MOBILITY, DRIVING INNOVATION AND ENHANCING OUR LIVEABILITY – TRANSPORT AS A TRUE TECH BUSINESS

With the NSW Berejiklian Government’s win at the state election in March 2019, issues around transport in Sydney and NSW took centre stage as vast underway projects started coming to completion and new projects were started and outlined – from light rail into George Street and the CBD from Randwick to additional Metro routes to the much heralded “WestConnex” and Sydney Gateway. How these vast infrastructure changes and their tech savvy operations might affect the lives of Sydney commuters was the subject for The Hon Andrew Constance MP, New South Wales’ Minister for Transport and Roads, to address as he spoke for The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 9 July 2019.

MOBILITY, DRIVING INNOVATION AND ENHANCING OUR LIVEABILITY – TRANSPORT AS A TRUE TECH BUSINESS

ANDREW CONSTANCE

I’m so pleased everyone could make it here this evening. Now, I just want you to pause for a minute and think about when you started your journey here. Did it start when you looked at your watch in your office and thought – I better get moving to get to that speech? Did it start when you booked your Uber or taxi? Or was it when you stepped onto a train or bus?

In reality, your journey here started the moment you woke up this morning. The journey is no longer about a singular mode of transport

 – it’s about the combination of whatever those modes may be – whether that be car, Uber, taxi, public transport or on foot – to get you to your destination.

Transport in 2019 is so much more than just a train or a bus or a car. It’s about mobility and mobility as a service – and the incredible way technology is driving everything we do. Now I’m about to outline some concepts which may seem pretty crazy and far-fetched. But look at it this way – who would have thought in 1970 that you’d be able to use a handheld device to have a video conversation with someone on the other side of the world?

What may appear unachievable can in fact – and already is – reality and part of everyday life.

The need for change

We need to change the way we think about transport in NSW because the state is changing rapidly.

More than 8 million people live in the state – and 5 million of those are here in Sydney. Those 5 million people make an astonishing 16 million trips on our road network on an average weekday. I’m sure most of you in this room won’t be surprised to hear weekend road use is quickly catching up with more than 15 million road trips on Saturdays and Sundays. And there’s no end in sight – we expect an extra one million road users within the next decade and nearly twice the freight movement by 2031 which will put even more pressure on the existing network.

Of course, it’s not just our roads under pressure. Our public transport network of trains, buses, ferries and light rail is also booming. In the past 12 months there’s been a 4.7 per cent increase in patronage

 – that means hundreds of thousands of extra trips every week. Sydney’s train network carries 420 million passengers a year. That’s up from 308 million passenger trips five years ago. There isn’t another railway in the world which has seen a 35 per cent patronage demand increase and that’s why the NSW government is investing over $4.3 billion on the Sydney trains network alone.

Our bus network is also being used more than ever. There were more than 16 million additional trips on buses in the Opal network in the 2017-18 financial year than the year before.

What we’re building

Last month I stood alongside the Premier and opened the first stage of Australia’s biggest transport project – the $7.3 billion North West Metro

 – which came in a billion dollars under budget. People love Metro – we’ve had over 2.5 million passenger trips already and there’s been a reduction in traffic on the M2 and a drop in bus patronage in that area as a direct result. And that’s just the beginning.

Sydney is going to become a train city. The next stage of Metro – City and South West – is well underway and on track to open by 2024. We’ve completed more than 12 kilometes of tunnelling and today Tunnel Boring Machine Kathleen started her historic journey – building a rail crossing deep under Sydney Harbour between Barangaroo and Blues Point.

Timetable

We have some very clear aims. Very soon we’re going to see the death of the public transport timetable

– and that’s going to be something to celebrate. In some parts of the city, customers are already experiencing this – on the Metro, B-Line buses and the Bondi 333. Customers don’t need to plan or think about their journey, they just turn up and go.

This in turn means fewer people waiting on platforms and at bus stops – which means less congestion and a more pleasant journey for everyone. Already on the Sydney Trains network 70 per cent of services are turn up and go during the peak with the average wait time on platforms seven minutes.

Other projects

We’re about to open the next section of WestConnex the New M4 Tunnels which will save drivers up to 20 minutes travel time between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD. We’re also getting on with the rest of WestConnex connecting the M4 and the M5, NorthConnex connecting the M1 and M2. Sydney Gateway will complete the missing links and improve the way people and freight get to Sydney airport.

There’s also The Western Harbour Tunnel – the first North South road crossing since the Sydney Harbour Tunnel – which will connect to Beaches Link to the Northern Beaches. And the F6 Extension Stage 1 which will link Sydney’s south to the wider motorway network.

Think outside the box

These are all tangible, in your face mass transport solutions. Mega projects. But we need more to future proof our cities and state and make NSW truly global.

We need to look at mobility as a service. By that I mean first mile and last mile transport – not just the train, bus or car in the middle. Most people don’t know this but Transport for NSW unlocked its data to the world three years ago. That allows anyone to access our data, which means developers, entrepreneurs, and data analysts can create innovative solutions for you – our customers.

