The Mobility Podcast

#077: Laura Chace, President & CEO, ITS America Last month Greg Rogers and Pete Gould sat down with Laura Chace, the new CEO of ITS America, at the ITS America Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC. We discuss the need to focus on the opportunity to center new technologies around human outcomes, the importance of convening the public and private sector to work together on deploying new innovations, and implementation of the infrastructure bill (IIJA, or BIF) that President Biden signed into law in 2021. You can learn more about ITS America's work at: https://itsa.org/ And follow ITSA on Twitter: @ITS_ America As always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @Pete_Gould, @SmarterTranspo.

After taking a summer break, we returned to celebrate our fourth anniversary of The Mobility Podcast and discuss the hottest topic in Washington today – the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (or whatever you'd like to call it). Please note: this episode was recorded in early September before Congress returned and conducted markups, but covers key issues around electrification, transit, and transportation funding that remain relevant. As always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @Pete_Gould, @SmarterTranspo.

We're honored to welcome U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth to the podcast to discuss a bipartisan bill she recently introduced, the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) Act of 2021. The ASAP Act would establish a federal grant program to support legacy transit and commuter rail authorities to upgrade existing stations to meet or exceed accessibility standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Learn more about the ASAP Act here: https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-brown-and-casey-introduce-legislation-to-make-public-transit-more-accessible You can follow Sen. Duckworth's work on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SenDuckworth As always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @Pete_Gould, @SmarterTranspo.

Pete Buttigieg appeared before Congress today for an overwhelmingly positive nomination hearing, where he garnered wide bipartisan support. In this episode, Greg Rogers, Greg Rodriguez, and Pete Gould provide a rapid recap and analysis of the hearing, and a discussion of the political appointees who have been announced so far. And for newcomers to the transportation policy world and the podcast, we also provide some quick explanations of federal transportation programs, policies, and financing issues that came up during the hearing. As always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @Pete_Gould, @SmarterTranspo.

Buckle up! We kicked off this year with an engaging hour-long discussion of transportation policy with Beth Osborne, Director of Transportation for America. We discuss a huge range of topics, including: -How Secretary Pete Buttigieg's USDOT could improve transportation decision-making; -Beth's recommendations for writing an impactful surface transportation reauthorization this year that actually helps put people to work; -How to pay for the next reauthorization; -Why we need to combine electrification with good land use and better planning to achieve our sustainability goals. You can access T4A's recent reports, including Driving Down Emissions, on their website: https://t4america.org/ Follow Beth and T4A on Twitter: @BethOsborneT4A and @T4America And, as always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @CatapultPolicy, @SmarterTranspo.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Pennsylvania DOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian has worked to ensure that the state's transportation infrastructure keeps frontline workers moving while connecting people with essentials. Greg, Greg, and Pete caught up with Secretary Gramian at the end of 2020 to discuss how to carry forward all of the year's lessons for equity, the value of active transportation, and the importance of public transit for essential workers and vulnerable communities.

President-elect Biden ran on a platform that promised bold action on climate change, including major investments in sustainable transportation. In this episode, Pete and the Gregs Rodriguez and Rogers discuss how the Biden-Harris Administration could take to reduce transportation emissions and explore ideas for improving transportation decision-making. We also discuss the prospects for the FAST Act reauthorization in 2021, USDOT's progress in preparing for emerging technologies over the past 4 years, and how to implement all of the lessons learned in 2020. As always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @CatapultPolicy, @SmarterTranspo.

Henry Greenidge joins Pete Gould and Greg Rogers for an enlightening discussion about how to advance equity in not only transportation policy and planning, but also the technologies and services that will define the future of mobility. We discuss whether transportation network companies (TNCs) have been a net benefit for equity, the intersection between mobility and Black Lives Matter, food access and mobility, and the potential for AVs could advance opportunity and equity in the future. Henry is a Fellow in Residence at NYU McSilver Institute, where he's focused on the intersection between transportation, race, and poverty. Previously, Henry worked in the public sector, at New York City DOT and USDOT, and the private sector, at Cruise Automation.  Follow Henry on Twitter at @HenryLGreenidge And, as always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @CatapultPolicy, @SmarterTranspo.

