Post-summit report
May 2016
Contents
Introduction............................................................................................4
The facts..................................................................................................6
The speakers.......................................................................................... 7
Food for thought: insights from our speakers.......................... 8
Ideation workshops............................................................................21
What are the ‘must get rights’?....................................................37
The conclusion................................................................................... 39
Appendix A - About our guest speakers.................................40
Transport for NSW
1
The Minister’s message
In April 2016, the NSW Government partnered with our Future Transport
supporters to bring together thought leaders, IT specialists, innovators,
entrepreneurs, futurists, transport leaders and academics at the Future
Transport Summit 2016. Together, we can revolutionise the way we approach
the transport challenges facing NSW.
It is no longer enough for governments to wait for disruption. We need to
reach out to industry and others at the cutting edge of technology and
innovation – and we need to form partnerships if we want to stay ahead of the
game. This means that both politicians and public servants need to be more
nimble than in the past.
The inaugural Future Transport Summit is kicking off a transformative,
12-month program of work to identify how we can bring technology into
the centre of what we do, to drive greater efficiency in service delivery
and improve the customer experience. I want to make transport a
Andrew Constance (left) with Chris Riddell
technology business.
This post-summit report documents the outputs from the summit, with the
Future Transport supporters
Our Future Transport supporters are:
aim of keeping the conversation going. Over coming months, we will develop
the Future Transport Technology Roadmap. The Roadmap will distill what we
learned at the summit and through other Future Transport consultations, and
set out how we will work with industry and the community to make future
transport a reality in NSW.
I look forward to your feedback on the post-summit report and your ongoing
engagement in Future Transport.
Andrew Constance
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure
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The Secretary’s message
The goal of the Future Transport Summit 2016 was to bring together some of
the best minds from Australia and around the world, to help make Transport
for NSW a leader in using technology to solve transport problems. I’m pleased
to say that we’ve started on a journey towards that goal.
The Future Transport Summit 2016 is just the beginning of a program of work
over the next 12 months and beyond.
To meet the challenges of the future, transport agencies in NSW will need to
become technology agencies where, in the past, we may have been engineers
or contract managers. That means thinking hard about why we do the things
we do. In 2016, it is no longer enough to keep doing what we did yesterday.
Over the coming months and years, we need to continue changing the
culture of our organisation. We need to further engage at every level with our
customers and with industry, and challenge ourselves to transform the way we
approach problems.
Transport for NSW Secretary, Tim Reardon
This post-summit report is about creating a record of the great ideas that have
come out of the summit. It is also about engaging more people in the program
and generating even more ideas. The test will be whether we can embed
Future Transport Technology Roadmap: development process
a culture of forward-thinking innovation in our business. I’m committed to
making that happen.
Tim Reardon
Secretary, Transport for NSW
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Introduction
By 2031, the population of NSW is predicted to increase by two million. As
Government. Please enjoy this report as a record of the events of 18 and 19
well as building new infrastructure, we need to look at smarter systems and
April 2016. Consider the ideas raised, comment, contribute and be involved in
technology-driven solutions to cope with demand.
this ongoing conversation about an exciting and innovative future transport.
What are going to be the next big ideas? Which systems and technologies are
The summit
going to challenge us and shape the transport system in NSW? How can we
harness these new technologies to deliver first rate transport services?
The challenge was to bring together some of the best, most creative and
forward-thinking minds and have them work together to help us create
the future for NSW transport. A future where we leverage breakthrough
technological solutions to create new ways of doing things, find innovative
solutions to old problems and revolutionise the way we plan, build and use
transport in the state.
The rules of engagement were clear. This summit was to be all about ideas.
There were to be no limits, no pre-conceptions. All ideas were welcome, all
would be treated with respect, all would be considered.
To stimulate thought and encourage participation, six key technology focus
areas and five objectives for transport were identified.
On Day 1, the key focus areas were:
Day 2 participants considered:
• Customer service in the digital age
• Customer empowerment
• Big data
• Productivity and efficiency
• Open data
• Congestion management
• Automated vehicles
• Equity of access to mobility
• The Internet of Things
• Safety.
• Disruptive technologies.
The current Transport for NSW Technology Roadmap was provided as context
for participants. It can be found on the next page.
The aim is that, by the end of the broader Future Transport program,
NSW will be on the way to becoming a world leader in using technology
Join us on our journey
to deliver better customer experiences, as well as more efficient transport
The Future Transport Summit 2016 is the first step of a program of work
services. How we plan to get there will be set out in the Future Transport
over the next 12 months and beyond. Guided by our Technology Leaders
Technology Roadmap, which we will present to the ITS World Conference in
Panel, which is co-chaired by David Thodey and Andrew Stevens, we will
October this year.
synthesise the summit outcomes with other work to produce a Future
The beginning of something big
Transport Technology Roadmap.
Our Future Transport team is now building on the innovative thinking that
This summit, as a forum for creative thinking and ideas, was not intended to
has come out of the summit. The purpose of this post-summit report is
draw conclusions, make recommendations, or rule any proposition in or out at
to record the inspirational thinking and ideas, and continue the dialogue
this stage. It was intended to put ideas on the table, as the start of the broader
about the future role of technology in transport.
Future Transport program.
As we develop the Future Transport Technology Roadmap, we want to
This report highlights some of the ideas discussed at the summit, some of
further engage at every level with our customers, with industry, and with
the issues that will need to be resolved, and some of the key ‘get rights’
our own people.
participants identified for consideration by Transport for NSW and the NSW
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The facts
For the Future Transport Summit 2016, Transport for NSW brought together
thought leaders, IT specialists, innovators, entrepreneurs, futurists, leaders
in the transport sector and academics. All shared expertise across business,
technology and/or transport, and all generously gave their time to help us
conceptualise the future of transport, driven by technology-fuelled innovations.
Representatives from more than 145 organisations attended on Day 1, Day 2
or both. These included:
• IT businesses, such as Cisco, Google, Microsoft, the NBN Co, and Siemens,
along with summit supporters Cubic, Fujitsu, IBM, Intel and Telstra
• Transport service providers and transport sector organisations, such as
ComfortDelGro Cabcharge, Serco, Transdev, Transurban and Volvo
• Providers of engineering, financial and advisory services in the transport
space, such as AECOM, IAG, Arup, Mastercard, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Thales
and VISA, as well as summit supporters the Commonwealth Bank, L.E.K.
Consulting, PwC Australia and Salesforce
• Academia, including Carnegie Mellon University, the University of
Eleven ‘ideation workshops’ were held, facilitated by our Future Transport
supporters. These workshops, which covered the six summit technology focus
New England, the University of NSW, the University of Sydney, the
areas and five core transport objectives, were the ‘business end’ of the summit
University of Technology Sydney, Western Sydney University and the
– open forums where ideas were allowed to fly.
University of Wollongong
• Representative groups such as Roads Australia and the Tourism and
Transport Forum
Over the course of the two days, all of these great minds participated in 99
hours of discussions covering the 11 summit technology focus areas and core
transport objectives.
• Government policy and decision makers, such as the Department of
Transport and Main Roads (QLD), the Information and Privacy Commission
NSW, Roads and Maritime Services, Transport Certification Australia and
Transport for NSW.
A wealth of ideas was uploaded, stuck on the wall or raised in conversation.
There was, of course, plenty of duplication, as well as ideas that built upon
other ideas. Those ideas that each working group particularly wished to share
were presented to the broader group at the end of the day.
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Chris Riddell
The speakers
Globally recognised speakers from some of the world’s most innovative
businesses were invited to offer their unique insights and observations,
and inspire ideas in the discussions to follow.
About our guest speakers
Day 1 guest speakers at the inaugural Future Transport Summit were
Will Duckworth, Vice President, IBM; Lyn McGrath, Executive General Manager,
Our Master of Ceremonies
Retail Sales, Commonwealth Bank of Australia; Pip Marlow, General Manager,
Our Master of Ceremonies and keynote speaker was the award-winning,
Influencer Sales Group, Intel; and Peter Schwartz, Senior Vice President for
industry-recognised Digital Futurist, Chris Riddell. A renowned strategist
Global Government Relations and Strategic Planning, Salesforce.
and spotter of emerging trends, Chris is an expert in analysing patterns and
behaviours, and unlocking opportunities for businesses and senior leaders in
today’s highly disrupted world.
His insights are compelling, thought provoking and inspirational, while his
energy and passion is contagious. We certainly saw that over the two days of
the summit, including in his keynote address on Day 2.
Microsoft Australia; Val Stoyanov, Global Managing Director for Transportation,
Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple and acknowledged tech guru, also joined
Chris Riddell for a Q&A session on Day 1 of the summit.
