In June 2015, the Institute for Sensible Transport held a professional development seminar on the burgeoning topic of app-based transport innovation.
Contemporary society has entered a period of transport innovation beyond anything experienced in living memory. Apps able to summon rides at the tap of the screen, cars that can drive themselves and solar-powered, GPS connected public bikes…these were once fanciful or even unimaginable ideas that have, in one form or another arrived in our cities, all at various stages of development and adoption.
These developments have been a challenge for regulators and incumbent industries. Regulators have experienced varying degrees of difficulty in managing the burgeoning ride summoning sector (e.g. Uber). Autonomous vehicles too are set to create any number of complex legal and ethical challenges for public policy makers and the automotive sector itself.
The seminar featured leading figures in the transport, regulatory and technology sector, including:
- Professor Allan Fels AO (Melbourne University, and former ACCC Chairman)
- Professor Graham Currie (Monash University)
- Simon Rossi (Uber Technologies)
- Phil Carter (Arup).
Topics included:
- The sharing economy and transport: The disruptive force changing the way we travel
- How app-based ride services like Uber change car ownership and travel behavior
- How car companies are beginning to adapt to the global phenomenon known as ‘peak car’
- App-based ride share and safety
- Driverless, app-based rideshare…is this the road ahead and what does it mean for cities?
- Tackling the regulatory puzzle in the new ride share economy
- What taxis do and could do
- The proper scope and nature of taxi regulation
- Disruptive competition and the public’s perspective
- Can app-based car services fill gaps in the public transport system of dispersed cities?
- Is sustainable transport supported by app-based ride services?
- The global bike share revolution and why Australia’s not yet part of it
- The future of bike share in Australia.
Dr Fishman continues to study the fast paced world of disruptive transport technology, with a number of projects investigating the impacts of shared car and bike use, both in Australia and abroad.