#069: Kyle Rowe, Spin A few years ago, Kyle Rowe helped to write the the first dockless bikeshare framework in the U.S. when he was at the Seattle Department of Transportation. As the Global Head of Government Partnerships at Spin, today Kyle works with the public sector on continuing to bring micromobility services to the public. In this episode - originally recorded in May 2020 - Kyle joined Greg Rogers, Greg Rodriguez, and Pete Gould to discuss the origins of city-level micromobility regulations, the value of micromobility services, and how to build our mobility system back better after the COVID-19 pandemic. Keep up with Spin here: https://blog.spin.pm/ And, as always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @CatapultPolicy, @SmarterTranspo.

Dr. Richard Ezike of the Urban Institute joined us for a deep-dive into transportation equity, the impacts of COVID-19 on personal mobility, and how social distancing measures have contributed to greater public participation in local decision-making for some communities. Resources mentioned in this episode: Four Ways to Equitably Manage Public Transit Options in a Crisis https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/four-ways-equitably-manage-public-transit-options-crisis UCS Report: Where Are Self-Driving Cars Taking Us? https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/where-are-self-driving-cars-taking-us Follow Richard on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrRCEzike And, as always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

After a short hiatus, we return the first episode with just our co-hosts - Greg Rogers, Greg Rodriguez, and Pete Gould - in over a year. We caught up to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on the transportation sector and why the question is not what will happen after the pandemic is overcome - but what *must* happen to get people back to work safely and reduce the negative externalities of our mobility networks. As always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

How can big data change the way we plan? Can that data be collected and used without violating privacy and consumer trust? And what is the Bradley Cooper problem? Laura Schewel, Founder and CEO of Streetlight Data, joined SAFE Greg, Stantec Greg, and Shared Mobility Pete to dig into these questions and more at the 2020 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. Learn more at StreetlightData.com Check out Laura's Ted Talk: https://youtu.be/C8hF8y-XpVY Follow Streetlight Data on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StreetLightData And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

This month, NHTSA approved the first-ever exemption of a fully autonomous vehicle from three specific federal motor vehicle safety standards that were clearly unnecessary for a driverless vehicle carrying goods (windshields, mirrors, and rear-facing cameras). David Estrada, Chief Legal and Policy Officer at Nuro, to talk about how the company navigated the exemption process, the future of driverless deliveries, and a discussion of how to modernize the regulatory framework to enable newer and safer vehicle form factors. Learn more about Nuro here: https://nuro.ai/ And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @ MobilityPodcast, @ AVGregR, @ SharedMobilityS, @ SmarterTranspo.

Jason Hanlin and Nathaniel Horadam from The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) joined SAFE Greg and Pete at the 2020 TRB Annual Meeting for a wide-ranging discussion around buses and technology. In this episode we explored: -The rapid growth of bus electrification across the country -Why electric school buses are having their moment -Vehicle-to-grid applications for electric buses -The challenges for bus automation -The use case for bus teleoperation -And much, much more! Learn more about CTE here: https://cte.tv/ Find Nathaniel Horadam on Twitter: @ NW_Horadam And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @ MobilityPodcast, @ AVGregR, @ SharedMobilityS, @ SmarterTranspo.

In our first recording with a live (and sometimes lively) studio audience, Sabrina Sussman from Zipcar at Transportation Camp DC 2020. Sabrina joined us for a discussion of how Zipcar, which is now celebrating its 20th anniversary, is bridging specific gaps in transportation and giving people an option beyond owning a car. Afterwards, we jumped into a great discussion with the audience about USDOT's latest AV policy document (AV 4.0), land use, and the importance of community-focused transportation policies. A special thanks to David Jerrido and Michal Naka (@michalnaka) for their audience questions! Learn more about Zipcar at https://www.zipcar.com/ or follow @ZipCar and @SSussman on Twitter! And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

What is a bomb cyclone? What is it like to track extreme weather? And how does this all play into transportation infrastructure and resilience? Matthew Cappucci from Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang joined Stantec Greg (Rodriguez) and SAFE Greg (Rogers) in October 2019 to answer these questions and more, Follow Matthew Cappucci on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewCappucci And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

The explosive growth of micromobility platforms has largely been enabled by Segway-Ninebot, which produce many of the shared electric scooters seen in cities today. At SAE's Innovation in Mobility conference, Greg Rogers (SAFE Greg) sat down with Tony Ho, Vice President of Global Business Development for Segway-Ninebot, for a discussion of all things micromobility. In the years following the false-start of its namesake mobility device in the early 2000s, Segway expanded its offerings to include electric scooters – which primed the company to take advantage of the micromobility revolution in the past couple of years. SAFE Greg and Tony discussed efforts to make micromobility devices safer and more comfortable, future form factors that might emerge, and the federal/state/local policy implications for micromobility. Learn more about Segway-Ninebot here: https://store.segway.com/ Follow Tony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danthonyho And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

