Future Transport Technology Roadmap

While we have successfully delivered many customer, vehicles and systems technologies with strong customer benefits, we have also learnt some important lessons that we are applying to the development and delivery of future projects, including:

1. Technology solutions must be developed with evolving customer needs in mind to achieve the best outcomes. For example, we were able to successfully use our customer-centred approach to respond quickly to changing needs and travel patterns due to COVID-19. That is why we will continue to analyse customer insights, voice-of-the-customer data, apply human-centred design thinking and user testing to keep our projects agile and responsive to customers’ needs.
2. Regional communities present unique opportunities and challenges, with significant potential for local jobs and investment linked to technology development, and for locating start-ups in regional locations with lower operating costs and contained testing environments. This regional innovation ecosystem is being expanded with our technology trials and automated vehicle testing, which explore the value of technology to more isolated, less mobile communities. We are also addressing challenges like the different levels of digital connectivity, and tailoring services to meet regional customers’ travel patterns which differ from those in metropolitan areas.
3. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been highly successful for key uses, such as, with mobile phone detection cameras. We are trialling additional uses for AI, machine learning and edge computing to generate real-time data and predictive analytics. These detailed insights will be used on road and rail networks to improve safety, manage congestion and predict performance.
4. There have been challenges trialling and scaling the use of automated vehicles, where industry leaders are not yet based in Australia and travel is now restricted by COVID-19. We will reduce these barriers to build local capability through strategic partnerships, thought leadership, data sharing, co-investment, supportive policy, digital and physical infrastructure, testing facilities and community engagement. We will also collaborate with other states and national organisations on trials and the development of a national regulatory framework.
5. Increased diversity of mobility providers and services has delivered many customer benefits and opportunities. We will continue to expand and integrate the range of service modes and mobility providers in our information and payment systems, to offer customers seamless end-to-end journey choices, and to improve transport system safety performance and efficiency.
6. Data protection, governance and management are more important than ever, so we are updating our enterprise data governance across Transport and considering data privacy, full lifecycle cost and resource implications, and investing in cyber security and staff awareness training. In addition, we will need to manage and maintain technology over its lifetime to ensure good quality data continues to be provided to inform decision making.
7. We have world-leading local start-ups, businesses and researchers that can accelerate and trial emerging technologies, including in high-definition mapping, LiDAR and the use of open data. We are developing more local partnerships to create rapid, tailored and cost-effective customer solutions, and support local economic growth.
8. Multi-disciplinary collaboration within Transport, across government and with industry partners delivers quick and decisive action, such as our role in the COVID-19 response, with shared insights and actions able to keep people and freight moving safely, and recognised as global best practice. We will expand our Transport, inter-agency and business partnerships to achieve effective outcomes.
9. Policy and legislation need to remain fit for purpose, outcomes-focused, technology-neutral and responsive to customer needs, which is why we are continuing to review and update our regulatory and policy frameworks.
10. Challenges commercialising Mobility as a Service (MaaS) have meant fewer MaaS providers entering the local market. We support providers by further developing the Opal Connect MaaS platform and in partnerships with private mobility operators offering personalised and connected journeys. We also hold regular innovation challenges to quickly deliver solutions with developers and have established open data sharing standards.
11. Intellectual property is valuable and must be managed as an asset as part of our technology program, so we have the ability to maintain and enhance solutions we commission or co-build with partners.
12. Digital programs often progress faster than infrastructure and service developments and need more flexibility to allow for project learnings, which is why we are establishing smaller-scale innovation funds that are more agile and responsive to opportunities to improve outcomes.

These lessons offer important insights for the successful delivery of customer and community outcomes. Accordingly, we have built these lessons into the exploration, design and delivery stages of all our programs, which contribute to Transport achieving its strategic outcomes for the people of NSW. We have also applied these lessons to our six priority programs contained within this Roadmap to ensure that we can leverage prior learnings to deliver and maximise the benefits for our customers across NSW.