Meet our Mobility Artists: Erki Lipre
During the UITP Summit in Stockholm you will be inspired by speakers from all over the world, coming from every industry within the public transport sector. Celebrating the Summit’s theme “the Art of Public Transport“, we believe that each speaker is a mobility artist in her or his own way, working to craft the perfect urban journey.
Our second mobility artist is a Performance Producer! Like any good producer, Erki Lipre is found backstage, ensuring that all elements on stage are performing smoothly. Valuing change and innovation, he is constantly challenging himself to make the performance better each time it runs by seeking ways to improve the operational performance of sustainable transport modes.
“Without technological innovation and operational excellence there is no public transport – these are key elements for stable and growing ridership.”
Erki is CEO and Chair of the Management Board at Ridango, an Estonian company that provides intelligent transport systems and payment solutions by using account-based ticketing and real time passenger information systems. Erki developed strong management skills by leading small to large enterprises in the transport industry as well as other sectors. Valuing innovation, Erki embraces technological change and strongly believes in its potential to drive the transport industry forward.
Erki will be speaking at the session “Ticketing and payment: how hard can it be?” during the UITP Summit. Explore our interactive programme to find out more.
Can you describe what your presentation at the UITP Summit will be about?
The session that I will chair is ‘Ticketing and payment: how card can it be?’ It will be about the selection and implementation of suitable and innovative ticketing and payment systems.
Why are innovative solutions and enhanced operational performance essential to public transport?
In a context of radical change in urban mobility practices, the public transport industry is seeking ways to secure and increase its levels of ridership, for instance by facilitating the use of its services. To achieve this aim, the development of effective and easy-to-use innovative ticketing and payment solutions, the improvement of operational performance as well as the availability of coherent and on-time information are essential. We see technological leaps in all industries and public transport is now also benefiting from these innovative technological solutions. Among these solutions, the real-time tools that are put in place enhance operational performance, which in turn enables better communication and planning and makes transport services easier to use.
Looking at innovative solutions and enhanced operational performance, what are interesting current developments in this field?
As my expertise is mainly focused on ticketing systems and Automatic Vehicle Location systems (AVL), I am particularly aware of current developments in these fields. Contactless EMV payments lower the barriers for using public transport and allow interoperability both within a country and across borders, providing passengers with a smooth travel experience. Over the past five years, we have also witnessed an increase in the availability of real-time information, which helps provide passengers with clear guidance on operational services. Technological innovation has also contributed to the development of interconnected solutions combining ridesharing and public transport ticketing, known under the concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS).
What does ‘The Art of Public Transport’ mean to you?
To me, the ‘Art of Public Transport’ means building, nowadays and in the future, stable transport services that consider excellence in operations and technology, thus helping hundreds of millions of people to get around.
Operational excellence is one of the seven main topics of the Summit. Want to discover the full programme? Download the full brochure for the UITP Summit!
Are you a Performance Producer just like Erki? Take the quiz and find out!