Jan Hellåker is the Chairman of Drive Sweden, an organization established by the Swedish government to advance technological solutions that will enable sustainable mobility. Through working with industry and the Swedish government, Drive Sweden hopes to accelerate the movement towards vehicle autonomy, connectivity, and sharing – as well as mobility-as-a-service (MaaS). In this episode, recorded at SAE's Innovations in Mobility Conference, Greg Rogers (SAFE Greg) and Jan discuss Drive Sweden's initiatives, the international landscape for AVs, and the importance of policy and consumer trust in advancing autonomy. Learn more about Drive Sweden here: https://www.drivesweden.net/en And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

Suburbia is not doomed, suggests Ellen Dunham-Jones – it's just waiting to be redesigned, reimagined, and regreened to address the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. Ellen is a Professor at Georgia Tech in the School of Architecture and Director of the MS in Urban Design, where she researches suburban redesigns and interacts with localities seeking to revitalize suburban developments. In this fascinating episode, recorded at the SAE Innovations in Mobility Conference, we discuss case studies across the country where redesigning suburbia led to greater economic and social opportunities for residents. Learn more about Ellen's work here: https://arch.gatech.edu/people/ellen-dunham-jones And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on our website - www.MobilityPodcast.com And follow us on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has played a vital role in setting standards in the automotive and aerospace sectors. Now, in light of the rapid growth of the micromobility sector, SAE is working to develop standards for micromobility – and it all starts by creating a baseline of understanding by defining the different micromobility devices. Annie Chang, Head of New Mobility at SAE International, joined Greg Rogers at SAE's Innovation in Mobility conference to discuss SAE's upcoming J3163 document, which will help to define each type of device on the road today. Annie and Greg also discuss the Mobility Data Collaborative, Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), and how to maximize the “delight factor” in transportation. Learn more about SAE's micromobility work here: https://www.sae.org/micromobility And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

How can we use technology to actually improve people's lives and make better use of our roads? Joanna Pinkerton, President & CEO of the Central Ohio Transportation Authority (COTA), joined Greg Rogers of SAFE at SAE's Innovations in Mobility conference in Michigan to explore these questions. In this wide-ranging interview, we discussed: -COTA's partnership with Via to provide an on-demand microtransit service called COTA Plus. -How COTA evaluates the potential benefits of smart city technologies. -The impact of Columbus winning the U.S. Smart City Challenge on the region's approach to transportation technologies. -How to approach projects like establishing bus-only lanes. -The importance of electrification to the future of transportation, and COTA's plans to incorporate electric buses in its fleet. -How to work with employers to encourage their employees to take public transit. -What she hopes to see in the next surface transportation reauthorization bill. Keep up with COTA on Twitter: @COTABus And learn more about COTA on their website: https://www.cota.com/ And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

In recent years, the mobility space has been flooded with conferences chock-full of buzzwords and “thought leaders” – but SAE has launched a new conference, Innovations in Mobility, that they say will do something different. By bringing together the technical experts who are actually working on promising transportation technologies with the visionaries who are advancing them in business and policy, SAE hopes to build out a conference that is a mile wide, and a mile deep. Greg Rogers (SAFE Greg) is at Innovations in Mobility this week for a series of interviews with some of the expert speakers – he was joined by Dave Weil and Frank Bokulich of SAE International for a sneak peak of the conference and a discussion of how SAE is fostering new connections between professionals across the transportation sector. Keep up with the IIM conference this week (Oct. 29-31) on Twitter by following the hashtag #SAEIIM. Keep up with SAE on Twitter @SAEIntl or on their website: https://www.sae.org/ And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

