David VAN KESTEREN

Biographical note

David Van Kesteren is Chief Executive Officer of Taxistop and Cambio. Taxistop is pioneer since 1978 in projects of sharing economy, more specifically in ride and car sharing. David established cambio carsharing in cooperation with the regional public transport providers in Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia and with the national railway company. David is currently chairman of the UITP Combined Mobility Platform.

Presentation: Autonomous Vehicles: a potential game changer for urban mobility

The arrival of driverless autonomous vehicles (AVs) represents a unique opportunity for a fundamental change in urban mobility as long as public authorities and public transport companies take an active role now to integrate AVs into an effective public transport network. This presentation will set out various scenarios for the roll-out of AVs, depending on how they are regulated and used. In the worst case, this could lead to more cars on the road, more congestion and more urban sprawl. However, there is an alternative: if AVs are put to use in shared fleets as ‘robo-taxis,’ mini-buses or in car-sharing fleets, they could dramatically reduce the number of cars on the road by reaching people and places it was too difficult to before, plugging first/last-mile gaps and feeding into public transport trunk lines.

Public authorities must take an active role in the roll-out of AVs to ensure their shared use with measures to encourage shared mobility and limit single car occupancy (eg. road pricing or taxation) and provide ‘Mobility as a Service’ platforms (as whoever controls the platform controls travel behaviour). Trials should also begin on public roads to see how best to integrate AVs into the mobility eco-system and preparations made for the impact on employment as some driving jobs could disappear and others needing specific skills could arise.
Acting now to encourage more shared mobility will help pave the way for the shared use of AVs and a better urban future.