Joining us on Day 2 were guest speakers, Roy Wakelin-King, CEO, NSW
Taxi Council; David Rohrsheim, General Manager, Uber ANZ; and Craig Baty,
Vice President, International and Senior Director Digital Business Platform,
Fujitsu Japan.
More information about our speakers, and why we asked them to contribute to
the Future Transport Summit 2016, is at Appendix A.
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Food for thought: insights from
our speakers
Learnings from our guest speakers
On Day 1 and Day 2, we heard from thought leaders in business, who shared
significant insights into how they use technology to connect with customers
and drive improvements in how they operate.
Day 1 plenary session: Future Transport Summit 2016
Will Duckworth, Vice President, IBM
“Technology is boring, transport is meaningless.”
Will Duckworth provoked us to see things from a different angle.
Will Duckworth
He argued that:
• Changes that transform society are only possible when (initially) cutting
edge technology has become ubiquitous
• Transport, for its own sake, is meaningless. It’s the context, the reasons why
people travel, that is important
• Depending on why they are travelling, customers will have different
expectations of the experience. Businesses that understand this will be the
ones that succeed in the market.
When we are trying to envisage ‘future transport,’ Will challenged us to
adopt design thinking – to start with the user perspective, rather than the
technology that might be used to deliver the solution. He also encouraged us
to collaborate with ‘fellow travellers’ – those who can give us richer insights
into what customers want – and to look for solutions that integrate across
industries, to meet customers’ demands for seamless services.
A customer’s last best experience becomes the minimum expectation
for the next one. Will Duckworth, Future Transport Summit 2016
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Graphic capture of Will Duckworth’s presentation
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Lyn McGrath, Executive General Manager, Retail Sales,
Commonwealth Bank
“It’s not just about the tech, it has to be about the personal relationships.”
Lyn McGrath shared insights from the Commonwealth Bank’s digital
transformation journey with a strong and consistent message: the bank is
At the heart of this is the fusion of people and digital solutions
– providing expert, proactive and multi-channel support and
guidance to understand our new technologies, coupled with a
focus on forming deeper, relevant relationships with our customers.
Lyn McGrath, Future Transport Summit 2016
achieving its goal of enhancing its customers’ financial wellbeing through
harnessing world class technological advancements and building deeper, more
relevant, personal relationships with customers. These deeper relationships are,
in turn, giving the bank insights which are allowing it to add real value to its
service offering.
Lyn stressed that the Commonwealth Bank understood that it had a
responsibility to bring customers with it during its digital transition – it does
not believe in a ‘build it and they will come’ approach. Her key learning was
don’t leave the customer behind. They are part of the transformation and they
have a high degree of variability in understanding and using technology.
Graphic capture of Lyn McGrath’s presentation
Lyn McGrath
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Pip Marlow, Managing Director, Microsoft Australia
“Because if you cannot make this happen, then who? And if we don’t do it
It is very difficult to create the future. Like the experience I had
in the [automated] Tesla where I wanted to say [to the driver]
“put your hands on the wheel,” we have to unlearn the way we’ve
right now, when will we do it?”
Pip Marlow – who confessed to having become a ‘transportation junkie’ since
being invited to speak at the summit – took us to the heart of the challenge
of creating the future. She told us that we needed to unlearn the way we have
always done things…And that’s what’s so great about this summit.
It’s part of the way that you’re going to build a culture for change.
Pip Marlow, Future Transport Summit 2016
always done things so we can imagine something different and, by ‘selectively
forgetting’ our conditioned responses, create cultures built for change.
She identified three common features of organisations that are future facing
and catching the waves of change time and time again:
• They’ve moved from traditional hierarchies to a world of dynamic networks
• They’ve moved from measuring inputs to measuring impacts
• They’ve moved from a world of command and control to a world of trust
and accountability.
In closing, Pip reminded us that great people – not just great technology –
would drive the coming change, as she challenged us to make the future of
transport happen.
Graphic capture of Pip Marlow’s presentation
Pip Marlow
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Val Stoyanov, Global Managing Director for Transportation,
Influencer Sales Group, Intel
Accountability [is the] opportunity for our people to understand
what’s expected of them and then to have the leadership and
“The future world will be one where the physical and digital worlds have
ability to take action and the responsibility to deliver results.
merged to enable never before imaginable experiences for the travellers in the
Val Stoyanov, Future Transport Summit 2016
system, as well as great operational efficiencies and productivity.”
Val asked how leaders in the transportation space could achieve better
customer engagement, optimise capacity utilisation and labour productivity,
help the environment and also increase the safety and security of our transport
networks. He identified three key areas of focus:
• Customer centricity, noting that one opportunity was to drive improved
access and greater inclusion
• Information – that is, value added data – and making assets intelligent,
connected and automated
• Being transactionless, reducing friction points for customers and improving
their experience.
Val also shared his insights on what organisations need to put in place to
be successful innovators: the right leadership; the right culture, people and
competencies; the right governance framework; and the right partnerships.
Graphic capture of Val Stoyanov’s presentation
He encouraged transport leaders to empower their people through giving
them greater accountability. To Val, this is the key to better service, improved
efficiency and, ultimately, innovation.
Val Stoyanov
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Peter Schwartz, Senior Vice President, Salesforce
“When you know your computer, that’s personal. When it knows you,
In effect, a market place for transportation will be created where the
pathways that every vehicle takes are based on criteria chosen by the
that’s intimate. We’re at the beginning of this era of intimate computing
passenger: you want to get there the fastest, you want to get there the
– where everything around you knows what’s going on with you and your
cheapest, you want to get there the greenest, you want to get there the
surrounding environment.”
safest, you want to have the best view. You make the choice, the vehicle
Peter Schwartz took us through his vision for future transport. Just as what
he called ‘little AI’ is revolutionising the personal computing space – giving
then organises the pathway, it’s constantly negotiating in real time with
an elaborate network. Peter Schwartz, Future Transport Summit 2016
everybody their own personal assistant to help them organise their lives –
Peter envisages it driving an entirely new mobility model. Under this model,
mobility becomes a service rather than a product, addressing some of the
problems facing major cities around the world: traffic congestion, passenger
and pedestrian safety, increased carbon emissions and increased costs.
Pointing to generational behavioural change, as young people increasingly
value experiences over possessions, Peter predicts that the move to this new
world of ‘accessible autonomy’ will only be stopped if, collectively, society
embraces virtual, over physical, travel.
Graphic capture of Peter Schwartz’s presentation
Peter Schwartz
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Q&A with Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak
On Day 1, Steve Wozniak shared his experiences from a career working at the
cutting edge of technology and responded to questions from Chris Riddell,
as well as from summit participants and the on-line audience. Strong themes
that came out in the conversation, which are highly relevant to designing and
delivering the future of transport, included:
• The importance of taking a human-centric approach, so that the products
we are taking to the market are simple for people to use. Steve spoke about
his passion for making things work for humans.
Human versus technology is something that I’ve thought about all my
life, working at Apple especially. Because if the human is more important
than the technology, you put the effort in to make the technology work
in human ways. Make it understandable, make it intuitive. But if the
technology is more important, you put every
Steve Wozniak
feature technology can do and force the human to change how
they live their life. Steve Wozniak, Future Transport Summit 2016
• How the collaboration between highly skilled technical experts and those
coming at a product from the perspective of the consumer was at the
heart of Apple’s success. Reminiscing about his role and that of Apple
co-founder, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak told us that the iPhone had to be
• The cross over between innovation and invention – as well as the need for
industry to be able to see beyond the way they have always done things,
move with the market and understand what customers want.
While innovation and invention carries risks, Steve gave us examples of how
being trapped by corporate culture – what he described as ‘a believing in
the way we’ve always done it’ – had caught out Apple’s competitors.
something that Steve Jobs wanted to use. As a result, instead of clobbering
it with everything that could possibly be built into it, they chose the right
On automated cars, Steve described his Tesla as the greatest piece of
functionality subset and ‘made it understandable to humans.’
technology that he has ever owned, but predicted that fully automated
• The need to build trust with your customers, by being transparent about
vehicles would be a fair way off and their introduction would be incremental
as the technology was refined.
what you are doing – and doing what you say. Steve talked about how
Apple has designed systems that are so secure that even Apple can’t
access its customers’ information.
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Graphic capture of Steve Wozniak’s Q&A
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Day 2 plenary session: Future Transport
Summit 2016
Chris Riddell, Digital Futurist
“What is Digital?”