Electric buses have emerged as one of the hottest topics in U.S. transportation policy, with transit agencies across the country increasingly looking to electrification as an opportunity to increase the efficiency of their fleets while lowering operating costs. Ryan Popple, CEO of Proterra, joined Greg, Greg, and Pete for a wide-ranging discussion about all things electric buses. Ryan kicked off the discussion by sharing how his military background led to his interest in reducing oil dependence, as well as his passion for accelerating electric vehicle adoption. Throughout the episode, we explored some of the most interesting questions surrounding the electric bus sector: -What are the engineering challenges that make building an electric bus different from just building a bigger, longer electric car? -Why are the partnerships we're seeing between EV companies and utilities so important? -In a completely hypothetical scenario, happens when the electrical grid is shut down in, say, the San Francisco Bay Area for several days? -What does Congress need to know about electric buses, and how can it help to accelerate their adoption? -How can transit agencies, cities, and states successfully adopt electric buses? Follow Proterra on Twitter at @Proterra_Inc. Learn more about Proterra and sign up for their distribution list on their website: https://www.proterra.com/ And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

We welcomed the Association of American Railroads (AAR) back on the podcast to talk about how the freight railroad industry is integrating new technologies to increase safety and efficiency. Adrian Arnakis, SVP of Government Affairs and Ted Greener, Executive Director of Public Affairs, shared their thoughts on how tech companies can help to increase driver awareness near grade crossings, how railroads are using drones to conduct inspections and increase safety, and what they hope to see in the next federal surface transportation bill. Follow AAR on Twitter: @AAR_FreightRail Check our AAR's website for more information about freight rail technology and policy: https://www.aar.org/ And, as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

In our final recording from AVS 2019 we were joined once again by Avery Ash, Head of Autonomous Mobility at INRIX, to talk about the expansion of INRIX's Road Rules Platform in July. Last year, INRIX debuted its AV Road Rules solution to help cities with cataloging, validating, and managing traffic rules for AVs on public roads. Their latest expansion provides functionalities that enable cities to incorporate loading zones and parking restrictions for TNCs (SUM Zones, anyone?), dockless bike/scooter zones, and other infrastructure like EV charging stations and fire hydrants. Learn more about AV Road Rules here: http://inrix.com/products/road-rules/ Keep up with Avery on Twitter: @AveryAAsh As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo. Learn more about AVS here: https://www.automatedvehiclessymposium.org/home Thanks again to Jane Lappin of Toyota Research Institute and the tremendous teams at AUVSI and TRB for having us at AVS this year!

How do drivers react to ADAS features in their vehicles today? How many drivers know the limitations of technologies that are supposedly as simple as blind spot warnings in their vehicles? SAFE Greg and Pete explored these questions at AVS 2019 with Dr. David Yang, Executive Director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety was founded in 1947 as a not-for-profit research and education organization focused on saving lives through preventing traffic collisions and reducing injuries when crashes do occur. Dr. Yang chatted with us about some of the fascinating research they are undertaking across four priority areas: driver behavior and performance, emerging technologies, roadway systems and drivers, and vulnerable road users. Learn more about the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety here: https://aaafoundation.org/ As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo. Learn more about AVS here: https://www.automatedvehiclessymposium.org/home

At AVS 2019, Greg Rogers and Pete Gould caught up with Kelly Nantel from National Safety Council (NSC) about the latest activities of the Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE) and other traffic safety issues. Kelly explains the genesis of PAVE, its four main areas of activities, and how public education can help accelerate the adoption of lifesaving transportation technologies. Follow PAVE on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PAVECampaign Learn more about PAVE here: https://pavecampaign.org/ As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo. Learn more about AVS here: https://www.automatedvehiclessymposium.org/home

Will there be a Napster of Mobility? SAFE Greg and Pete met up with Grayson Brulte (Brulte & Co.) and Mike Scrudato (Munich Re) at AVS 2019 to discuss the importance of brand trust for the adoption of AVs. In this episode we discuss the importance of branding for new technologies and Munich Re's new product, AVerified, which is meant to build trust in AVs through third-party verification. Keep up with Grayson on Twitter @GBrulte and on his website: https://www.brulteco.com/ Keep up with Mike on Twitter @MJSdado3. As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

In this episode, we took a step back from AV policy in the U.S. to explore how the transport authorities in Singapore and Australia are approaching AVs. SAFE Greg and Pete were joined by experts from each country: Chris Leck Deputy Group Director, Technology & Industry Development Group at the Land Transport Authority of Singapore, and Marcus Burke, Director of Automated Vehicles at the National Transport Commission (Australia). As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo. Learn more about AVS here: https://www.automatedvehiclessymposium.org/home Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more exciting guest interviews held by The Mobility Podcast at AVS 2019!

