ITS and IT Technologies for Public Transport Operations

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

Guido Bruggeman is an urban transport expert with 40 years of experience. After he graduated in 1975 as a transport engineer at the Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, he started his career at the Municipal Transport Company in Amsterdam.

In 2000, he joined the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London as an Urban Transport Specialist and was involved in many transport projects in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Since 2007 he is acting as an independent consultant and advising international clients on the planning, organization, regulation and operation of urban transport. Among others, Guido acts as project advisor for the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. He is also a Lead Trainer at the UITP Academy. As an international expert he has worked in over 30 countries worldwide.

Jaspal Singh has 16+ years of experience in mobility, innovation, and technology space. He is currently serving as the Senior Director of Membership and Global Operations (MGO) at UITP (International Association of Public Transport). His earlier roles include serving as the Manager of the IT and Innovation Committee and as the Head of the UITP India Office.

He is also the host of Mobility Innovators Podcast. He has a 360-degree view of the sector as he has worked with the public agencies, operator, startups, and consulting firms.

He is also Principal at Valoriser Consultants, Inc. specializing in new mobility, cleantech, startups, electric mobility, and ITS. Previously, he was working with a public transit authority, reforming the urban transport system in India. In past, he also worked with Uber India’s early team to navigate the regulatory challenges and build partnerships.

He has received several awards for his contribution in the field of public transport and social work, as well as has been widely quoted in publications. He completed his Master of Management and Innovation (MMIE) at Queen’s University, Canada and received his master’s in business administration specialized in International Business.

He is actively working with startups in mobility and logistics space as an advisor, mentor, and investor. Jaspal is an avid traveller and travelled to around 55 countries around the world and counting.

Rob Roemers is a leading expert in Data & Analytics, specializing in mobility data strategy and governance. As former Head of Data & Analytics at STIB MIVB, he drove the organization to embed data at the heart of decision-making. A successful entrepreneur and former Big 5 consultant, Rob combines hands-on experience with strategic insight to help organizations unlock the full potential of their data. Today, he provides advisory services on data strategy, governance, literacy, and building high-performing data teams, with a strong emphasis on change management to foster sustainable, insights-driven decision-making.

Elena’s professional experience has always spun around the railway world, with a strong focus on innovation and railway superstructure.

Elena is a Manager at Global Rail Consulting, a business unit of Global Rail Group that combines deep railway expertise with innovative solutions from the world of IT, SW and cloud to ensure a successful optimization and digitization of railway asset management.

Currently, Elena leads Business Intelligence and Digitalization projects with the aim of increasing the capacity, safety, and efficiency of railway networks by leveraging new technologies.

In her previous experience at Plasser & Theurer, she was involved in the development of smart systems for the evaluation of the infrastructure condition.

Catharina Michels – Group Manager of Presales Engineering at Optibus – Catharina leads the presales engineering teams in the EMEA region. During her five year tenure at Optibus she has worked closely with both new and existing customers on software implementation and solution consulting. She is an expert in advanced technologies for network planning, vehicle and duty schedule optimization, rostering and daily operations for public transportation companies.

Catharina’s role at Optibus has ranged from being a hands-on technical project lead, through to being part of the senior leadership team. She is passionate about understanding industry trends and leveraging cutting-edge technology for more efficient and reliable public transportation.

Catharina holds a M.Sc. with honours in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from the University of Hamburg and a B.Sc. with honours in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Münster.