Artificial Intelligence in Public Transport

Until 2023, Rikesh spent 22 years at Transport for London in a variety of Marketing and Communications roles including Communications Manager, Senior Manager – Digital Partnerships and Head of Open Innovation. He oversaw a variety of online and offline marketing activities to strengthen TfL’s brand recognition as well as its ability to measure marketing success.

Rikesh led the team in TfL that established the organisation’s reputation worldwide as a leader in the use of open data and creating partnerships with a range of technology companies, to provide public transport service users throughout the Greater London area with quality, timely MarComms information that brings tangible benefits to their daily lives.

For Rikesh, it’s critical to constantly shape and communicate the value of a city’s PT Network – to ensure it always keeps pace with the lives of residents and visitors. Public Transport needs to be passenger-friendly in every way possible, without neglecting the appropriate cost-benefit people derive from using it on a daily basis.

Alok is the CEO & Managing Director of Trans-consult. He is an international expert in public transport operations and management, with specialisation in new technology, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and clean fuel technologies. With 30 years of experience in the industry, Alok has worked with an array of international consultants and leading transport operators such as MTR Corporation Hong Kong and Kowloon Motor Bus Hong Kong.

He is an international expert trainer and a Fellow of Civic Exchange, a Hong Kong-based non-profit independent think tank. He regularly teaches at the University of Hong Kong and serves as a Member of the Transport Policy Committee of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Hong Kong. He has several publications to his credit, including contribution to a book on best practice in railways operations and management.

Alok is a civil engineer and holds post-graduate degrees in transportation engineering and management.

Alok Linkedin

Alok Twitter @alokjainhk

Dr. Manjit Sooch is the Director of Innovation and Technology at AC Transit, bringing over 25 years of experience in enterprise applications and software development lifecycles across both sectors.

As Chair of the APTA Research and Technology Committee and Board Member, she champions technological innovation and research for APTA members.

Manjit holds a doctorate in business administration from the University of the Southwest, an MBA in IT Management from Western Governors University, and a bachelor’s degree in business and software engineering from Delhi University. An ENO Leadership Program alumna, she also dedicates time as a volunteer Director of the Women’s Chapter at the Universal Brotherhood.

Her expertise encompasses a powerful mix of technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills.

Dr Chia leads development in condition-monitoring and decision-support systems for asset management and operations deployment at SMRT Trains. His expertise in Dynamics was honed from consultancy and metro asset maintenance roles, in Australia and Singapore. With two decades in Rail and data technology, his engineering journey is expanding into real-time analytics and AI-driven capabilities. Scaled deliveries by his team have won local industry recognition in Singapore and international public transport award at UITP. Dr Chia holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Shaked Kafzan is the CTO and Co-Founder of Cervello, a leading railway cybersecurity software company. He directs the technology vision and product strategy at Cervello, leveraging his leadership experience from the elite technological unit of the Israeli Intelligence Corps – Unit 81. In this role, Shaked managed nation-level cybersecurity projects and safeguarded critical national infrastructures, gaining deep expertise in computer networking, communications, and various cyber disciplines.

Before co-founding Cervello, Shaked served as the Tech Lead at Argus, which was later acquired by Continental. At Argus, he tackled complex OT networks and specialized in automotive cybersecurity, demonstrating his ability to handle intricate technical challenges and deliver robust solutions.

At Cervello, Shaked continues to leverage this unique combination of skills to drive the company’s success and advance the field of railway cybersecurity.

Jessica Said is a transformational leader with over two decades of experience in organisational strategy, business growth and transformation. As Founder and Director of Unitus, she has revolutionised how organisations approach complex transformation by placing people at the heart of every solution. Jess’s philosophy centres on delivering solutions through a people-centric approach rather than through systems and silos, which brings teams together and reduces friction to ensure change-ready environments. A recognised thought leader in the intersection of human-centered change and digital transformation, Jess has pioneered innovative approaches to leveraging AI and digital tools that enhance rather than replace human connection in organisational transformation.

Under Jess’s leadership, Unitus has distinguished itself through a deep partnership approach that transcends typical consultant relationships. With successful projects such as Sydney Metro’s City Opening and Auckland Transport’s CRL Readiness programs, rather than advising from the sidelines, Jess and her team embed within organisations, building capability and knowledge from the inside out to ensure workforces are genuinely equipped and engaged, not just compliant. This approach, grounded in trust and transparency, has delivered consistently superior outcomes for private operators and contractors, government agencies, and emerging enterprises across diverse sectors. Unitus’ forward-thinking integration of AI-powered analytics and digital collaboration platforms enables real-time feedback collection, sentiment analysis, and predictive modelling that amplifies human insights without compromising the personal touch that drives sustainable change. Jess and the team at Unitus continue to contribute to industry knowledge through speaking engagements and thought leadership on the future of people-centric digital transformation, demonstrating that when organisations invest in technology-enhanced, human-centered approaches, they build cultures capable of thriving in an ever-changing world.

