Roadshow in France: How can we manage flexible access to mobility

The demands on rural and urban mobility were the main topic at the BUS2BUS Roadshow stop at the Autonomy Mobility World Expo in Paris in late March 2023. “Mobility exists in cities but there is none in rural areas“, said futurist and mobility adviser Dr. Stefan Carsten, purposely provoking debate. Grégoire Bonnat, co-founder and CEO of Padam Mobility, explained the problem from the supplier’s angle: “Regardless of the business model, whether bike or car sharing, insufficient population density drives up costs.“ Instead of regular routes and timetables, Padam Mobility would like to see a more demand-oriented approach, particularly in rural areas, with routes put together as needed only after booking requests. That would create more options. Ruth Bridger from Imagry would like to solve the global driver shortage with driverless vehicles. Imagry spent three years gaining experience with driverless vehicles on three continents. During the Roadshow, marketing director Bridger provided an insight into findings, possible scenarios as well as cost savings and safety. Together, the entire panel discussed access to mobility – including physical, financial and digital aspects – and reached differing conclusions in answer to the question: “Do we need yet another new business model or do we need a new business model?“

Moderator:
Kerstin Kube-Erkens, Senior Product Manager, BUS2BUS

Speakers:
Grégoire Bonnat, Co-founder and CEO, Padam Mobility
Ruth Bridger, Marketing Director, Imagry
Dr. Stefan Carsten, Futurist, mobility researcher and urban geographer