Roy Wakelin-King, CEO, NSW Taxi Council
“Safety is the core priority of any government: it must make sure that its
citizens are safe.”
Roy Wakelin-King acknowledged that the taxi industry is being disrupted
to within an inch of its life, but told us that this was nothing new. He
Delivering the keynote address, Chris Riddell posed the question “What is
described how the taxi industry has been dealing with changes in technology
Digital?” and suggested that digital is not about technology, social media,
for more than 100 years and said that, for a lot of the time, it has been
or an app. Instead, he told us, digital is a culture that must run through an
leading those changes.
organisation – breaking down silos – and be embedded in decision making
processes. This, Chris told us, will ensure that the business remains relevant
and is delivering the experiences its customers want.
Just as safety has to be governments’ main priority in regulating services,
Roy told us that the taxi industry has to focus on putting the customer
at the centre, so it can successfully ride this latest wave of change. Roy
Telling us that there was no more exciting time to be in the business of
recognised that this was something that the industry has done well – and
technology than 2016, Chris tracked the confluence of major innovations that
not so well – in the past. However, by putting the customer at the centre, Roy
have brought us to where we are today, and looked to where we are heading.
emphasised that the industry would be playing to its traditional strength – its
In particular, he flagged that:
human capital. Now and into the future, taxi drivers will not just transport
customers from point A to point B, Roy said. They will continue to provide the
• Wearable technology would become increasingly important, taking
over some of the role that smartphones play today. This would create
important human element.
opportunities for businesses, including transport, to use the data from
I also want to expose you to the human component of this change.
wearables to create new experiences for customers
Roy Wakelin-King, Future Transport Summit 2016
• The physical and digital worlds would blend in virtual and augmented
reality. This would have profound implications for the way we live our lives
• One of the biggest trends would be in automation and robotics, which will
increasingly take away the risk component in human decision making. Chris
told us we are now in an era where technology has overtaken us as human
beings – we are no longer in control and need to adapt to that. He noted
that vehicles being sold today have increasing levels of automation, and
that trials of fully automated vehicles were underway
• Real time data is crucial to the new world. Data is the new oil – we need to
find, mine and refine it.
The times are now called VUCA – more volatile, uncertain, complex and
ambiguous. Chris Riddell, Future Transport Summit 2016
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David Rohrsheim, General Manager, Uber ANZ
“We don’t have to wait for the jetpacks and autonomous cars, we can reclaim
Craig Baty, Vice President, International and Senior
Director Digital Business Platform Group, Fujitsu Japan
our cities using the cars we already have on the road, using the technology
“My cufflinks will eventually know where my keys are, together they will help
that’s already in our pocket.”
me find my phone, and the three of them will know where my car is when I get
David Rohrsheim spoke about congestion and the impact it was having on the
off the plane.”
liveability of urban environments and the productivity of our economies. He
Craig Baty explored the concept of human-centric IT – that is, empowering
called for a rethink, so we could avoid living in cities that look like parking lots
humans through connected infrastructure and creative intelligence. Craig
and move like traffic jams. Part of the solution, David told us, is in technology
argued that, for human-centric IT to become a reality, there first needs to be a
which is already available, and which can match up people who are travelling
digital business platform as a solid foundation on which to innovate and solve
at around the same time and in same general direction, giving them a shared
practical problems for cities, individuals, governments and businesses.
ride. This service – called UberPOOL – is now in 30 cities around the world and
David reported that, after 18 months, UberPOOL represented 40 per cent of
Uber trips in San Francisco.
He also highlighted some of the practical big data projects which Fujitsu is
pursuing around the world, such as the SPATIOWL system, which can be used
to influence the behaviour of individuals in a range of scenarios. Examples
Customers book UberPOOL services in the same way as any other Uber ride,
include reducing crowding and congestion after major events, and managing
David explained. The difference is that a shared ride means shared costs for
and forecasting disruptions to assist emergency services in the case of
the customer, and also more efficient use of the road network. Fewer cars, he
natural disasters.
said, means less traffic, less congestion, less pollution.
At the time that NASA launched man to the moon, they had incredible
Cars cause problems even when they are not being used, and that is
computing resources. Basically, kilobytes of storage, right? Bits of
96 per cent of the time. Up to 10 to 20 per cent of many cities is set aside
transmission. Very, very poor digital images. And now, we carry more
just for parking. David Rohrsheim, Future Transport Summit 2016
power in this smartphone than all of NASA used to launch man to
the moon. And what do we do today? How intelligently do we use
this device to launch things? Launch angry birds into pigs. And,
quite relevantly, the movie is coming out in May if you’ve got kids.
Craig Baty, Future Transport Summit 2016
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Messages from our NSW Government speakers
When you involve yourself in a hackathon, when you can walk in on a
The Day 1 plenary session was opened by Master of Ceremonies and Digital
Saturday morning and walk out on a Sunday night, giving a one line outline
Futurist, Chris Riddell, with a wide ranging – and unscripted – conversation
of a problem or an objective and get a result – that is the type of speed
with the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance.
and cultural change we want to drive within our organisation.
The Minister’s main message was that transport had to be a technology
business. Along with the needs of the customer, the Minister argued that
transport agencies needed to embed technology at the centre of everything
they do – to ensure that the NSW transport system delivers the best possible
customer experience, at optimal levels of efficiency, and at the lowest
possible costs.
Tim Reardon, Future Transport Summit 2016
Tim outlined how the Future Transport program – starting with the summit –
would help Transport for NSW achieve the goal of being a world leader in
using technology to deliver better, more innovative transport services. He
made it clear that the summit was not a talk fest. Tim explained that the ideas
generated at the summit, and other upcoming Future Transport forums, would
He stressed the need for cultural change to make this happen and spoke about
feed into the development of the Future Transport Technology Roadmap,
how, as part of this shift, the NSW Government was reaching out to thought
which would set out how we would achieve our objectives.
leaders in transport, technology and innovation so that NSW will lead the
world when it comes to technological advances in transport.
Tim also explained that the development of the Roadmap would be overseen
by a Technology Leaders Panel, including senior private and government
sector representatives, who would hold Transport for NSW accountable for
When I look at the emerging technologies, we’ve got some barriers to
delivering results.
break down. We don’t want our Government to be a barrier to innovation
and striving for change. We’ve got some fundamental questions to ask.
Andrew Constance, Future Transport Summit 2016
Tim Reardon, Secretary, Transport for NSW, acknowledged that the Transport
Cluster of agencies needed to embrace new, nimble and more agile ways
of working – and continue to drive change in the way we do business. He
indicated that Transport for NSW had started down that path, by using
hackathons for app development – an entirely new approach to procurement –
and said that he wanted to build on that success.
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Graphic capture of the Minister’s and the Secretary’s opening remarks
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The Day 2 plenary session opened with Chris Riddell recapping on Day 1.
A key message was that cooperation between government, enterprise and
consumers has never been more important. Chris was then joined on stage by
the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance, and Minister
for Innovation and Better Regulation, Victor Dominello.
Building on his Day 1 comments about the need for a cultural shift, Minister
Constance said that, amid the excitement of Day 1, he had sensed there was
an 800 pound gorilla in the room – and that gorilla was government, getting in
Duncan Gay
Before the wrap up session on Day 1, the Minister for Roads, Maritime and
Freight, Duncan Gay, outlined a number of major NSW Government initiatives
that are making use of new and emerging technologies to improve the
experience of transport customers. These included a $400 million investment
to turn the M4 into Sydney’s first ‘smart motorway;’ developing an app to
help learner drivers track and fulfill their log book hours; and establishing the
Transport for NSW Smart Innovation Centre – which will bring together major
technology programs from within the Transport Cluster.
the way of innovation. He stressed the need to re-gear – across the transport
agencies and the NSW Government more broadly – to deal with that 800
pound gorilla, and get out of the way as much as possible.
Recognising that changes to legislation, regulation and policy have never
kept pace with innovation (and probably never will), he called on summit
participants to identify the regulatory and other barriers to innovation that
government puts in place, and how they could be addressed.
I’m worried about the reactive nature [of how governments move]
and that’s where we’ve really got to be working increasingly closely
The Minister highlighted that NSW has a proud history of seizing the
with the private sector…If you look at this summit, we want to know
opportunities presented by new technologies. He pointed to what were
where those real barriers are and your help in breaking them down.
once cutting edge railway workshops at Eveleigh – the venue for the Future
Andrew Constance, Future Transport Summit 2016
Transport Summit 2016 – and, more recently, the development of the Sydney
Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS), which is still being sold
around the world.
