The bus of the future

The futurist and urban geographer Dr. Stefan Carsten has curated the Future Forum at BUS2BUS since 2022. “We always try to map out future transformations that will appear in products, customer expectations and legal requirements“, he says. The wide-ranging programme on the forward-looking topics of the mobility sector features various formats including keynote speeches, discussion rounds, the bdo Political Talk and startup pitches. “90 per cent of all the panels and discussions were rapidly booked because the combination we offer is still something special even for traditional speakers“, Carsten says. Although buses were one of the most sustainable forms of transport they were not the focus of many other conferences, he added.

Many brilliant minds

On Wednesday at 10 a.m. the Future Forum Stage will be opened by Karl Hülsmann, president of the Federal Association of German Bus Operators (bdo) and Dr. Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin. This will be followed by an opening keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Justus Haucap, director of Düsseldorf Competition Economics GmbH entitled ’What value does innovative mobility have for society?’.

Dr. Stefan Carsten is especially looking forward to the session at 11.30 a.m., when under the heading ‘100% Electric? Is the Technology Question still open?’, six experts from HITACHI, Kempower, HUSS Verlag, MCV Deutschland, ARTHUR BUS and Transdev will discuss ‘Energy Transition and Customer Safety: The Biggest Challenges in the Transformation of Vehicle Fleets’. ”There will be many brilliant minds there who have decided they must set their own agenda and identify opportunities regardless of policymakers“, Carsten says.

At 1.15 p.m. Federal Minister of Digital Affairs and Transport Dr. Volker Wissing will open the bdo Political Talk. ”It will be interesting to see how the federal minister of transport, who is on a difficult political mission, interacts with the industry“, Carsten says. From 4 to 6 p.m. at the BUS2Pitch, startups will present their products, services and technical solutions.

Deep Dive Stage in demand

This year sees the launch of the Deep Dive Stage, an information platform for audiences representing private and public transport companies, coach tour operators and bus tourism. The BUS2BUS team had difficulty meeting the many requests for Future Forum slots. ”One can see how people and companies are increasingly embracing the future and understanding that challenges also potentially create opportunities“, Stefan Carsten says.

On Wednesday at 11 a.m. the Deep Dive Stage will open with Felix Thielmann, project lead, NEV Riedbahn at DB Regio, talking about ’New rail replacement services – Passenger-centred service during extensive closures’. At 12.45 p.m. the Young Mobility Network will let young professionals take to the stage to have their say.

Show concludes with awards

On Thursday at 12.30 p.m., Women in Mobility will hold their own panel on the Deep Dive Stage and discuss sustainability, reuse and special use concepts. Afterwards, anyone interested in talking to the network members is cordially invited to do so from 2 p.m. At 4 p.m. Ali El-Chami, CEO of Ajency, will present the ’Seven keys to attracting the right employees for bus companies in 2024’.

Concluding the show, at 4.40 p.m. on the Future Forum Stage the presentation will take place first of the Fresh Travel Award, followed by the Startup Award. The Future Forum Stage is located in hub27 on Stand 304, the Deep Dive Stage in hub27 on Stand 309. Full programme details can be found in the BUS2BUS app, on the online platform BUS2BUS plus and on the website of the show.