Mobility Innovators Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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.

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.