Minister Gay argued that, with technology changing so fast in the transport
space, it isn’t enough for government to sit back and wait for change to
happen – it has to get on the front foot or risk being left behind.
It’s always easy for governments to sit back and ignore change, but we
refuse to do that in NSW. Duncan Gay, Future Transport Summit 2016
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Responding to a question about how to drive cultural change in government,
and be more responsive in a faster-moving, more volatile world, Minister
Dominello noted that there are 160 government agencies in NSW, 20 State
Owned Corporations and more than 100 local councils – all collecting data
they don’t share with each other – and that breaking down the silos has been
a massive challenge. He said, however, that significant inroads have been
made since the passage of legislation in 2015, allowing for greater information
sharing across NSW Government agencies to support delivery of the
Premier’s priorities.
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Minister Dominello (left), Andrew Constance (centre) and Chris Riddell (right)
Minister Dominello told us that this legislation, which is a first of its kind
in Australasia (if not the world), has meant that agencies must provide
data, within privacy frameworks, in no more than 14 days of receiving the
Premier’s request.
Pointing out that there are so many agencies within government which
Just because of that legislation, the Data Analytics Centre – again a first of
its kind in the country – is starting to break down barriers and [my office]
is working in partnership with what [the Member for] Bega [Andrew
Constance] is doing in his office in relation trying to better understand
transport movements. Victor Dominello, Future Transport Summit 2016
connect to this massive piece of machinery called transport – such as
education, health, planning – he told us that, while Minister Constance is doing
what he can to improve transport, his job would be easier if the other agencies
of the NSW Government came along with him.
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Ideation workshops
Inspired by our guest speakers at the Day 1 and Day 2 plenary sessions,
summit participants moved into the Exhibition Hall at Australian Technology
Park – the Ideation Hub – to consider the specific topics that had been set for
discussion on the day.
Many ideas had already been received through:
• A pre-summit online ideation platform, which was open to all summit
participants and others invited to contribute
• Ideas submitted online during the live-stream video feed of the Day 1
morning plenary session.
Over working lunches on both days, participants added new thoughts to
‘ideas rave’ walls.
With this wealth of seed material, each group was briefed and then set the
task of discussing issues in sub-groups.
After three hours of discussion on each of the two days, the ideas that each
group wanted to share more broadly were reported back to the whole summit.
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The task: Day 1
3. Delivering open data and fostering innovation
We are unlocking public transport data so developers can create
The ideation workshops on Day 1 addressed the six key focus areas for the
the next generation of real-time transport apps. For our customers
summit. For each focus area participants were asked to identify the emerging
the future is an amazing world of information, connectivity
technology trends as well as the ‘get rights’ that government would need to
and convenience.
focus on as they emerge. Participants were also asked to consider a number
of key questions:
1. Customer service in the digital age
Our customers demand exceptional facilities and services. The digital
age has disrupted traditional customer service models and raised
customer expectations.
• How can we use future technologies to improve the customer experience?
• What technological innovations can help transform and personalise
customer information, ticketing, service delivery and engagement in an
always connected mobile world?
• What/who will drive the development and uptake of new technologies?
• How can government encourage early trial and adoption of new
technologies that will benefit customers?
2. Using big data to deliver transport solutions
Big data tells us how our customers use our services. It provides the
information we need to continually and quickly adjust our networks
and services to respond to customer needs.
• How can we unlock the power of big data to deliver better transport outcomes?
• How can open data be used to enhance mobility and the customer
experience? • How do we embrace innovation and the ideas that use open data?
• How can governments make it easier for the private sector to innovate
using open data, and for customers to realise the benefits?
• What are the priorities for government in the roll out of open data?
4. Emerging vehicle and transport technologies
Driverless cars, connected vehicles, innovative engine and fuel
systems – new technologies that have the potential to reshape
our cities, minimise driver error, reduce road congestion and fuel
consumption, and provide better services for less mobile people.
• How will connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies transform
the transport experience?
• What is the likely evolution of CAV technology over the next 10 years?
• Who will be the first adopters? What will be the main factors that will drive
CAV adoption rates?
• Which industries will be most impacted by the adoption of CAV and how?
Who will win and who will lose?
• Where will big data be most transformative over the next 10 years – for
example, improving transport efficiency, enhancing safety, enabling
innovative services, empowering customers, and improving transport
planning and investment?
• Who is most likely to drive the adoption of big data analytics?
• What is the role of government in encouraging innovation using big data?
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5. Transport application of the Internet of Things
The power of connectivity and communication – the Internet of
Things (IoT) – is transforming our world and dramatically accelerating
the pace of innovation in the transportation industry. • How can the IoT transform what we know about transport
systems and travel?
• How is the IoT transforming transport operations and asset management/
maintenance? What other areas are being transformed through the IoT?
• Beyond this, what other physical transport assets will be connected over
the next 10 years, what new data will be captured, and what opportunities
do these present?
• What can government be doing now to encourage uptake and the
realisation of benefits from the IoT?
6. Disruptive future technologies
Can you remember the world before smartphones? Digital disruption
has transformed the way we work, play and travel, shaking up many
industries, creating new ones, and challenging business models.
• What is the role of government in encouraging development and innovation
on the one hand while recognising the negative impacts of disruption?
• How will disruptive technologies impact the development of transport?
• What are the next big disruptive technologies that will impact transport?
What are the potential benefits and risks? Who will be most impacted by
these opportunities and risks?
• How could we create an environment to encourage the development and
trialling of disruptive technologies, and accelerate their adoption?
• What is the role of government when new technologies have the potential
to significantly disrupt existing markets?
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The task: Day 2
The discussions and the ideas
The scale, pace and potential impacts of emerging technologies mean that
The Future Transport Summit was all about ideas, and this post-summit report
transport agencies need to be proactive to maximise the opportunities and
is about capturing those ideas.
advantages of these technologies, and to limit potentially adverse impacts.
Day 2 of the summit focused on five core objectives for transport.
1. Customer empowerment
• How can customers be empowered to tell us what they need, to give them
the best possible transport experience?
• How can we provide access to that experience? 2. Productivity and efficiency
• How do we make better use of our roads and public transport systems?
As the kick off to the Future Transport program, the ideas generated at the
summit will feed into the development of the Future Transport Technology
Roadmap. The Roadmap will set out how Transport for NSW plans to become
a world leader in harnessing technology to deliver better transport services.
What were some of the things that were discussed
in the ideation sessions?
This part of the post-summit report is intended to provide a snapshot of some
of the issues discussed across the different working groups during the Day 1
3. Congestion management
and Day 2 ideation sessions. It is not, by any means, a comprehensive overview
• How do we improve customer information, increase road capacity and
of the discussions at the ideation sessions. Similarly, some of the ideas that
reduce the use of private cars?
• How do we ensure intelligent transport system technology can work optimally
with operational management systems and existing infrastructure?
• How do we ensure the technology can be staged effectively to reduce
congestion, and overcome contested road space issues?
were generated have been highlighted to provide examples of what came out
of those discussions.
Some of these ideas are variations on a theme, some may be contradictory.
Some may be pursued now or in the not too distant future, while others are
more likely to be medium or longer term options.
4. Equity of access to mobility
The inclusion of an idea or opinion in this post-summit report does not imply
• How do we improve access to transport for older people and people
that it has been endorsed by Transport for NSW or the NSW Government,
with disability?
5.Safety
• How do we improve and maintain safety for all road and transport users?
• How will pedestrians with disability or restricted mobility react to
automated vehicles, and vice versa?
• Who is liable in the event of an accident where a vehicle does not recognise
just as those ideas that we have not included in this report have not been
discarded. The process of filtering ideas, and formulating recommendations,
has only just begun.
The ideation sessions were also conducted under the Chatham House Rule, to
encourage the free flow of ideas. For this reason, this report does not attribute
any of the discussions, or the ideas generated, to any person.
a range of road conditions?
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Automated vehicles and intelligent networks
A recurring theme in presentations to the plenary sessions – a future where
connected, automated vehicles (CAVs) replace humans at the wheel – touches
on all six summit focus areas and the five core transport challenges. As a result,
automated vehicles were widely discussed on both Days 1 and 2.
At the Day 1 plenary session, Pip Marlow noted that it is hard to create the
future, and the fast-moving developments in CAV technology will require
a radical reimagining of how our cities, towns and regions will operate.
Importantly, participants noted, the implications of this technology affect
more than just the transport sector.
From a mobility perspective, CAVs were considered likely to have a profound
impact. Participants noted that CAVs could provide significant productivity
benefits, by allowing passengers to do other things while being transported
from Point A to Point B. The economic benefits of this are not yet quantifiable.
