Mobility Innovators Podcast

Public transport is entering a new era where success is no longer measured simply by how many buses or trains are operating, but by how seamlessly people can move throughout a city. Ruter is reimagining urban mobility through digital innovation, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, integrated mobility services, and ambitious sustainability goals. The conversation explores leadership, organizational transformation, and what public transport agencies around the world can learn from Oslo's experience.In this episode of the Mobility Innovators Podcast, Jaspal Singh speaks with Bernt Reitan Jenssen, CEO of Ruter, the public transport authority for Oslo, Norway.They also discuss:• AI agents in public transport• Customer-centric innovation• Autonomous buses and shared mobility• Quantum computing in transit planning• Cybersecurity risks in connected vehicles• Leadership during technological disruption• Building innovative teams• The future of urban mobilityBernt Reitan Jenssen is the Chief Executive Officer of Ruter AS. Jenssen has led Ruter since its inception in 2008, when it was established as a joint administrative company for public transport in Oslo and Akershus. Prior to this, he served for eight years as Executive Vice President at Posten Norge and has also held CEO positions at the logistics companies TNT Norge AS and IL-X Budservice AS.#Mobility #ArtificialIntelligence #AutonomousVehicles #SmartCities #PublicTransport #Innovation #UrbanMobility #Transportation #FutureOfMobility #Leadership

Cities are growing faster than ever, but our transportation systems are struggling to keep up. Advances in AI, autonomy, and digital infrastructure are creating new opportunities to rethink how people move through cities, reduce congestion, and expand access to jobs, education, and social opportunities. The conversation highlights how innovation happens when technology, infrastructure, and human needs are considered together, ultimately creating more sustainable, connected, and opportunity-rich cities.Mark Seeger is CEO and Co-founder of Glydways. Glydways is a form of public transit that can move more people than rail, using less than half of the space, which costs 90% less to build and operate while providing a private and on-demand ride. Prior to founding Glydways, Mark had early careers at NASA and Apple; founded the biodegradable plastics company GreenIdea in Singapore (sold); the electric motorcycle company Mission Motorcycles and Mission Marine; as well built initiatives that focused on low-cost, high-efficiency air-conditioning for third-world countries with his company GeoCool (sold).

What if public transport systems could think, learn, and respond in real time? Artificial intelligence and real-time data are transforming the future of mobility and public transportation. Ticketing is one of the important component of public transport system. Many cities are moving from paper ticket to digital ticket. ticketing is no longer just about payments but is becoming the intelligence layer of modern transit systems. The concept of “sentient ticketing,” where AI-powered systems can dynamically respond to passenger demand, traffic conditions, events, and operational disruptions in real time.In this episode of @mobilityinnovators Podcast, Dr. Dheeraj Bhardwaj shares why ticketing is no longer just about payments — it’s becoming the intelligence layer of future mobility systems. We discuss sentient ticketing, AI-driven transit, on-demand buses, real-time pricing, mobility super apps, and why traditional transit systems must rethink their future.Dr. Dheeraj Bhardwaj is currently the vice-chair of door2door. Earlier, he was the Group CEO of City Group Company. Prior to City Group, he was the co-founder and CEO of Arnab Mobility, running a micro-mobility platform in the Middle east. He has wide experience in academia, corporate, consulting, and startups in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He has recently incubated “Sentient Cities” an Open-Source platform helping Cities not just be connected but become aware, adaptive and responsive.

Metro Vancouver is a city that has quietly built one of the most advanced and integrated public transport systems in North America—from automated SkyTrain to strong transit-oriented development. TransLink operates this regional transportation network, serving over 400 million passengers annually across buses, SkyTrain, SeaBus, and commuter rail.The region is now looking ahead to the future—rethinking how transit infrastructure supports growth, sustainability, and changing travel patterns. With its Transport 2050 vision, Metro Vancouver aims to shift from a car-influenced city to a transit-first, people-first region, where around 50% of all trips are made by public transit or active modes like walking and cycling.Kevin Quinn is the CEO of TransLink, the statutory authority responsible for the region’s transportation system. In his role, he oversees planning, operations, and delivery across transit services, as well as key infrastructure including cycling networks, bridges, and the Major Road Network. Under his leadership, TransLink has recovered to over 90% of pre-pandemic ridership, delivered its largest bus service expansion in years, and is advancing major investments in future mobility. Prior to joining TransLink, Kevin served as Administrator and CEO of the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), where he led one of the largest transit systems in the United States.

Public transport systems are the lifeline of any city, connecting people, supporting economic growth, and shaping urban life. WMATA operates service in Washington DC Metropolitan area. Metrorail operates 128 miles of track and manage 98 stations. The agency also running a fleet of 1,500 buses. In this episode of the Mobility Innovators Podcast, we explore the remarkable turnaround of one of North America’s most complex transit systems and what it takes to rebuild trust in public transport after a crisis. Randy Clarke is the General Manager of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). He took the role when all transit agencies were facing major challenge coming out of the pandemic with record low ridership. WMATA operates service in Washington DC Metropolitan Area. Before joining Metro, Randy served more than four years as President and CEO of Capital Metro in Austin, Texas, where he secured - Project Connect, multi-billion dollar capital program, which is one of the country’s largest voter-approved transit referendums in US history. He also worked with APTA (American Public Transit Association) from 2016 to 2018 and with Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in Boston in different role.