111 bus routes and 4 underground lines. The city has launched an ambitious project - Hamburg Takt, which to increase the market share from 22% in 2017 to 30% by 2030. The city is now investing in many innovative projects including GoA4 Metro line and autonomous fleet project. The city is looking to replace 1100 diesel buses with zero-emission buses by 2030. The episode will share “How HOCHBAHN as a key mobility provider is implementing innovative solutions (together with local and regional partners) in Hamburg.”Natalie Rodriguez is Head of Innovation of Hamburg Hochbahn AG, the second largest transport company in Germany. From 2018 until 2021, she was the lead project manager of automated driving, Bus-Segment and was in charge of the HEAT-Project (Hamburg Electric Autonomous Transportation). Natalie has been working for over 15 years in international planning and consulting companies specialized in public transport in Caracas, Lyon, Karlsruhe and since 2011 for the HOCHBAHN holding different positions in the areas of tariff, demand, and revenue estimations; corporate management, project management office, business development and Innovation and Change. She has always tried to combine my love for languages and for Mobility throughout her professional career.

Traffic Congestion is emerging as a major challenge for the cities. More than 1.35 million people die in road accidents every year people are losing 51 hours in traffic jams every year. Traffic management systems use traditional methods to regulate the traffic flow. However, many cities are using artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve traffic congestion issues and follow a network approach rather than a single junction. The cities can simulate different scenarios in real-time to understand the impact on a network basis. Further, Transit Signal Priority (TSP) is helping to reduce travel time for the riders and improve efficiency. The episode will cover the topics related to AI in Traffic Management and the role of traffic signals for autonomous vehicles.Tal Kresier is the Co-founder and CEO of @NoTraffic . NoTraffic is a company that focuses on developing technology for intelligent traffic management and optimization. As CEO, he manages a large team of industry leaders from various fields such as AI, Machine Vision, Cybersecurity, and Engineering, bringing the team together and creating the most sophisticated traffic management platform. Prior to NoTraffic, Tal served as a Business Analyst at Beta Finance consulting firm, where he led complex projects in the transportation, infrastructure, and energy industries.

India is investing lots of funds in rail infrastructure projects including urban rail systems in cities, rapid rail transit system for regional cities, and High-Speed rail project to connect cities. Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) projects in the National Capital Region of India is connecting 3 major satellite cities with the capital city – Meerut (82 km), Alwar (198 km) and Panipat (103 km). The first corridor from Delhi to Meerut is under construction, costing $5 billion in investment. National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is mandated to design, develop, implement, financing, operate, and maintain the RRTS project. RapidX has adopted an outsourcing model and has appointed Deutsche Bahn for operation and maintenance. The agency is using many innovative technologies to build the project, including BIM (Building Information Modelling), Digital twins, Precasted Tracks, Catenary (Rigid), Rolling stocks, and UPI ticketing solutions.Vijay Kumar Singh is Managing Director of NCRTC and presently leading transformation in regional mobility by implementing Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) projects in the National Capital Region of India. NCRTC is mandated for designing, developing, implementing, financing, operating, and maintaining the RRTS project. He has built NCRTC from scratch and is now spearheading the development of the idea into a reality through this $ 15 billion project. Before joining NCRTC, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the High-Speed Rail Corporation, where he played a key role in developing the Mumbai-Ahmedab ad HSR project. Having served as Executive Director in the Ministry of Railways, Government of India, he has experience working on the Board of many joint venture companies and has acquired a profound policy perspective. He has been the officer in charge of the execution team of the first section of Delhi Metro project in the field.

Transit recovery in North America remains sluggish, with ridership hovering around the 60-70% mark compared to pre-pandemic levels. However, many transit agencies are experiencing that riders are back in the system, but ridership is not back as travel behavior has changed. The riders are not traveling in the same way. At the same time, public transport operators require to plan the transition to zero-emission buses. Thus, it is becoming increasingly important for agencies to follow a data-driven approach to improve transit riders' experience. One notable example is the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), a prominent mass transit operator in Chicago, responsible for a fleet of 1,900 buses and approximately 1,200 rail cars that transport around 800,000 passengers daily. The CTA is actively pursuing various innovative initiatives aimed at attracting riders back into the system.Maulik Vaishnav is a transportation policy and transit leader with 15 years of experience in government and consulting. He is currently Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)’s Vice President of Innovation and leads the agency’s ‘Meeting the Moment’ action plan, customer experience and marketing strategy, and a PMO team. During his 11-year tenure at CTA, he has worked in or overseen analytics, strategic planning, budget, revenue, business development, and fare policy teams. He also served as a transportation policy advisor at the City of Chicago Mayor’s Office from 2019 to 2022 where he helped advance a strategic plan for transportation, a forward-thinking ground transportation tax surcharge on downtown ride-hail trips, temporary pandemic bus lanes, a climate action plan, and a vision for trails and open spaces.