Instead of requiring two or more cars to meet their diverse needs, the
busy families of the future may only need one vehicle. Even further – if the
collaborative economy continues to grow in influence – private car ownership
may be a thing of the past. Perhaps, instead of owning a car that sits idle
for most of the day, we will subscribe to a car service and the fleet will be
efficiently deployed from a central command centre.
Graphic capture of the Automated Vehicles ideation session
The need to ensure that the technology is safe – for drivers and passengers
of the vehicle, other road users and pedestrians – is, clearly, one key issue.
Summit participants also grappled with other questions that have far reaching
legal and ethical consequences. Who (or what) would be responsible in the
case of an accident? If something was to go wrong, should a CAV protect its
passengers – even if that meant putting others in danger? How do we ensure
that both CAVs, and fully automated traffic management systems in the
Summit participants discussed how CAVs could significantly improve
future’s connected cities, are safe from the threat of cyber-attack? What will
independent access to goods and services for customers with disability.
the new regulatory framework look like?
Automated vehicles could also be used to provide more cost effective,
demand-responsive transport options, especially in areas of lower volume, but
just as critical, demand. This could greatly improve equity of access.
The implications for insurance business models – including the NSW
Government’s compulsory third party insurance scheme – and the health
sector were also discussed. Participants expected that deaths and serious
CAV technology and its implications for safety, another of the Day 2
injuries from motor vehicle accidents would be substantially reduced, in turn
challenges, was carefully considered.
reducing pressure on emergency rooms and hospital beds. The impacts of
CAVs will need to be factored into future planning for health services.
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A new innovation hub in Western Sydney
On 18 April 2016, Day 1 of the Future Transport Summit 2016, the
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance, and
Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, Duncan Gay, announced the
establishment of the state’s first Smart Innovation Centre in Western
Sydney – a new research and development hub for emerging transport and
road technology. The new hub will be a world-class innovation incubator which brings
together industry, investors, researchers, government agencies,
vehicle manufacturers, technology providers and data analysts to
The existing Crashlab in Western Sydney will be
transformed into the leading research and testing facility.
maximise opportunities.
Photo credit: Roads and Maritime Services
It will support and optimise the outcomes of the introduction of automated
vehicles as well as look at solutions for congestion and road safety –
including developing the necessary legislative, regulatory and road
design changes.
The implications of CAV technology for transport planning and urban
development were also considered by summit participants.
these issues to be canvassed in business cases, so they remain central to the
planning process.
How to quantify the likely impacts and feed that into future planning was
identified as a significant challenge. This is especially the case as the way
forward is unpredictable. Timing is uncertain and it seems likely that there will
One issue discussed was the likely impact on traffic congestion. Under
be two or three decades during which we will have to manage the integration
one scenario, CAVs would have a positive impact on congestion as smart
of legacy and new infrastructure.
systems would manage traffic flows and optimise use of the network. For
example, freight deliveries could take place overnight, when there is plenty
In addition, participants recognised the need to start embedding technology
of spare capacity. In addition, in a world where people didn’t need to own
into roads and other infrastructure so we are ready for the future (or build new
a car, there could be fewer cars in the overall fleet, potentially reducing
infrastructure so that retrofitting is easy). This has implications for investment
pressure on road space.
decisions that will be made in the near future, such as planned upgrades to
Alternatively, the ability for people to do other things while they are being
chauffeured from place to place in an automated vehicle could encourage a
move from mass to private transport. Participants noted that, at least in the
short to medium term, this could increase competition for road space.
Noting that the introduction of CAVs has significant implications for the
planning of major new road and public transport infrastructure projects,
participants discussed the need to develop robust forecasting tools and for
Future Transport I Post-summit report
SCATS (the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System).
As the transport and logistics sector is a large employer, participants also
recognised the need to plan for a big change in the labour market.
For the train network, participants noted, automated or ‘driverless’ technology
has been around for some time. However, more intelligent, automated rail
networks can allow us to run more services safely – so we can move more
quickly away from timetables to the convenience of turn up and go services.
Transport for NSW I 27
Some of the ideas that came out of these discussions:
• Use CAV technology and a centralised yield management system
to optimise road space
The problem with individual, smart GPS systems is that they use the same
algorithm in every vehicle independently, rather than looking at the whole
system and guiding traffic collectively. A central yield management structure
could overcome this problem, by taking a whole-of-system view and feeding
A fresh perspective on mobility and logistics: European Truck
Platooning Challenge 2016
As President of the European Union, the Netherlands initiated a European
Truck Platooning Challenge for 2016. Automated trucks from six
manufacturers – DAF Trucks, Daimler Trucks, Iveco, MAN Truck & Bus,
Scania and Volvo Group – have been driving in columns (platooning)
on public roads. instructions back to vehicles so that they contribute to the more efficient
The trucks in each platoon were connected via Wi-Fi and were equipped
functioning of the whole road network.
with radar and optical sensors, which enabled them to be synchronised
and driven very closely to each other. Synchronisation allowed a
• Make public transport on-demand with automated buses
Use connected, automated buses and real-time data to constantly map and
reduced reaction time within the platoon, decreased wind resistance and
improved fuel economy.
adjust capacity to customers’ actual needs – not historical or projected need.
The aim of the challenge was to bring platooning in Europe closer to full
With a fleet of smaller buses, dynamically adjust their routes as needed. In
implementation, by bringing together member states, significant partners
other words, take the buses to the people, don’t expect the people to fit in
in the freight and logistics industries, as well as research institutions.
with what suits the buses.
This fundamental paradigm shift would deliver call-up-and-go public transport,
maximising convenience for customers as well as ensuring the best use of
vehicle resources and improving the use of road space.
• Platooning trucks can increase safety, improve efficiency and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions
Platooning – that is, a number of trucks equipped with state-of-the-art driving
support systems, playing ‘follow the leader’ and passing steering, braking and
This could also make mainstream public transport more accessible to
acceleration control to the lead vehicle – can improve traffic safety, save costs
people with mobility issues, subject to resolving issues relating to kerbside
and reduce CO2 emissions (as the trucks drive close together at a constant
infrastructure and safe stopping patterns.
speed), and improve the efficient use of road space by reducing tailbacks
• Design and build automated vehicles for multiple purposes
Think about these vehicles not as cars, buses, bikes or whatever, but as
(queues of stationary or slow-moving traffic extending back from a busy
junction or similar obstruction on the road).
moving transportation ‘pods.’ They could contain office, sleeping, or video
Driverless buses
conferencing facilities. If built with the ability to carry freight, they could
In 2015, four small driverless buses were trialled in Trikala, Greece. Powered
also be an important part of the freight distribution network – especially for
by an electric engine and equipped with GPS and lasers, the mini-buses
the ‘last mile.’
followed a predetermined route. They used sensors to detect any obstacles
before taking decisive action to avoid collision. Future Transport I Post-summit report
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• Take a whole-of-community approach to planning
Dare to dream…
The challenge in managing the inevitable change to automated vehicles can’t
Your partner has an early meeting. A work pod pulls into what, when you
be overstated. Testbeds will need to be established in locations like university
had a car, you used to call the driveway. As you wave goodbye, you see her
campuses or industrial areas where vehicles and infrastructure can be tested,
sitting at the desk and preparing to work on the way to town.
verified and validated. The NSW Government’s new Smart Innovation Centre
will lead the way in this space.
A four-seat pod arrives at 08:30 so you can drop the kids at school before
getting you to your first appointment. You love the fact that the pod has
Further, we will need to bring together agencies from across government,
read the destination and start time from your device, as well as the time
industry and the community sector to carefully plan for the transition.
you expect to be finished. As you step out at your destination, you think
that the city looks so much bigger now that there aren’t any parked cars.
Of course, it’s not the same pod that picks you up an hour later. It’s your
favourite – a lounge pod, where you can sit back in the armchair, have a
cup of tea and work without interruption.
As you get in, you notice that the freight compartment of the pod contains
the delivery from head office you ordered earlier. The pod’s automatic
drone will take that up to your office when you get there.
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Create seamless, customised experiences
Another area widely discussed by the different groups – including customer
Participants acknowledged that there are also commercial and contractual
issues relating to accessing and sharing data, which need to be considered.
service in the digital age, big data, open data, the Internet of Things, customer
Participants noted the importance of keeping the customer at the centre of
empowerment, and equity of access to mobility – was how to leverage
the equation. They recognised that we need to build meaningful solutions that
technology to create seamless and tailored customer experiences, that make it
improve people’s lives, not technical marvels for the sake of it.
easier for customers to go to work, access goods and services, and live their lives.