Yağmur Gülbaz is a R&D Engineer at Parabol, specializing in the development of advanced algorithms and data-driven solutions for public transportation and smart mobility. Her work spans fleet optimization, demand forecasting, and passenger flow analysis, with a strong focus on leveraging artificial intelligence, mathematical modeling, and clustering methods to solve complex urban mobility challenges.

She holds a background in Industrial Engineering and has contributed to multiple R&D projects involving electric vehicle assignment, dead mileage minimization, and intelligent scheduling algorithms.

Passionate about creating impactful solutions, she continues to work at the intersection of data science, optimization, and sustainable transportation, aiming to enhance urban mobility systems and improve passenger experiences.

An urban planner by training, Stéphanie has more than 15 years of experience in the transport and automotive industries and has reached internationally renowned expertise. She has vast experience in supporting authorities (cities, regions and national levels) in the development of strategic policies for transport and mobility : governance, urban planning, competition and market organisation.

In 2015, she established her own international strategic consulting agency in Madrid, Ubiquity Consulting. Ubiquity Consulting specialises in innovation and new technologies for mobility , such as shared, electric and autonomous vehicles.

Une urbaniste de formation, Stéphanie compte plus de 15 ans d’expérience dans les secteurs des transports et de l’automobile, et a acquis une expertise internationalement reconnue. Elle possède une vaste expérience dans le soutien aux autorités (villes, régions et niveaux nationaux) pour le développement de politiques stratégiques en matière de transport et de mobilité : gouvernance, urbanisme, concurrence et organisation du marché.

En 2015, elle a fondé sa propre agence internationale de conseil stratégique à Madrid, Ubiquity Consulting. Ubiquity Consulting est spécialisée dans l’innovation et les nouvelles technologies pour la mobilité, telles que les véhicules partagés, électriques et autonomes.

Balazs Berki is Global Marketing Director at Streamax Technology’s Public Transport Division, a global leader in AI-powered onboard safety and video telematics. With over 20 years of international experience in transport technology, and supply chain solutions, he drives global brand visibility and industry engagement. Based in the UK, he is Vice Chairman of UITP’s Information & Telecommunications Technology (ITT) Committee, the AI in Safety work stream leader in UITP’s Global Safety Working Group, and an observer in the UITP Bus Committee.

Xavier Arrufat has an extensive experience in international market development, Europe-wide management and business process consulting through his work at various firms, including 12 years in General Electric. He founded Barcelona-based AWAAIT Artificial Intelligence in 2014. Xavier holds a M.Sc. in Civil Engineering and an MBA and is passionate about Machine Learning.

Shri Ashok Tewari is the Executive Director/Rolling Stock at the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). An Indian Engineering Service officer from the 1994 batch, Shri Tewari brings more than three decades of multidisciplinary experience to his role. His tenure at DMRC since 2006 has seen significant contributions, including design and execution of Traction system of entire Phase -3 project of DMRC for all Underground sections covering corridor length of more than 50km. He has been instrumental in finalising the design and specifications of E&M, ECS & TVS systems for Phase-4 of DMRC Project apart from overseeing execution of Project works of various corridors of DMRC.

As Executive Director/Rolling Stock, he oversees the maintenance of entire Roling Stock of DMRC through 15 Depots covering entire DMRC network handling UTO and non-UTO trains with fleet size of 348 trains, ensuring the seamless operation of one of the world’s largest metro networks.

Olivia Blahut is Director of Product Marketing at Via Transportation, where she works closely with transit agencies to showcase how technology can help solve real-world mobility challenges. She focuses on translating complex transit innovations into practical solutions that support agencies’ goals — from improving service design and operations to delivering better rider experiences. Olivia has played a key role in bringing new tools to market that enable agencies to expand access, operate more efficiently, and build public transit systems that are flexible, equitable, and sustainable.

Sue Chan is the Head of UITP Australia and New Zealand, bringing over 17 years of senior management experience in the transport and consulting sectors. Before rejoining UITP, she served as the Chief Operating Officer at the Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand (PTAANZ). Prior to relocating to Australia, Sue held the position of Head of UITP Asia-Pacific for seven years, where she successfully managed the UITP Asia-Pacific Committee and its sub-committees. This role involved overseeing members from transport authorities, operators, and suppliers across 12 countries. During her tenure, she grew the Asia-Pacific office into the regional office with the largest number of members outside Europe.

Sue has developed strong, lasting relationships with key transportation operators, government authorities, international institutions, and universities across both the Asia-Pacific and ANZ regions. A seasoned professional, she excels at leading teams to deliver exceptional outcomes, particularly in policy and strategy development, business development, stakeholder engagement, and project management.

Earlier in her career, Sue held senior roles at several international transport consulting firms. She led teams of internal consultants and external contractors, successfully completing various global transport planning and traffic engineering projects. Fluent in six languages/dialects, including English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, and Hokkien), Malay, and Indonesian, Sue can navigate diverse cultural and business environments with ease.