Entrepreneurship is a journey of failures. The founders need to stay focused on the execution and achieve product-market fit. Most of the founders start their journey with the problem but they very soon forget about it. The same principle applies to all startups, including mobility and logistics. It is very important to understand your users and focus on solving their problems. Most people think of solving mobility challenges from the system perspective, not from the user perspective. Riders are looking at mobility from three parameters – Convenience, Speed and Cost. The founders should ask what is the value that I'm going to create for those users? This podcast will share some of the key ingredients to build a successful startup. Public transport will face challenges from new emerging mobility options. It is important to reimagine mobility from the users’ perspective.Guest: Uri Levine is a passionate entrepreneur, a 2x 'unicorn' builder (Duocorn), and the author of the book “Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution” – A Handbook for Entrepreneurs. He is co-founder of Waze, the world's largest community-based driving traffic and navigation app, which Google acquired for $1.1 billion in 2013, and former investor and board member in Moovit, 'Waze of public transportation, which Intel acquired for $1 Billion in 2020. Levine's vision is building startups that are doing good and doing well, focusing on solving problems and hence changing the world for the better. He has been in the high-tech business for the last 40 years, more than half of them in the startup scene, and has seen everything ranging from failure, to moderate success, and big success. The startups Levine is Co-Founder, Chairman or Board Member, include Pontera (formerly FeeX); FairFly; SeeTree; Refundit; Fibo; Dynamo; Kahun, and he’s always working on the next one.

Public transit agencies are grappling with various challenges, from managing increasing ridership to enhancing the customer experience and ensuring improved accessibility. In response to the post-pandemic world, Uber has adjusted its strategy, focusing on solving these problems by offering services such as micro-transits, paratransit, first and last-mile connectivity, and late-night outage assistance. With partnerships spanning over 60 transit agencies globally, Uber is at the forefront of addressing these challenges and driving a more connected transportation ecosystem. In North America, Uber is placing emphasis on micro-transit and paratransit services, while in Europe, the company is collaborating with first and last-mile providers. As we look ahead to the emergence of autonomous mobility, it becomes crucial for transit agencies to partner with different stakeholders to continually improve the customer experience.In this episode, we dive into the evolution of the ride-hailing or on-demand industry, which has transformed the mobility landscape. Initially seen as a competitor to traditional taxis and public transportation, it quickly led to the emergence of new partnership opportunities that reshaped the way we travel.Jen Shepherd is the Global Head of Uber Transit. She is responsible for overseeing the development and expansion of the Uber Transit feature, which allows users to plan and pay for public transportation trips within the Uber app. This includes working with transit agencies and other partners to integrate their services into the app, as well as ensuring that the user experience is seamless and intuitive. Under her leadership, Uber has expanded its transit offerings to more cities and has continued to invest in the development of the Uber Transit feature. She has more than 15 years of experience in strategy and technology. Prior to joining Uber, she worked at Deloitte, Walt Disney, and Starbucks.

Mid-size transit agencies play a crucial role in providing accessible and affordable transportation options to communities worldwide, especially in areas with lower population densities and limited resources. In the United States, the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) is one such agency that operates around 350 buses on 42 routes, serving over 20 million riders annually. COTA faces a unique set of challenges, such as securing funding for capital projects and operations, optimizing routes using technology and data analysis, and attracting and retaining ridership. However, the agency has taken innovative measures to address these challenges, such as implementing a creative funding model to support transit services and investing in various capital projects, including bus rapid transit, on-demand mobility, and technology. These initiatives and practices make COTA a reference point for other transit agencies looking to innovate and improve their services.Joanna Pinkerton is President and CEO of the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA). COTA is the public transit agency that serves the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area, providing transportation to nearly 19 million passengers annually. She assumed the role in April 2018, becoming the second woman to lead the organization in its history. Under her leadership, COTA has focused on improving service for customers, including increasing the frequency of buses on high-demand routes and launching new programs like COTA Plus, a micro-transit service that provides on-demand transportation within certain zones in the Columbus, Ohio area. Prior to joining COTA, she served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Transportation Research Center. She also held several leadership positions at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Transportation. She is a strong advocate for public transportation and its role in promoting economic development and social equity.