They also noted that, around the world, technology is driving new business
Creating these experiences will require access to, and sharing of, data. Summit
models with diverse service offerings aimed at better meeting customer needs.
participants noted that one of the key considerations will be privacy and the
Ridesharing is one recent example of emerging service models, as is ‘Mobility
use of personal information. Participants noted that for some – especially
as a Service’ (MaaS), which offers tailor made ‘bundles’ of mobility solutions to
younger people – this may not be an issue, as they are more likely to value the
meet the needs of individuals and businesses.
convenience of instant, personalised services over privacy concerns.
For others, establishing a strong customer value proposition will be important.
Among other things, giving customers the ability to set the level of service
they require, opt in/opt out, and monitor how their personal information is
used, were identified as protections that could help gain broad community
acceptance of greater data sharing.
Mobility as a service in Scandinavia
MaaS Finland is preparing to roll out during 2016 and 2017, bringing
together every kind of transport into one intuitive mobile app. The app
combines transport options – from public transport, to taxi, limousine
or ridesharing services – handling everything from travel planning to
payments. You can either buy journeys on demand or subscribe to one of
a number of monthly packages.
Recognising the specific transport challenges in rural, regional and remote
NSW, summit participants discussed some of the benefits that emerging
technologies could deliver. They noted that connected, automated vehicles
had the potential to reduce – even eliminate – the number of fatigue-related
road accidents, or accidents caused when people drive under the influence of
alcohol or other drugs because of the lack of late-night transport options.
Participants also considered how CAV technologies could help to address the
barriers to education and employment faced by many in rural and regional
communities, especially young indigenous people who are more likely to have
difficulties obtaining and retaining a driver’s licence.
Graphic capture of the Customer Service ideation session
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They noted, however, that these benefits would take time to realise and that
government and community partners would need to continue to work on
strategies to address these problems in the meantime.
A commute dashboard in the City of Angels
In 2010, Los Angeles implemented a multi-modal ‘commute dashboard,’
which allows customers to compare walking, cycling, driving, public transit
Participants also grappled with how we ensure disadvantaged customers
and carpool options between their origin and destination.
weren’t left behind, including those who aren’t connected (or aren’t adequately
Other detailed features include the ability to search for potential carpool
connected). It is estimated that 80 per cent of the population is living in the
partners within their company; map out bike routes and find bike lockers,
connected world. Do we support access – such as by providing smartphones
racks and shower facilities; and view commute options to determine
to the 20 percent of people who don’t have one – and make the whole network
the associated time, cost and carbon footprint of the trip. There is
smart in the process? What level of safety net do we need, including what level
also an incentive scheme that rewards users with free bikes, food and
of human interactions will need be to maintained (at least in transition)?
transit passes.
• Create communities of interest for travellers
From mass transit to carpooling, use data from various sources (including
social media) to match potential travellers with like-minded individuals. Politics
in the pub could become politics in the second carriage of the 17:26 from
Wynyard. A weekly book club meeting could take place in the first carriage of
the 16:45 to the Central Coast (which would be a quiet carriage at other times,
so passengers can read the book).
Trips to and from work, using a pooled ridesharing service, could be used
to practice conversational Japanese, debate the referee’s decision in a close
football match, or come up with the next big start-up idea.
Some of the ideas that came out of these discussions:
• Measure what matters
• Develop a transmodal ‘mobility passport’ for people with disability
Change the mindset. Move from thinking operationally (for example, on-time
For people with disability or mobility limitations, create a mobility passport.
This would arrange priority access to accessible services, in keeping with
running) to the impact on customers (lost customer minutes), so we can better
understand the true community value of innovations and enhanced programs.
the customer’s travel preferences, as well as alert service providers to any
• Empower customers to be part of the service planning process
special needs. For example, it could notify station staff when an approaching
The development of ‘infomobility’ technologies, which will allow us to provide
customer will require direct assistance. This mobility passport could take the
better service information to customers, can be used to empower customers
form of a wearable device that also tracks medical conditions and links to
to become active participants in public transport service design, not just
emergency services.
passive service users. This can allow us to achieve more customised transport
solutions at lower costs.
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Dare to dream…
Imagine a world where you simply say where you want to go, and your
smartphone, wearable or other device automatically works out the best
way for you to get there – taking into consideration how you prefer to
travel. It takes into account all available travel modes, public and private,
and checks for delays and real-time traffic information. It checks the
weather en route to see if you’ll need an umbrella, or if it can send you
around the worst of it.
If you’re going by train, it tells you which carriages have the most spare
seats. It makes all necessary bookings and automatically charges your
single mobility account for all the transport components over all modes.
A few moments later, it tells you that the automated taxi or ride-sharing
car is outside waiting to take you to the station.
Graphic capture of the Internet of Things ideation session
They saw how big data could be applied now, to help make the most efficient
Smarter ways of managing transport networks
As a by-product of all other digital interactions, big data platforms observe
use of existing infrastructure, as well as its role in better informing investment
decisions about the future of the network.
and track what happens, in real time, from a wide variety of sources (such as
The NSW Government makes multi-billion dollar investments in road and
CCTV, GPS, mobile phone tower locations, social media, personalised app data,
public transport infrastructure projects, and the use of big data will support
and internet searches). Summit participants discussed the scope for using this
the development of more robust business cases, leading to greater returns for
data, augmented by artifical intelligence and deep machine learning, to build
the people of NSW.
predictive models of customer behaviour and transport needs.
Participants also discussed opportunities for improving productivity by using
big data and the Internet of Things to move from preventative to predictive
maintenance of transport assets. Some of the benefits identified included
maximising the productive life of components, while reducing the risk of
service failures.
Some of the ideas that came out of these discussions:
• Model road and crash risks to inform monitoring of road conditions
Develop a dynamic risk rating for each part of the network to allow short
or long term traffic management treatments, like changing speed limits,
Graphic capture of the Big Data ideation session
Future Transport I Post-summit report
restricting lane changes or calling emergency vehicles. Such a system could
also communicate directly with vehicles active in the network.
Transport for NSW I 32
• Predict anti-social behaviour in real time
To improve safety and the customer experience, use live feeds from security
cameras, algorithms and deep machine learning to predict anti-social
The disruption that will be caused by automated vehicles was also canvassed
and participants discussed learnings from the emergence of ridesharing. They
spoke about the need to be ready to respond to change, and adapt policy
frameworks where innovation was delivering better choices for customers.
behaviour or other hazardous situations on (or near) public transport, alert
They also noted the need to ensure that new services were safe, any risks and
staff, respond with announcements or, if necessary, call emergency services.
benefits were well understood by the community, and transition impacts on
• Use data to design the right incentives for better yield management
Analyse Opal and other data to understand, at a detailed level, travel
patterns and use this information to construct a price/yield model, with
push notifications, to influence customer decisions about when to travel and
what mode to use.
the industry being disrupted were appropriately managed.
Noting how quickly taxi booking apps – and then ridesharing – had disrupted
the point-to-point transport market in NSW, as well as how quickly CAV
technology was developing, participants speculated about how soon even the
most futuristic-seeming of new transport technologies might be a reality.
In the same way, data flowing from connected vehicles and their passengers
One possible future for high speed, land-based transport
can be used to promote smarter vehicle use, including by creating incentives
One vision for the future of high speed, land-based transport is the
for customers. These incentives could create links between the costs of travel
Hyperloop – which uses propulsion technology to transport levitating pods
and travel choices, with different rates applying depending on time of day, the
through reduced-pressure tubes at the speed of sound. The Hyperloop was
number of passengers, direction (peak or contra peak) and distance.
originally conceptualised by Tesla’s Elon Musk in 2013. However, he did not
have time to pursue the idea and so challenged inventors to bring it to life.
Do things differently (and better) with disruptive tech
The Hyperloop One – which had its first outdoor trial near Las Vegas on 11 May
Participants discussed opportunities to harness technology and disrupt the
private sector investors can, potentially, lead to transformational breakthroughs.
2016 – demonstrates how collaboration between inventors, innovators and
way things have always been done.
They noted that the wide adoption of smartphones and the subsequent
explosion of app development had led to significant disruptions to the taxi
and hire car industries, allowing new service models to emerge.
First, taxi booking apps – such as Ingogo, Uber and goCatch – took on the
market for booking services, previously controlled by taxi networks. Shortly
afterwards, Uber launched its UberX service – connecting customers with
drivers of private vehicles – and participants observed that even more new
service models were developing. These included carpooling services like
UberPOOL and Lyft Line, as well as emerging rideshare services which pick up
customers along designated routes.
