Public transport is the business of people moving people and is really the great societal equalizer. Mobility ensures that people can access to job and other opportunities. If the customer get a better service, they will come back and bring more people on the job. Thus, customer service plays an important role. Public Transport needs to transform to improve customer experience including adoption of digitalization, open loop payment, on-demand transit and integration with autonomous mobility. RTD Denver is investing heavily to improve the service quality and reliability.

Guest: Debra A. Johnson is General Manager and CEO of RTD Denver and has been leading the organization since 2020. Prior to this, she served as Deputy CEO of Long Beach Transit from 2014 to 2019. Prior to that, she held executive positions at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). She worked in all corners of the country and has long experience in the sector. In 2019, she was named as one of 10 “Women Who Move the Nation.” RTD is the only multimodal transit agency in the state of Colorado, serving the Denver metropolitan area, which has a population of over 3 million people across 40 municipalities and 8 counties.

Autonomous mobility is set to transform how we move in the coming years. With rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicle (AV) technology is accelerating faster than ever. Leading innovators such as Waymo, MOIA, WeRide, Tesla, and Pony.ai are already operating commercial services in cities around the world. Each country is charting its own path — in the United States, private vehicles and ride-hailing companies are driving adoption, while in Europe and Asia, cities and public transport agencies are taking the lead. At the same time, regulatory frameworks are evolving differently across regions, shaping how and where AVs will thrive. In this episode, we explore what the future of autonomous mobility looks like — the opportunities, challenges, and the critical role of AI in redefining urban transportation.

Sascha Meyer is the CEO of MOIA GmbH. Prior to his current role, he was instrumental in shaping the company's all-electric ride-pooling service and autonomous driving strategy—first as Head of Product starting in 2017, then as Chief Product Officer from 2019 onward. MOIA is running a fleet of 515 battery-electric vehicles in Hamburg. Before joining MOIA, he spent several years as a management consultant, advising international firms on the digital transformation of transport and logistics.

Public Transit is facing modal competition and it is important to leverage all modes to their highest and best use. It is important for public transit agencies to evolve and reinvest the service to compete with other modes of transport. Consumer behaviors are changing, especially post pandemic in the US. It is important to offer point to point service. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is the public transit authority in a 700 square mile service area, covering 13 cities in the north Texas. The agency has a mandate to serve more than 2.7 million people in the Dallas regional area.

Nadine Lee is the President and CEO of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). She aims to improve the rider experience, enhance service reliability, and increase ridership in the car-centric Dallas region. With nearly 30 years of experience in the transit industry, she brings a wealth of expertise in public transportation management and infrastructure projects. Prior to joining DART, she held key leadership positions at Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), where she worked as Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief Innovation Officer. One of her notable accomplishments at LA Metro was leading the development of the "Vision 2028" strategic plan aimed at improving mobility for Los Angeles County residents. Before her time at LA Metro, she played a crucial role in Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD), where she managed projects like the Flatiron Flyer Bus Rapid Transit, which significantly boosted ridership.