Now I’m going to show you an example of what that data’s being used for – everyone pull out your phone and go to anytrip.com.au This shows you every public transport service on our roads, tracks and on the water right now – in real time.

It’s all about developing better public services and allowing the best minds in the world to help shape the future of transport in our state. Transport for NSW is already working with the private sector to enhance Opal card data to get a better understanding of the commuter first and last mile – where people come from before they tap on or where they go after they tap off.

We’re also using Amazon machine learning technology across the entire network to predict what the transport day it going to look like. To help us plan for the unexpected and cope when we’re under pressure. We’ve “fed” this technology a year’s worth of weather, opal and special event data. It currently has a 90 per cent accuracy rating and will get better over time as we keep “feeding” it data.

It’s technology and innovation like this which gives transport planners the ability to optimise the network to be more responsive to what is happening. The technology is there and we’re tapping into it to make everyday life easier. As Transport and Roads Minister my job is simple – to get people where they need to go and get them home again. Safely, quickly and cost effectively.

I have a dashboard on my phone which tells me what’s happening on the transport network right now. Road delays, the top ten late running services, how many people are phoning the call centres and what they’re complaining about. This unprecedented access to information at a moment’s notice means a greater responsiveness and ability to plan and respond quickly to the unexpected.

Technology

I want people to not think about their travel. To quite literally turn up and go. Customers have already embraced using their credit cards or electronic device to tap on and off trains, metro, ferries and the light rail – and we’re about to expand the technology onto buses.

It’s all about making the journey easier and faster for people.

I am confident we will also see frictionless transport payments in the not too distant future. Similar to Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology in shops – where customers scan their phones at the door, grab the items they want, and walk right out and their account is automatically charged.

In the transport space we’ll use facial recognition 5 technology to scan customers who’ve “opted in” and linked their Opal account. No more gate barriers – just a smooth journey. A few weeks ago, I outlined my vision for a subscription service for transport – like Netflix. You sign up for a nominal fee each week or month and all the different pricing for public or private providers is built into it

– whether that be an Uber, a ride share car, a bicycle or a metro.

This may sound like a pipe dream – but it’s almost a reality in London. A company called Citymapper already plots a range of routes using buses, trains, trams, bikes and ride shares in its journey planning app and soon people will be able to pay for it all under one subscription. The company’s CEO and founder Azmat Yusef says he envisages mobility in the future as getting from point A to B by the easiest way possible.

Consider transport in the future being similar to a utility – where you can access whatever comes along. So, what kind of price points are we looking at here? In London, Citymapper has two subscriptions. The first will cost 31 pounds a week – or about $55 Australian. That will give customers unlimited full access to zones one and two of Transport for London’s network. For 8 pounds – or $14 Australian more – subscribers will get this, plus unlimited rides on share bikes plus two journeys on Citymapper’s version of Uber pool.

Signing up will be about five pounds cheaper than transport for London’s own weekly price tickets – not taking into account the additional costs of ride share and bikes.

 The service will be user friendly – easy to sign up to, easy to pause and easy to cancel. It’ll also be easy to use with subscribers tapping on with a bright green contactless card to the London Underground, local rail and buses in zones one and two.

If you go outside those zones the card will automatically switch to pay-as-you-go with a connected payment card. The cards can be linked to Apple Pay or Google Pay for contactless payment via a smartphone. I don’t think it’s unrealistic to see the same kind of service being introduced here in Sydney in the near future. Seamless customer focused Opal transport.

Moree on demand

Technology and transport are also being embraced in the bush. It’s changing lives, connecting people and empowering people to get where they want to go when they want to and, in many cases, giving people their independence back. Two phenomenal examples of this are the Moree on Demand Bus trial and Coffs Harbour driverless, electric on demand buses.

Both have received incredibly positive feedback from the community about the way they have transformed residents’ lives for the better, particularly older residents who were having issues with mobility. It has given them a new way to travel with ease and dignity.

The Moree on Demand has replaced three traditional bus routes, and seen an enormous increase in passengers. Where the three routes previously had around 200 passengers a month, the On Demand saw almost 5,000 passengers in May alone with a 98 per cent satisfaction rating from the more than 20,000 passenger trips on the service this year. That’s not bad for a community of around 13 thousand people.

This is quite literally a life changing service. Customer feedback has included:

“I can’t walk like I used to. Very happy about this service. I could not go out if we didn’t have the bus. I could not be happier”

“I feel this service is very valuable to our community and very much needed”

Coffs harbour electric vehicles

Coffs Harbour is an exciting example of on demand, electric, driverless vehicles being used to help the local community, and has been operating in the Marion Grove Retirement Village since March to the communities overwhelming approval. Seniors have been using smartphones to order The Easy Mile shuttle, our oldest passenger to date being 98-year-old Gwen.

Residents have been quick to take up the service – including 86-year-old Margaret who uses the vehicle for daily activities when before she used her car. It’s a great showcase of older generations benefitting from the integration of future transport technology, with over 6000 customers using it so far.