Future Transport I Post-summit report
Graphic capture of the Disruptive Technology ideation session
Transport for NSW I 33
Participants discussed how, too often, governments try to design solutions
to problems internally, rather than look to the market for new directions.
They observed that by leveraging industry’s deeper understanding of what is
• Introduce frictionless payment for public transport
Use wearables, an app enabled Opal card, RFID (radio frequency
possible, governments could take advantage of step-changes in technology,
identification) and NFC (near field communications), or biometrics, to avoid
delivering greater customer benefits at lower costs.
the inconvenience and delay caused by having to find your Opal card, and
remembering to tap on and off.
Some of the ideas that came out of these discussions:
• Use blockchain technology to disrupt red tape
Trialling use of credit and debit cards to pay for public transport
On 19 April 2016, Day 2 of the Future Transport Summit 2016, the Minister
Blockchain technology – a secure, public distributed ledger that allows peer-
for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance, announced that
to-peer transactions to take place between ‘untrusted users’ (that is, strangers)
customers will be using their credit and debit cards in 2017 to trial a new
without an intermediary – can be used rethink how the NSW Government
way of paying for public transport fares – an Australian first.
does business. For example, blockchain could be used to remove the need
for Roads and Maritime Services to process the paper work for the transfer
of motor vehicle ownership and registration. In addition, the dispatch and
delivery of freight could be streamlined, as ownership of goods will be instantly
Contactless payment with credit and debit cards will offer customers
another easy to use and convenient option for travelling, whether they are
regular commuters or visitors to Sydney.
transferable without third-party verification.
Blockchain is also a cost effective technology which could facilitate micro–
payments, such as those that could be contemplated for various user-pays
road use models.
• Match people with cars to increase occupancy
Increasing car occupancy levels from the current 1.2 people per car, would
reduce congestion significantly. Subject to addressing safety and security
issues, aggregated smartphone data identifying origins, destinations and time
of travel could be used to put customers who are prepared to carpool in touch
with each other.
ZimRide
ZimRide is a carpool app that is widely used in America. Users can post
if they have any available seats in their car along with details like whether
they are non-smokers and other personal preferences. Passengers are then
matched according to these details as well as whether the passenger goes
to the same school/works at the same company/has any mutual Facebook
friends with the driver in order to increase trust.
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• Use virtual reality to spread the commuter peak, or remove the need to
commute at all
Harness emerging improvements in virtual reality, which are set to redefine
telecommuting and teleconferencing. One barrier that may need to be
addressed is workplace health and safety issues, given the potential blurring
between the home and office environments.
The future of remote work feels like teleportation
Advances in virtual reality technology are accomplishing a near-perfect
version of a phenomenon neuroscientist Henrik Ehrsson calls the bodyswap illusion. They are creating the sense that you are in the same place
as someone else – providing the body language, facial expressions, and all
of the other information that existing communications media can’t convey.
By enabling the human interactions required for collaboration to take place
anywhere in the world, these technologies could transform how we work in
the same way as email and mobile phones.
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• Use drones as monitoring devices
Land or air-based drones can observe traffic and the functioning of critical
infrastructure, and report in real time to allow instigation of, for example,
traffic flow management and emergency responses.
Eye in the sky
Jurisdictions around the world are looking to harness unmanned aerial
vehicles – UAVs or drones – to help with a range of functions, including
monitoring traffic in real time, allowing traffic managers (and customers
receiving road and traffic condition information) to make better decisions
and deal with the problem more quickly. The Netherlands and Belgium are
already using this technology, while it is under active consideration in parts
of the United States.
In NSW, Sydney Trains is trialling the use of drones to assist with the asset
maintenance task.
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Photo credit: Roads and Maritime Services
What are the ‘must get rights’?
Making sure safety is adequately addressed in new products brought to
The role governments should play in the coming together of technology and
also considered that government has a responsibility to look after vulnerable
transport was actively considered by summit participants. Governments, at
members of the community, making sure they are not left behind.
both the state and national level, were seen as being in a position to create the
right frameworks and incentives for innovation, while setting standards and the
rules of the game. Participants noted that the lack of – or unclear – standards
can slow down the pace of innovation.
Summit participants also saw governments’ role as being to review and, as
appropriate, revise, policy and regulatory frameworks, in consultation with
industry and the community. They identified the need for government to be
more agile in policy making, to better respond to, and manage, changes that
are in the public interest.
market was another function identified for government, and participants
Summit participants also grappled with the question of what role governments
should play when new technologies disrupt traditional industries. They noted
that it was not government’s responsibility to underwrite private sector
investment risk, but considered adjustment assistance could be in the public
interest, where the ‘disruption’ is delivering broader, economic benefits.
Big data-fuelled innovation also rests heavily on the availability of sufficient
backbone and client network bandwidth. Participants discussed how the
National Broadband Network is critical infrastructure in this regard.
Privacy and the use of personal information were identified as key policy
considerations for governments. Participants recognised that the use of big
and open data raised complex issues, and they considered that it was the
role of governments to lead a conversation about the risks, benefits, and
possible trade offs.
Some participants also considered that governments should act as a ‘data
trustee’ or data escrow service provider, bringing together data from a range
of sources and protecting its integrity and security. This could include ensuring
those who sought access had the necessary systems in place to manage the
data, in keeping with standards set by government.
For example, start-ups may have difficulty gaining the trust of potential
customers. However, a government trustee overseeing the use of that data –
and with the power to revoke access – might allow for data to be made more
Graphic capture of the Open Data ideation session
freely available, increasing the opportunities for private sector innovation.
Government could also play a role in encouraging adoption of new
technologies. One specific issue raised was whether the use of telematics in
heavy vehicles should be mandated, to facilitate the smoother transit of freight.
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Participants believed that governments should open up the data they hold,
so that it can be used to fuel private sector innovation. Open government
data – that is, data that is legally available to use and analyse, provided freely
and in non-proprietary forms – ensures low end-user costs, while creating
a competitive market place. Many participants considered that this was key
to allowing different approaches to problems to be tried, reducing the risks
associated with government-contracted, single-supplier solutions. They
acknowledged the launch of Transport for NSW’s online Open Data Hub
and API Gateway.
Participants recognised that embedding open data standards in government
contracts had commercial implications that also needed to be worked through.
The need for the NSW Government to continue to engage with industry,
maximising opportunities for innovation, was widely recognised. As Chris
Riddell said in his conversation with Minister Constance on the morning of Day
Speakers in the Ideation Hub
2, governments are not generally considered to be agile and innovative, and
participants agreed that one way government could ‘get out of the way’ was
to take a different approach to procurement for infrastructure projects and
other services.
Some of the ideas that came out of these discussions:
• Tender the problem, not the solution
Engage with the community and industry earlier in the development process.
Consider when it is better to go to market with a problem, rather than a
prescriptive solution, and allow industry to put forward innovative ideas about
how best to solve it.
• Lead by example
Government should be an early adopter of assisted and automated vehicles
• Create a digital marketplace
Establish a ‘data lake’, where, within a clear policy framework, data is received
and processed in real time. Some participants believed that this data should be
freely available for the greater good. Others thought it should be treated as an
asset and monetised, to help cover the costs of service delivery (perhaps with
different prices for different levels of access).
• Integrate smart technology at the start of infrastructure projects planning
Digitisation should be built into all road, rail and light rail projects, so it doesn’t
have to be retrofitted. Digital ‘rights of way’ should also be reserved in the
form of spectrum allotted to the future high-bandwidth needs of connected
transport environments.
through the state fleet. This will help boost uptake and drive down the costs of
new technology, making them more affordable at the community level.
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The conclusion
Ideas – hundreds of them. From the simple to the complex, from ideas that
Other Leaders Panel members are Michael Pratt, NSW Customer Service
can be introduced quickly, to major changes in thinking and planning that may
Commissioner; Kate Burleigh, Managing Director, Australia, Intel; Tim Reardon,
be required to respond to the rapidly changing world in which we live.
Secretary, Transport for NSW; Tony Braxton-Smith, Deputy Secretary,
The Future Transport Summit 2016 was about ideas and it has achieved its goal.
However, this is just the beginning.
Customer Services, Transport for NSW; and Clare Gardiner-Barnes, Deputy
Secretary, Freight, Strategy and Planning, Transport for NSW.
Our goal is to revolutionise the way government and customers plan, build and
As the year continues, an ‘intrapreneur hothouse’ will tap into the wealth of
use our transport networks. The Future Transport Summit 2016 has set this
knowledge held by our own people across the Transport Cluster. A youth
revolution in motion.
summit will then be held to seek the views of those who will use and manage
the transport system of the future.
