It is both a thrilling and challenging time to work in mobility and public transport. Between climate change, air quality, widening social inequality and unparalleled disruption, we have never faced greater obstacles or a more dire need to react with urgency and consideration.
And yet it is also true that we have never had access to better tools to help us. Computer technology has transformed our industry at ever more astonishing speed – and now Artificial Intelligence has entered the stage, threatening major disruption while offering vast potential if harnessed effectively.
With so much turmoil and transition it has never been more important to share thoughts, perspectives and best practices. With near infinite courses we could chart; how do we decide the best direction? This is a time for learning and sharing; for leaders to come together to collaborate on their shared objective: delivery of safe, efficient and sustainable mobility for all.
In 2017 Modaxo created Transit Unplugged in North America to share insights from transit leaders. Today it launches Mobility Redefined to shine a light on Europe, Asia and Africa. The goal is simple but lofty: to drive the conversation on the future of mobility.
Global Challenges
In his present role as Executive Director with Modaxo, and previously at UITP, Dr. Kaan Yildizgöz has met with transport industry leaders all over the world. From his many conversations he identifies five key challenges faced by organisations today:
- Decarbonisation: Driven by governmental policy, bus and taxi fleets all over the world are rapidly transitioning to electric and other zero emission fuels (most notably in China with 370,000 e-buses, and India where 50,000 e-buses are planned over the next four years). The major challenge facing transport providers is how to implement zero emission vehicles while continuing to meet customer requirements and maintain operational efficiency.
- Resilience: Though resilience in public transport rose to prominence during Covid-19, this issue is here to stay, driven by greater uncertainty from external factors (climate change and extreme weather) and increasing scrutiny on elements such as funding and governance.
- Digitalization: Transport providers face a never-ending quest to increase ridership, maximize efficiency and improve customer experience – all while minimizing costs. Digitalization is understood to play a critical role in achieving these objectives, but making sound long-term technology investments is a continual challenge for organisations of all sizes.
- Redefinition of Public Transport: Public transport isn’t buses and trains; it is anything that replaces the use of a private car. Modern cities recognize this – as shown through developments such as demand-based services, the rise of active travel, integration with taxis and of course MaaS. Because mobility is constantly changing, a flexible mindset is essential for all involved.
- Workforce issues: Public transport employs more than 13 million people worldwide – and in many major cities the public transport system is among its largest employers. While staff shortages aren’t limited to driving roles, they are perhaps most visible on the front line. Europe is just one example, where there are currently around 105,000 unfilled bus and coach driver positions.
The Role of Education in Redefining Mobility
If the challenges above appear daunting, one positive we can take is that they are truly global, faced by organisations all over the world. This means we have huge potential to collaborate on finding solutions.
Dr. Yildizgöz is a firm believer in the power of education to address transport issues, as evidenced by his time working at UITP.
“It isn’t widely known, but the first UITP congress took place in 1886 – from which a formula arose to ensure the best transport performance from horses,” Dr. Yildizgöz explains. “This formula, including where the horse’s food should come from, became a recommendation to industry. Today’s UITP sessions focus on AI and other modern topics – but that educational principle remains the same.”
In his previous role, Dr. Yildizgöz was responsible for creating UITP’s Academy to support the 13 million people working in the public transport industry. He developed a portfolio of 70 training topics and delivered 230 days of training per year. Dr. Yildizgöz points to the impact of this approach in the development of people he trained: “I often see people I trained years before leading major transport organisations – that shows the impact.”
“This is why I believe Mobility Redefined is so important – because it enables us to learn and share together,” says Dr. Yildizgöz, who sees a clear line between better transport systems and better societies and livelihoods.
“The personal and economic benefits of public transport are well understood, but the economic impact is equally compelling. Typically, a Euro invested in transport delivers a fourfold return to the economy. This is why we see that cities with better public transport have better economies and higher household incomes.”
Introducing Mobility Redefined
Fronted by Kaan Yildizgöz, Mobility Redefined is a new media enterprise from Modaxo. Mobility Redefined specifically focuses on public transport providers in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Much like Transit Unplugged, Modaxo’s media brand in the Americas, Mobility Redefined was created to provide thought leadership materials that inform audiences by shining a light on the work being undertaken by some of the industry’s best leaders.
Dr. Yildizgöz is Executive Director at Modaxo, and host of the Mobility Redefined podcast and CEO Roundtables. A public transport evangelist, he was born into the industry thanks to his bus mechanic father.
He has worked with both transport operators (Metro Istanbul, Turkish Airlines) and authorities (RTA Dubai), as well as UITP and now Modaxo. He has published two public transport books and spoken or trained in more than 70 countries around the world.
About Modaxo
Modaxo is a global technology organisation passionate about moving the world’s people. Working both together and independently, our collective of businesses are committed to delivering software and technology solutions that help connect people with the places they need to go for work, family, and everyday life.