#048: “Acceptance of what?” - Dr. Jack Stilgoe, University College London (at AVS 2019) What's better: public acceptance or public acceptability? Pete and SAFE Greg sat down to ponder AVs, PAVE, and public perception with Dr. Jack Stilgoe, Associate Professor at the Department of Science and Technology Studies at University College London. We discuss the perception challenges ahead for AVs, the international landscape for AV development and testing, and reactions to technology-related crashes. “The right way to think about it if you're developing the technology is to think, what will be acceptable technology?” Jack suggests. “Even just the even twist to say ‘let's talk about public acceptability.' What will people actually want? What will go with people's hopes and values.” Follow Jack on Twitter: @JackStilgoe Find Jack's work at https://driverless-futures.com As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo. Learn more about AVS here: https://www.automatedvehiclessymposium.org/home Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more exciting guest interviews held by The Mobility Podcast at AVS 2019!

Dr. Johanna Zmud is the Senior Research Scientist at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, where she focuses on the social influence of technology. She heads up TTI's multimodal planning division. where her research focuses on changing technology, technological development, and public policymaking. Follow Dr. Zmud's work on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanna-zmud-0b582119/ As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo. Learn more about AVS here: https://www.automatedvehiclessymposium.org/home Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more exciting guest interviews held by The Mobility Podcast at AVS 2019!

Why is Florida a hotbed for AV testing? Florida Sen. Jeff Brandes and Chris Emmanuel from the Florida Chamber of Commerce joined SAFE Greg and Pete to talk about how The Sunshine State has set itself apart as a hub for AV testing, Florida's recently-enacted AV bill (HB 311), and the future of AVs in Florida. Find Jeff on Twitter: @JeffreyBrandes And find Chris on Twitter: @ChrisEmmanuelFL As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is playing an active role in facilitating the safe and expeditious deployment of automated vehicle technologies across all modes of transportation. Greg Rogers and Pete Gould sat down with Finch Fulton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Transportation Policy at USDOT, for an in-depth discussion of the Administration's approach to AV policy. In this episode, we dove into: -The exemption petitions from GM Cruise and Nuro, and what they mean for the future of AVs -Voluntary Safety Self-Assessments from AV developers -USDOT's research into revising FMVSS to prepare for AVs -ADS Demonstration Grants and Buy America -The importance of preserving the 5.9 GHz band for vehicle safety applications -The Federal Transit Administration's visionary Strategic Transit Automation Research (STAR) Plan -And why it's absolutely crucial that accessibility is a top priority in federal AV programs See a full list of USDOT's AV activities here: https://www.transportation.gov/AV As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo. Follow AVS on Twitter throughout the week at #AVS19 and learn more about AVS here: https://www.automatedvehiclessymposium.org/home Stay tuned throughout the week for more exciting guest interviews on The Mobility Podcast!

Greg Rogers sat down with Chris Urmson, CEO and Co-Founder of Aurora, at AVS 2019 for a wide-ranging discussion on the evolution of the AV industry, the importance of public education, and the regulatory landscape for AVs. Chris Urmson has been involved in automated vehicles since the DARPA Grand Challenges and Urban Challenges in the 2000s that birthed the modern AV industry and was instrumental in starting Google's Self-Driving Car Project (now Waymo). After seven and a half years at Google, Chris started a new AV company, Aurora, which has rapidly expanded to nearly 300 employees in the past two years and attracted investments from Hyundai, Kia, and Amazon. Learn more about Aurora here: https://aurora.tech/ And follow Chris Urmson on Twitter: @chris_urmson As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

The Mobility Podcast is at the 2019 Automated Vehicle Symposium in Orlando this week to meet and interview experts and policymakers across the AV sector. We kick off the week in an interview with Jane Lappin, Chair of AVS and Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs at Toyota Research Institute, and Mike Greeson, Director of Business Development & Strategy at AUVSI. Jane and Mike joined SAFE Greg for a sneak peek into this week's keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and AV demonstrations at AVS 2019. Follow AVS on Twitter throughout the week at #AVS19 and learn more about AVS here: https://www.automatedvehiclessymposium.org/home As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo. Stay tuned throughout the week for an exciting series of Mobility Podcast interviews.