The Easy Mile Shuttle is a highly autonomous vehicle which can drive itself, but a passenger can intervene and take control if necessary. There are a range of exciting new opportunities where the use of transport and technology can change the way people live and move.

Electric vehicles

We know electric and autonomous vehicles are the future and as a government we are working on increasing the uptake of electric vehicles. We’ve gone out to tender for a $5 million “no regrets” EV charging station network to alleviate “distance-to-charge” anxiety and encourage more commercial EV providers to enter into the Australian market.

We’re also keeping a close eye on electromagnetic inductive technology – where a vehicle is charged while driving on a road embedded with technology. It’s truly futuristic stuff but it’s happening and there’s no reason it can’t happen here in NSW.

I’m also excited about Hydrogen buses and their future here in NSW.

NSW Point to Point

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – We as legislators need to make the rules more agile and forward thinking. We need to stay ahead of the trends and get out of the way and allow business to take the lead but do it in a safe way.

The NSW government’s Point to Point reforms transformed the industry by allowing all modes of point to point transport – taxis, traditional hire vehicles and rideshare – to compete on a level playing field. This was in line with a key recommendation of the Point to Point Transport Taskforce that vehicles of the same size providing similar services should be regulated in the same way.

The new legislation is flexible and accommodates different kinds of business models and technology and is far more focussed on outcomes. By cutting red tape, reducing regulation and lowering the barriers of entry for new players to the market – service providers can compete equally by innovating to meet customer demand and compete fairly on fares.

This naturally leads to increased innovation, customer choice and ultimately customer satisfaction. Government should be there to provide a regulatory regime and ensure people are safe – not tie up industry in red tape.

All service providers must meet the same safety obligations.

For the first time – companies which provide the services – rather than the individual drivers – are primarily responsible for the safety of their services. This naturally leads to increased consumer confidence in the industry.

Future state

It is the customer – not governments – who will continue to drive the adoption of tech/solutions whether from public or private transport providers. The concept of the transport and road network will become interwoven with critical digital and physical infrastructure and will fundamentally shape cities as we know them.

Point to Point will become point-to-purpose. As Connected and Autonomous Vehicle levels of autonomy become more commonplace, not only will connected and autonomous vehicles shape cities and infrastructure, there will also be a re-purposing of time otherwise spent driving the vehicle.

Imagine having a “vehicle” which allows you to do things rather than drive – all legally.

You could work on a laptap, do a work conference call, watch TV or even read the kids a bedtime story via Facetime – all while your vehicle drives you where you need to go.

Traffic lights are likely to become redundant other than for pedestrians, car parking stations may become CAV charging stations, as private ownership or driving of vehicles decreases, the concept of personal garages and driveways will change.

Passengers and other vehicles – like drones – will need to speak to each other, to infrastructure, to other connected “things” like drones or personal devices and feed back into a base. Technology will also be able to determine the health and wellbeing of people in the vehicles.

Advanced data analytics, facial recognition and sensor technology will help to determine if customers are satisfied, angry, anxious etc.

 Perhaps even if they are unwell and in urgent need of medical attention. The possibilities are endless.

Digital identity verification will eventually be integrated with bio-metric recognition. This will read someone’s face, retina, breath, gait or voice to enable next level authorisation and access. Think truly contactless payments – entry to buildings, onto planes, at banks and hotels.

As data capture, predictive analytics and deep learning become common practice and with greater speeds and bandwidth available with next generation fixed and mobile networks we will see real time organic optimisation – self healing transport networks.

Drones or flying cars will transport people and things – mostly consumer goods – your dinner, your new shoes or prescription from the chemist.

 These may not resolve congestion issues, rather create a new kind of congestion and need for regulation. I believe the concept of road safety will evolve in the not too distant future.

Electric and hybrid vehicles will eventually scale in the market. Battery technology will improve and size to output ratio will improve performance, portability and longevity of wireless devices. Developments in road and infrastructure technology will assist cars to self-charge while driving and then even feed energy back into a home unit or into the grid upon return to a base.

Advancements in low orbit satellite tech will provide high speed network connectivity in rural and remote regions where traditional satellite connectivity has been patchy to date. Hybrid networks will integrate with low orbit and traditional satellite to provide pervasive and seamless connectivity. Short life, disposable satellites will also be used for data capture and security purposes.

This is how freight movement will change in the bush.

But like everything there are potential hurdles to the roll out of this kind of technology. Introducing costly physical infrastructure when technology is advancing at such a rapid pace brings with it a risk that the technology will be 10 superseded or scaled before a good return is possible or before a project is even complete – the NBN is a great example of this.

Conclusion

These concepts may sound far-fetched, futuristic, the stuff of science fiction. But the reality is they are already here and happening now, with the rest just around the corner.

Ten years ago, this was the stuff of dreams. Today it’s our reality. The key element in all of this is we’re only at the beginning. Think of what is to come in the next five, 10-20 years.

The greatest part is, we probably can’t. We can’t even imagine what is ahead. 

Who knows where this journey is going to take us, but that’s the great thing transport has as a true tech business, it is constantly evolving, forever changing, with its drive of innovation, making the way we move easier and enhancing our lives.