Industry peak body the Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand (PTAANZ) will host its 2024 Annual Conference and Gala Dinner in Sydney on 23 October.
This year’s line-up features the heads of the region’s public transport authorities, as well as international keynote speaker, Bernt Reitan Jenssen, Chief Executive Officer of Ruter AS, the public transport authority of Oslo and Akershus, Norway.
PTAANZ Chief Executive, Lauren Streifer, says the Conference will include industry heavy hitters discussing their toughest challenges.
“If you only attend one industry event this year, make it the PTAANZ Conference,” she said.
“It’s the only place where you’ll get to hear from the heads of all the major transport authorities in Australia and New Zealand, including New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, ACT and NZTA Waka Kotahi.
“I’m so excited for our industry to come together to tackle the big issues including how to meet our net zero commitments and increase our use of public and active transport in challenging global economic conditions.
“Figuring out these challenges will be vital for our sector globally.”
The Conference will also explore international best practice, with experts from France, the USA, Japan and Norway set to share their insights on transit-oriented development and high speed rail.
Reitan Jenssen will focus on electrification and AI, and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience on the topics. Ruter AS’ fleet is on track to be fully electrified by 2030 and in 2023, they launched the world’s first large language model (LLM) in Norwegian, which they use to track customer sentiment in real time.
Ruter AS is also leading the way on mode shift – over 26% of all travel in Oslo and Akershus is done by public transport. The organisation delivers 16,000 departures daily and 180 million journeys by bus a year, with a fleet that includes 368 electric buses in Oslo.
In 2023, it had operating revenues of 12,191 million Norwegian kroner and a profit of 23 million Norwegian kroner.
“We must find the right balance and understand the complexities to successfully electrify our public transport fleets,” Jenssen said.
“As a public transport authority, Ruter AS’ role is to inspire the market, that’s how we achieved electrification so quickly.
“We are taking the same approach to AI – we are working with experts to create a near-car experience for our customers.
“I cannot wait to share our learnings with the public transport industry in Australia and New Zealand.”
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