BB&K Greg and Pete sat down with Amy Ford, Director of the Mobility On Demand Alliance (MOD Alliance) for ITS America, to discuss how the initiative will work across the public and private sectors to facilitate the integration of seamless mobility applications. Learn more about the MOD Alliance here: https://www.modalliance.org/ Follow the MOD Alliance on Twitter: @TheMODAlliance As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

In this era of new mobility, it is critical for gender parity to take a front seat. Maggie Walsh, Vice President at HDR and Chair of the Board for WTS, and Jane Lappin, Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs for Toyota Research Institute (TRI), join SAFE Greg and Pete on the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion around women in the transportation sector. “WTS stands for equity and access for all women in transportation, and it takes all genders to achieve that goal," says Maggie Walsh. "Everything that we're doing going forward is really trying to be a diverse and inclusive space.” Learn more about WTS International and get involved here: https://www.wtsinternational.org/ Search "Women" on TRB's website for additional opportunities to get engaged: http://www.trb.org/Main/Home.aspx Follow Maggie's work on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-walsh-622ba87/ Follow Jane's work on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-lappin-b890b512/ And follow ITS America all next week for updates throughout the conference: @ITS_America and #ITSDC2019 As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast guys on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

ITS America's Smart Infrastructure Task Force has developed a proposal for the next surface transportation reauthorization that is built around a key theme: "Moving People, Data, and Freight: Safer, Greener, Smarter." Pete and SAFE Greg sat down with John Barton, Senior Vice President and DOT Market Sector Leader for HNTB, and Ron Thaniel, VP of Legislative Affairs for ITS America to discuss the upcoming FAST Act Reauthorization in 2020. You can keep up with John Barton's work on Twitter: @AGProfJB1 And keep up with ITS America by following @ITS_America and ITS America President Shailen Bhatt @Bhattman_ITSA As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

TuSimple recently made national headlines for conducting a 2-week pilot program with the U.S. Postal Service to help transport some of the nation's mail. We sat down with our friend Rob Brown, Director of Government Affairs for TuSimple, to discuss all things autonomous trucks: where, how, when, and why. The Mobility Podcast will continue to be at ITS America throughout the week - if you're around, come say hi! You can learn more about TuSimple at TuSimple.com or follow them on Twitter @tusimpleai

School might be out for summer, but transportation policy keeps on truckin' (sorry). Our friend Shailen Bhatt returned to the podcast for an exciting preview of ITS America's Annual Meeting from June 4-7 in Washington, DC. This year's theme is "Intelligent Transportation: Safer, Greener, Smarter," with a fantastic lineup of speakers from the public and private sector who are blazing the trail to the Future of Mobility™. From autonomous vehicles to V2X to public health, The Mobility Podcast will be on the ground to cover it all - stay tuned for a ton of great interviews with experts from across the field. Learn more about the ITS America Annual Meeting here: https://www.itsamerica2019.org/ If you want to follow Shailen's work, you can either Google him or find him on Twitter: @Bhattman_ITSA And follow ITS America all next week for updates throughout the conference: @ITS_America As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast guys on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

Curbs are, by nature, often overlooked. Coord, a curb data platform backed by Sidewalk Labs, has been working to reverse this trend and help to maximize “curb productivity” in order to help improve the safety and efficiency of urban transportation. In this episode, BB&K Greg and SAFE Greg catch up with Stephen Smyth, CEO of Coord, to discuss their new Curb Analytics platform and the Coord's recent work across the country. Learn more about Coord's Curb Analytics platform here: https://www.coord.co/curbside-management As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast guys on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

On May 7th, SAFE Greg and Pete joined the Association of American Railroads (AAR) at RailxTech on Capitol Hill for our first live recording, featuring an esteemed panel of experts to discuss emerging transportation technologies and the future of freight. The discussion honed in on the rapid innovation occurring across the transportation sector, the societal and economic implications of this transformation and how policymakers can encourage innovation. Panelists: -Robert D. Atkinson, President, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) -Jennifer Huddleston, Research Fellow, Mercatus Center -Patrick Lortie, Partner & Global Rail Leader, Oliver Wyman -James Ray, former Senior Advisor for Infrastructure, U.S. Department of Transportation Pictures and more information on RailxTech on Capitol Hill is available here: https://www.aar.org/campaigns/rail-x-tech-2019/ Follow AAR on Twitter: @AAR_FreightRail As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast guys on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

