Arnd Bätzner

Tell us about yourself

Arnd Bätzner provides consulting on the alignment of multi-modal transit systems with the built environment and strategic land use planning. Focus areas include the integration of future autonomous and demand-responsive transport with high-capacity modes, the design of passenger intermodal facilities and bus electrification strategies. Holding a master in physics and a major in transit management from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Arnd is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of St. Gallen’s Institute for Systemic Management and Public Governance: His academic research in Southeast Asia focuses on elevated walkability enhancers such as skybridges, ropeways and people movers for last-mile station linkage and access. Arnd is a member of several standing committees of the Transportation Research Board of the U.S. National Academies. He is an executive planning committee member of the leading global conference on demand-responsive transit, and a frequent keynote speaker at major industry conferences around the world. Arnd is a board of directors member of Switzerland’s nationwide Mobility Car Sharing system.

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What are the top 3 trends in your transport/smart city niche that everyone should look out for in the next 5 years?

(1) Seamless (!) intermodal ticketing leading to intuitive usability and new revenue models,

(2) protecting and valorising the commons,

(3) recognizing the limits of batteries for heavy trucks and buses, and switch to in-motion charging on major road corridors

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How do you/your company innovate?

Serving the greater interest. Recognizing new business opportunities and implementing them as products maximizing positive externalities.

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Why is encouraging innovation, new ideas, and tech important?

Ideas lead to innovation that serves societies. Tech is to follow the formulation of needs and requirements as consequence of an integrated societal debating process.