An ongoing program of pitchfests, innovation challenges and other forums will
also be used to further engage with a wide range of industries and individuals.
Later in 2016, a detailed Future Transport Technology Roadmap will be
Would you like to continue to be involved?
As we progress the Future Transport program, we are looking for people
who would be interested in being part of the ongoing consultation. If so,
please go to the Future Transport website, and we may then call on you to
help develop detailed thinking about making Future Transport happen.
produced. It will bring together the outcomes from the entire Future Transport
program into one document and add the final layers – the detailed analysis,
decisions about which of these ideas align best with our vision for the future of
transport, and the formulation of specific recommendations for consideration
by the NSW Government.
Overseeing this process is a Technology Leaders Panel. The Leaders Panel is
co-chaired by David Thodey, Chair of CSIRO and JobsNSW, and a former Chief
Executive Officer of Telstra; and Andrew Stevens, who is Chair of the Advanced
Manufacturing Growth Centre, a director of CEDA and former Managing
Director of IBM Australia and New Zealand.
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Appendix A - About our guest speakers
Will Duckworth
Lyn McGrath
For Will Duckworth, science fiction writer, William Gibson, got it right: “the
Lyn McGrath leads the largest distribution business in the Commonwealth
future is here, it’s just not evenly distributed yet.” Will loves taking an emerging
Bank – the Branch Network and the Specialist Retail Distribution channel, a
technology from the bleeding edge to business as usual. For more than 20
team of over 12,000 people across Australia, the United Kingdom and China.
years, this thirst for a challenge has seen Will travel the globe for innovative
Her responsibilities include customer experience, sales, support functions, and
projects in Europe, the Asia Pacific region, and the United States.
the operation and management of the Retail Branch property portfolio.
Will’s passion for creativity, design, technology and disruption are all perfectly
With extensive senior management experience in the utilities and media
embodied in his current role as Vice President leading IBM’s digital business,
sectors, and over 20 years’ experience in financial services, Lyn is highly
IBM iX, and the Apple+IBM Partnership across the Asia Pacific region. In these
regarded for her transformational leadership and customer experience
roles, Will is focused on the opportunity for digital and mobile solutions to not
strategy. She was named as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Australia
only ‘do things better’ but to ‘do better things.’
by The Australian Financial Review in 2012.
Will’s insights and expertise are sought by industry analysts around the world
We asked Lyn to share this wealth of experience with summit participants.
and his work has been covered by prestigious publications like The Wall Street
In particular, we asked Lyn to focus on customer service in the digital age,
Journal. We asked Will to share his insights gained from helping organisations
drawing on the digital transformation she led at the Commonwealth Bank.
to completely reinvent how customers experience their services. Getting this
This is the kind of transformation that transport agencies in NSW will need to
right will be central to the challenge of delivering the future of transport.
engage in, for transport to become a technology business. Lyn’s insights will
help us conceptualise how to make the necessary changes.
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Pip Marlow
Val Stoyanov
Pip Marlow is responsible for Microsoft’s business in Australia, ensuring the
Val Stoyanov, who holds a Master of Science in electrical engineering, is an
company meets the needs of its customers as well as the 11,000 partners and
accomplished digital business strategist and a recognised innovation visionary,
independent software vendors that sell or build on the Microsoft platform.
with 30 years’ diverse international leadership experience. He is responsible
She has a long history in the IT industry. After building Samsung Information
for directing Intel Corporation’s business in the global transportation industry,
Systems’ semiconductor distribution business in one of her first roles, and co-
leading innovation and business transformation efforts for over 15 years.
founding Agate Technology (which became one of Australia’s largest storage
distributors), Pip embarked on her career with Microsoft in 1995. She was
appointed Managing Director in January 2011.
Pip enjoys working in a vibrant, collaborative environment, and she is an
advocate for flexible workplaces that empower people through trust and
accountability – which she was fundamental to introducing at Microsoft.
With this background, Pip was the perfect person to share with summit
Val’s career has included leadership roles at a number of high tech companies
including Cisco, Apple and Hewlett-Packard, where he has built deep
international experience in general management, market development,
management consulting, sales, and strategic alliances.
With this combination of experience, Val was ideally qualified to talk to
the summit about the use of technology to drive service and operational
improvements in transport, and share his vision for the future.
participants her views on the essential characteristics of an organisational
culture built for change and innovation. This is the kind of cultural change that
NSW transport agencies will need to deliver the future of transport.
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Peter Schwartz
An American futurist, innovator, author, movie consultant, and co-founder
of the Global Business Network – a corporate strategy firm, specialising in
future-thinking and scenario planning, that was conceptualised in a Berkeley
basement in 1988 – Peter Schwartz is Salesforce’s Senior Vice President for
Global Government Relations and Strategic Planning.
Peter is a member of Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council,
which is chaired by the Singaporean Prime Minister and comprises members
of the Cabinet, as well as representatives from the business, science and
technology communities both in Singapore and overseas. The Council is
responsible for advising the Singaporean Government on policies relating
to technology and innovation, and how to drive economic growth through
promotion of a knowledge-driven economy.
We asked Peter to bring the insights gained through his many and varied
experiences to the summit – and, in particular, as a strategic advisor to
governments – to help stimulate the ‘out of the box’ thinking that will help us
to realise the future of transport.
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Silicon Valley guru, philanthropist and author of The New York
Times best-selling autobiography – iWoz: From Computer Geek
to Cult Icon – Steve Wozniak helped shape the computing
industry. For his achievements at Apple, Steve was awarded the
National Medal of Technology by the President of the United
States in 1985, the highest honour bestowed on America’s
leading innovators.
We invited Steve to speak at the summit so he could share his
unique perspectives, gained over more than 30 years as one
of the most influential entrepreneurs, creative visionaries and
technology industry pioneers of our times.
In particular, we wanted Steve’s insights on the key ingredients
of Apple’s extraordinary success – including how to achieve
your vision for your business through technology and
innovation, as well as the importance of making technology
work for people.
If transport in NSW needs to become a technology business,
who better to learn from than someone who co-founded
one of the most iconic and innovative technology
companies in the world?
Steve Wozniak
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The NSW Taxi Council’s CEO, Roy Wakelin-King, was introduced to the NSW
taxi industry as Director, Transport Operations Division in what is now called
Transport for NSW. His NSW Government career has included senior executive
roles in the Office of Public Works and Services, the World Youth Day
Co-ordination Authority, and the Sydney Metropolitan Development Authority.
Roy was awarded the Order of Australia for his services in delivering World
Youth Day 2008 and to public transport generally.
Roy also spent 12 years in the Army, which included operational service with
the United Nations peace keeping force in Somalia. His expertise in transport
and logistics, planning and regulatory issues – and his experience in leading an
industry through significant, technology-driven disruption – made him uniquely
qualified to talk to the summit about riding the waves of change in transport.
Roy Wakelin-King
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Holding a Bachelor of Engineering from his hometown Adelaide University and
a Masters of Business Administration from Stanford, David Rohrsheim was
living in San Francisco in 2012 when he met the Uber founders and agreed that
Australian cities needed a better way to get around. After launching Sydney
as Uber’s third international city, David has since helped Uber expand to nine
cities across Australia and New Zealand.
David previously worked at DFJ, a top tier venture capital fund in Silicon Valley,
famous for investments in Skype, Hotmail, Tesla, SpaceX and Box.
His first-hand experience in digital disruption and the transport sector ensured
that David would bring interesting insights to the summit, and we asked him to
share his views on harnessing technology to help meet transport challenges.
David Rohrsheim
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Based in Tokyo, Craig Baty is the senior non-Japanese executive and key
interface for Fujitsu’s international operations across the whole strategy and
business mix, driving activities where close alignment with Fujitsu Japan
is essential. Craig is also responsible for the successful overseas roll-out of
Fujitsu’s Digital Business Platform, MetaArc, which provides the software,
services and partnerships underpinning Fujitsu’s Global Cloud, Internet of
Things, Big Data, Mobility and AI/Robotics offerings.
Prior to Fujitsu, Craig was a senior executive with Gartner for 12 years.
He commenced his career over 30 years ago as a mainframe Output
Control Clerk (gopher) punching cards, distributing printed computer
output to programmers, and checking microfilm quality…while studying
COBOL at college.
We wanted to bring Craig’s experience in harnessing technology-driven
innovation, as well ensuring alignment between activities in a global business
and organisational objectives, to the summit. We will not achieve our objective
of becoming a world leader in harnessing technology to drive transport
Craig Baty
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outcomes unless our activities align with that aim.
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