Drive Sweden Forum Roundup

The Forum started off with presentations from the Director Generals of Sweden’s Transport Authority and Transport Agency on the theme: how can Sweden take the lead on digitalizing the transportation system. This theme was woven through many of the presentations that followed, some of which delved into the nuts and bolts of that process and some that took up areas where solutions are still needed.

During the Forum there was plenty of time for mingling and networking. I spoke with quite a few people on the following question: What do you see as the most important barrier to digitalizing the transportation sector? Here are a few key quotes that capture what many people said:

”The transportation sector is increasingly complex, both technically and legally. Digitalization shifts boundaries, opening new opportunities and challenges. Aligning regulation and technical change is a major challenge.”

• Jenny Lundahl, RISE

“The are several barriers due to the transport system consisting of several layers and interdependencies, which makes it complex, but a key barrier is identifying profitable business cases for digitalization.”

• Azra Habibovic, Scania

“I think most people and organizations realize the benefits and importance of sharing data in the transport sector. However, a lot of business models may rely on getting a competitive advantage by locking in data. This may pose a threat to open data sharing in several different applications. Another issue may be personal integrity/compliance with GDPR, if it cannot be managed, a lot of innovative applications may be hindered, e.g. using vehicles as probes for maintenance, traffic surveillance, product development etc.”

• Jonas Jansson, VTI

The Form was a great opportunity to meet others in the Drive Sweden community and get a sense of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. There are plenty of unknowns and difficulties, but there are also many innovative and hardworking colleagues actively looking for ways to address them. The processes of digitalization is rolling on and hopefully together we can move toward a safer, cleaner, and more sustainable future.

Written by Joshua Bronson,
RISE Mobility & Systems