The digital mapping industry is currently experiencing a significant revolution marked by the emergence of location technology companies. These companies are harnessing inputs such as GPS, geolocation, mapping, and navigation to develop innovative solutions for various industries, including transportation, logistics, and retail. With a shift in focus from "route optimization" to "resource optimization," location-based technologies offer numerous use cases that can significantly enhance operational efficiency. Furthermore, with API integration, operators can seamlessly integrate location-based data with their existing ERP systems, enabling them to add a business layer to their operations. This integration allows for better data management and improved decision-making capabilities.Ajay Bulusu is the co-founder of NextBillion.ai, a startup that provides mapping solutions using artificial intelligence for the mobility and logistics industry. Before starting NextBillion.ai, he was leading Geo Data Operations Team at Grab and was working as Senior Director Of Product. He also worked as a product manager at Google and led the development of several key products, including Google Flights and Google Assistant. Ajay is known for his expertise in AI and is part of the Forbes Tech Council. He is also featured as Fortune 40U40.

Public transit agencies are facing an increasingly complex and rapidly changing environment. Factors such as changing demographics, evolving customer needs, and technological advancements are driving the need for public transit agencies to be more agile and innovative in their approach. In order to stay relevant and competitive, transit agencies need to be able to quickly adapt to new trends and emerging technologies, while also providing reliable and efficient service to their customers. This requires a willingness to experiment with new ideas, embrace new technologies, and develop new business models that can help them better meet the needs of their customers. Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) is a mid-size public transportation agency that provides bus service in the Greater Cincinnati area and emerging as one of the innovative transit agencies in the US. The agency has already achieved 85% recovery rate and is now looking to expand its services even further.Khaled Shammout is Chief Strategic Planning, Development, and Innovation Officer at Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA). He is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the agency's technology and data-driven strategies. He also leads the development of SORTA's long-term strategic plan and works to enhance the agency's customer experience. Prior to SORTA, he worked with different agencies in the US including Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), and Palm Beach County. He was also the Chief of the Bus Transit Team at Makkah Mass Rail Transit.

The automotive industry is currently experiencing a once-in-a-century transformation. With the advent of digitalization and connectivity, there is a massive opportunity for growth in the industry, which will be further fueled by artificial intelligence (AI) as it works with the data created by digitalization. The ability to upgrade vehicles' software will be a significant opportunity for manufacturers, as it will provide greater flexibility for consumers. In addition, the emergence of new modes of transportation, such as ride-hailing and micromobility, will offer more options for riders, ultimately changing the way we move for the better. Micromobility sector is going through a rough phase but regulatory push fosters the adoption of technology. Startups looking to capitalize on this transformation should focus on the end-use and end-users economics and utilization, rather than solely on their product.Sebastien Bihari is the General Partner of Vektor Partners. The fund has reached a first close of EUR 50 million and looking to raise EUR 125 million. The fund invests in early-stage startups in the mobility sector, focusing on software, AI /machine learning, and data-driven business models. Prior to launching the fund, he was the Managing Director, Head of Automotive Investment Banking EMEA with BNP Paribas, and Executive Director / SVP, M&A at Moelis & Company. He is a global citizen and lived and worked in many countries.

