On 12 and 13 February 2019, London Councils and LEPT officers attended the MOVE Conference in London. Most speakers were from mobility companies from across the world, presenting their latest products or innovations: well-established enterprises like DHL or Renault-Nissan or more recent players like Taxify, Citymapper or JUMP as well as a range of start-ups.
Some key themes of interest for us were micro-mobility, first-and-last mile solutions, electric vehicles and mobility as a service. Micro-mobility solutions have been growing in Europe, with limits to adoption in the UK for some, such as the legal barriers to the adoption of the electric kick-scooters, that recently invaded the streets of many other EU cities.
Many presentations touched upon the relationship between local authorities and tech companies, underlining the need for increased collaboration and citizen engagement. Most companies presented their recipe for success in the achievement of public-private partnerships or the ground rules they set themselves. Amongst the participants were also some local government representatives from places such as Stockholm, Amsterdam, LB Greenwich as well as transport authorities with Transport for London and Transport for the North or the Ohio Department of Transport.