Gian-Mattia Schucan, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗾, wants travelling by public transport to be effortless: no tickets, no gates, no stress. We talk about the journey from idea to reality, what operators really want from innovators and how to make change happen in public transport.

I’m sad to say that this is the last episode of Season 3 but, don’t worry, I’ll be back with Season 4 in September.

“It's fine when you're swinging big to have a few misses in a controlled environment” - 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 making it very clear that it’s fine for public sector organisations to try things and fail.

In today’s episode, I talk to Jonny about what value for money really means, why BCR is often misused and how the NAO supports innovation in the public sector.

Do take a listen to this one!

𝗢𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗣 went from rail consultant to MP in a political whirlwind. We talk innovation in legacy sectors, the chaos of becoming an MP overnight and the culture of Westminster.

Plus: why UK transport policy feels stuck, and how we could actually fix electrification

I spoke to Lars Strömgren, 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, about the city’s journey from car-centricity to a cycling-friendly capital.

We talked about his childhood on the back of his grandmother’s bike, the cultural shifts that made cycling mainstream and the urban planning philosophy that underpins Stockholm’s transformation - including how storytelling, kid-focused design and even building with wood all fit into a sustainable transport vision.

My guest this week is Anjali Devadasan, 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗮, a startup generating energy from passing vehicles and trains. Her turbines harness airflow to power local infrastructure like lighting and EV chargers.

We talked about the technology, the challenges of scaling, and her personal drive to tackle climate change, inspired by her family’s personal experience.

A truly inspirational conversation with someone who’s achieved incredible things very early in her career.

In Oslo, Christian Willoch and his team at Ruter are using autonomous vehicles to strengthen public transport – not compete with it.

I visit their pilot project, where real passengers are already riding Ruter-branded autonomous vehicles in an outer suburb, and we talk about why public service, not robotaxis, is the future.

I also take a ride – and you can listen in as I give a live commentary from the back seat.

Stephen Bush, 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨, is one of the few political journalists who truly gets transport policy.

In this episode, we talk about why transport matters far more to economic productivity than politicians realise, why ambition in major infrastructure projects has declined since the financial crisis and why simply nationalising services won't fix public transport.

Elke Van den Brandt has transformed Brussels' streets – and taken a political battering for doing so.

As the 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿, she’s championed slower speeds, safer roads and public spaces that feel more like “living rooms than corridors”.

It was a superb insight into how political bravery, behavioural science and empathy (backed up by strong leadership) can work together to reshape cities for the better.

A taster of what’s coming up in Season Four

Tom Nutley joins me to unpack the challenges and missed opportunities in micromobility.

From transport dead spots to Silicon Valley hype, we explore how cities and operators can deliver real public good through better integration, infrastructure and sustainable models. Tom doesn’t hold back!

How does Britain’s knowledge economy shape its cities? Paul Swinney 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 joins me to explore the North-South divide, the role of transport in economic growth and why second-tier cities underperform.

We discuss what agglomeration means and why it matters, how post-pandemic work trends are reshaping transport needs and why investing in urban connectivity is key to unlocking Britain’s economic potential.

Lee Waters did something unfashionable in modern politics: he led.

As both 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀, he curtailed road-building, introduced a national 20mph speed limit and set in motion reforms to create an integrated, publicly owned transport network.

This episode is a masterclass in the reality of political change: why transport is so often overlooked, how to challenge decades of car-first orthodoxy and why evidence-based policy isn’t enough without political courage.

Frank Elter may be a part-time Professor, but he’s a very real-world professor.

As 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, he’s responsible for innovation and planning for one of Norway’s telecoms giants.

We talk about how modularity can help organisations be “ambidextrous” (i.e. able to focus on operations and innovation), and the fact that every approach creates new problems to solve.

My guest is a former colleague. I knew Rikesh Shah when he was a colleague as Head of Open Innovation at Transport for London, but now he 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁’𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲.

In this conversation, we discuss how cultural barriers, such as fear of failure, hinder innovation in procurement and the barriers startups face in selling to the public sector.

Why don’t we build homes people wish to live in? Terraced streets are popular and sustainable and support shops, services and transport, so why do we keep building low-density, car-dependent suburbs? And what needs to be done to create a nationwide tram renaissance?

These are just some of the questions I get into in discussion with David Milner, the 𝗠𝗗 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀.

If, like me, you would love to see some big changes in how we design and build towns, this is an episode you’ll enjoy.

Everyone agrees we need more sustainable transport but no-one has enough money to pay for it.

Could ‘land value capture’ be the answer? This is the approach where by transport lines are funded through the increases in the land value that the stations stimulate.

Well, George Hazel thinks so. In fact, he knows so, because he developed the land value capture method used for the recently-reopened Northumberland line.

Jarrett Walker has been designing bus networks for thirty years. Eventually he’d done so much thinking on this topic that he wrote it all down in his book Human Transit.

In our conversation, he talks me through why it’s important to understand whether a transport network is seeking to optimise for coverage or patronage and how ‘access analysis’ can provide everyone with their own personal measure of public transport freedom.

Birmingham was the first city I lived in as a proper ‘grown-up’ and it was metamorphosing before my eyes.

Today, the city centre is unrecognisable: spacious, walkable and with a brand new tram route snaking past brand new buildings.

Anne Shaw is 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀, and she tells me just how this extraordinary change has been achieved.

Politics tends to focus on what is to be done, but none of it matters if it doesn't actually happen.

Is this as good as it gets? The 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 was set up to make sure it isn't.

Grace Wyld is Head of Policy and Programmes and she joins me to talk about Missions, Devolution and how good Government needs to mean a transformation in how Government works.

Karen Vancluysen has an infectious passion for sustainable transport and urban mobility. As 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗦, she runs a network of over 100 European cities and regions, all innovating to accelerate the transition to more sustainable mobility.

In today’s episode, we chat about the places that are leading the charge, and the challenges of the growth of populism. She gives advice to political leaders aspiring to make change happen and is inspirational on what has been done - and what more needs to happen.

It’s a great start to Season 3!