Public transit ridership is recovering slowly and has reached an average 80% of the pre-pandemic level. However, it is important to highlight that different countries are in different recovery phases. Secondly, the riders traveling patterns have changed and there are more riders on weekends, and peak hours are flattened. Public transit agencies need to adjust to this changing behavior. On the other hand, transit agencies around the globe are facing challenges with staffing as there is a shortage of drivers and workers. Thus, the role of planning and scheduling has become more critical to provide services to riders. Transit agencies will face new challenges with the induction of electric buses as the buses will have a limited range. Thus, the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning will allow transit agencies to build dynamic schedules. Further, on-demand mobility can complement fixed-line services. This episode will share the story of Optibus and how the company is helping to digitalize public transit agencies.Amos Haggiag is the CEO and co-founder of Optibus, a cutting-edge software platform that powers complex public transportation operations in more than 2,000 cities worldwide. Before co-founding Optibus in 2014, Amos led the development of large-scale personalization engines as a senior software development engineer at Microsoft and designed machine learning algorithms at Siemens. He is the recipient of several prestigious math and technology awards, including the Intel Prize (for software engineering), the Elkin Prize (for information technology) and the Wolf Prize (for mathematics).

The mobility and transportation sector has gone through a major transformation in the last decade, with the emergence of many new mobility options like shared mobility and e-scooters for passengers. We will see the emergence of many new modes including autonomous shuttles and urban air mobility. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) was the buzzword but failed to fulfill the promise. However, MaaS 2.0 is emerging as a potential disruptor mainly due to two factors – MaaS operators are following B2B / B2G approach to achieve mass adoption. Secondly, the operators have the basic infrastructure in place which will help to integrate them easily. Further, there is an opportunity to integrate MaaS app with other stakeholders including airlines, hotels, airports, etc.Guillermo Campoamor is the Co-founder and CEO of Meep. He has a background in the legal and corporate sectors but now building a mobility tech startup. This clearly demonstrates his ability to manage diverse teams and build complex products in the mobility space. He founded Meep in 2017 with the aim of changing the mobility paradigm and shifting to a more adaptable and sustainable way of moving around cities. Meep is building MaaS application and working with 20 cities in 5 countries.

The role of the public transit sector will evolve in the future as people are looking for better customer experience and real-time updates. The pandemic has negative impact on the public transit sector across the globe. However, the North American region is still lagging behind in the recovery. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated $108 billion to support public transportation programs, including $91 billion in guaranteed funding. This funding has helped cities to launch various pilots including electric/fuel cell buses, autonomous vehicles, and MaaS. The emergence of new mobility options including urban air mobility and autonomous vehicles will change the landscape. Mobility will become more individualized.Paul Comfort is a Transit Evangelist and has spent his career in government and public transportation. He is currently working as SVP and Chief Customer Officer at Modaxo. He worked as County Administrator for two suburban counties in Maryland. Later, he worked as CEO of Maryland Transit Administration (MTA). He has also worked in business development and operations management for many public and private transit operations. He is the author of four books – “The Future of Public Transportation” and “Conversations of Equity and Inclusion in Public Transportation”. Also the popular host of “Transit Unplugged Podcast”.

Autonomous mobility will play a major role in reshaping cities. Industry predicted that autonomous vehicles would be providing services and were available on our streets by 2021. However, the industry is still not closer to market deployment. Autonomous vehicles are already in the phase of disillusionment under Gartner Hype Cycle for connected and smart mobility. The industry will see upper movement from this level. User acceptance and perception of autonomous vehicles will have a big impact on large-scale adoption. According to Lloyd’s Register Foundation, only 27% of the global population would accept or believe that this technology is safe. The cities and authorities have a big role to support the new technology deployment. European Commission (EU) followed the right approach to fund the pilots and demonstration of new technologies.Guido di Pasquale is the Managing Director of PAVE (Partners for Automated Vehicle Education), a coalition of industry, non-profit and academic institutions. The key mission of PAVE is to inform the public about automated vehicles and their potential. Prior to joining PAVE Europe, he was working as Deputy Director of Knowledge and Innovation at UITP. He has 20 years of experience in the transport and automation field, specializing in Intelligent Transport Systems, Automated Mobility, integrated mobility, research and innovation, strategy, and policy. He was involved in many EU projects including SPACE Project (Shared Personalised Automated Connected vhEicles), Shift2Rail GoF4R (Governance of the Interoperability Framework for Rail and Intermodal Mobility), AUTOPILOT (Automated Driving progressed by the Internet of Things), IMOVE (Accelerate deployment and unlock the scalability of MaaS schemes in Europe and GALILEO FOR MOBILITY (Fostering the adoption of Galileo for MaaS).