Road trip! SAFE Greg, BB&K Greg, and Pete drove up to King of Prussia, PA to speak with Secretary Leslie Richards, the visionary leader of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). In this wide-ranging conversation, we discussed: -Pennsylvania's Autonomous Vehicle Policy Task Force -Micromobility in Pennsylvania -Sec. Richards' initiatives to bring a new generation of young professionals to transportation, including inclusivity efforts centered around women and people with disabilities -PennDOT Connects, which seeks to enhance collaboration between PennDOT, cities, and members of local communities to ensure that projects are meeting the needs of Pennsylvania residents -Transportation finance challenges and Pennsylvania's pilot program for mileage-based user fees A huge thank you to Zipcar for their generous sponsorship of this episode! #WorthTheTrip Keep up with Sec. Richards and her work at Pennsylvania DOT: @SecRichards @PennDOTNews And, as always, you can follow The Mobility Podcast guys on Twitter: @AVGregR, @SmarterTranspo, @Pete_Gould, @MobilityPodcast.

Many of the conversations around Uber and Lyft skip over the most important part of these services: the drivers. Pete and SAFE Greg caught up with Harry Campbell, the founder and owner of The Rideshare Guy website and podcast, to chat about the driver experience, autonomous vehicles, and his new book, “The Rideshare Guide: Everything You Need to Know about Driving for Uber, Lyft, and Other Ridesharing Companies.” You can follow Harry on Twitter @TheRideshareGuide and keep up with his work at http://therideshareguy.com/ As always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast guys on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

What is MaaS, and how do we get there? And what do walled gardens have to do with the future of transportation? David Zipper, Resident Fellow at the German Marshall Fund, joins SAFE Greg and BB&K Greg for an exploration of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) that cuts through the buzzwords in search of the true meaning and purpose of MaaS. David's articles discussed in this episode are listed here: https://www.davidzipper.com/featured-writing You can keep up with David on Twitter: @DavidZipper As always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

As we head into the 116th Congress, SAFE Greg, Pete, and BB&K Greg do a short postmortem review of AV START/SELF DRIVE, discuss the latest AV happenings at USDOT, and ponder the prospects for AV legislation this year. As always, you can keep up with the Mobility Podcast guys on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

SAFE Greg, BB&K Greg, and Pete kick off the year discussing the launch of the Partnership for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE) at CES, Ford's announcement that it will go with C-V2X instead of DSRC, our infrastructure wish list for this Congress, and all the fun we're about to have at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting and Transportation Camp DC. We'll be around TRB and Transportation Camp all this next week - come say hi and keep up with us on Twitter @MobilityPodcast. Greg Rogers @AVGregR Greg Rodriguez @SmarterTranspo Pete Gould @SharedMobilityS

Communities thrive and prosper when people are able to access job opportunities, education, and each other – which is why former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx called transportation infrastructure “the connective tissue of the United States.” In this episode we sat down with Malcom Glenn, Head of Global Policy, Accessibility, and Underserved Communities at Uber, to discuss how the company is working to address inequities in the nation's transportation network - with a particular emphasis on accessibility. We also dive into congestion fees and transportation finance, Uber's expansion into micromobility, and other happenings across the transportation world. Follow Malcom on Twitter: @MalcomGlenn As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast guys on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

After more than a century of building "traditional" automobiles, Ford Motor Company is now exploring new forms of mobility including autonomous vehicles, e-scooters, and bikes. On December 14th, Greg Rogers ("SAFE Greg") went down to Miami to ride in the AVs being developed by Ford and Argo AI, and to learn about Ford's strategy for deploying autonomous vehicles. In this episode, SAFE Greg chats with Sherif Marakby, President & CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, about Ford's AV pilots in Miami and DC, as well as how Ford is attempting to build a business case for AVs ahead of time.

What is ITS today? In this episode we sat down with Shailen Bhatt, President and CEO of ITS America, to discuss connected vehicles, public/private collaboration on lifesaving technology, and issues pertaining to state/local transportation technologies. Guest: Shailen Bhatt, President and CEO, ITS America Follow Hilary's work on Twitter at: @Bhattman_ITSA and @ITS_America And as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast guys on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.

This week Pete and SAFE Greg were joined by Hilary Cain from Toyota to discuss AV 3.0 and AV START, as well as Toyota's development of two automation systems for its vehicles: Guardian and Chauffeur. We realize that no one has all of the answers about AVs, but we did find the answer to one equally important question: which Frozen character will Pete be for Halloween? Guest: Hilary Cain, Director of Technology and Innovation Policy, Toyota Follow Hilary's work on Twitter at: @HilaryCainDC, @ToyotaPolicy, and @OurAVFuture And as always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast guys on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo