In the latest episode of CoMotion's Fast Forward podcast, host Nick Perloff-Giles sat down with Joshua Schank to discuss his forthcoming book 'New Tricks for Old Bureaucracies,' which examines his time as Director of LA Metro's Office of Extraordinary Innovation, including insights into how to break logjams, build consensus, and get agencies moving. 

Belgium leads the EU in EV adoption, and isn't resting on its laurels - it already has 3x the number of EV chargers per capita than the average peer country, and is planning a massive buildout. How exactly did they make it happen, and what opportunities exist for those outside of the country to get involved? To learn more, Nick Perloff-Giles sat down with Piet Demunter, CEO of Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT), to discuss the Belgian sustainability miracle and its lessons for abroad.

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Dr. Noel Hacegaba, COO of the Port of Long Beach, and Heather Tomley, Managing Director of Planning and Environmental Affairs for the Port of Long Beach, to discuss how a system as complicated as one of America's largest ports has managed to effectively stop most port-related pollution, and how it plans to go even further.

In this episode of Fast Forward, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Founder & Chief Curator of CoMotion John Rossant to discuss CoMotion's newest venture - a conference in Riyadh, focused on the intersection of east and west, mobility and technology, and policy and application. Listen for a preview of what the conference is preparing to offer. ———————————— Saudi Arabia and Riyadh are at the crossroads of a global shift to sustainable, connected and multimodal mobility. CoMotion GLOBAL in Riyadh on Dec 7–9, 2025, will set the urban agenda in the heart of one of the world’s most dynamic cities. Connect with an unprecedented array of public and private sector leaders shaping the future of mobility, including mayors, innovative policymakers, founders & CEOs, and VC investors. Explore the future of mobility and urban transformation — where East meets West in a groundbreaking global forum. The world’s next great leap in mobility starts here. Join the movement: comotionglobal.com ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/comotion_global/ YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Steve Adler, former mayor and city councilmember of Austin, TX. They discuss the work required to bridge across interest groups, passing legislation with long time horizons, and how to build consensus for large-scale transit projects.

With the recent signing of Shohei Otani, traffic to Dodger Stadium, LA's premiere sports venue, is up more than 12% - all without fixed transit infrastructure to handle the surge. In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with David Grannis of Zero-Emissions Transit and Michael Manley of Gondola manufacturer Leitner-Poma to discuss their project that solves the stadium's congestion by going in one direction: up.

Why is it often easier to pay for a cup of coffee than it is to pay for a ride on transit? In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Ben Lebedin from US Bank & Elavon to discuss the opportunities presented by open-loop payments, the benefits of the service to both consumers and transit agencies, and the treasure trove of data that it presents.

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles is joined by Matthew Daus, Partner at Windels-Marx and former Commissioner of the New York City TLC. They discuss the political headwinds facing congestion pricing, the challenges and successes of modernizing taxi service in the city, and what insurance markets might yield in policy to come.

More than 70% of CO2 emissions are being generated in cities and these cities often lack access to the financing tools necessary to bring sustainable solutions to life. In this episode, CoMotion’s John Rossant chats with Mauricio Rodas, Former Mayor of Quito, Ecuador, and Lisa Sachs, Director, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment to discuss the rising demand for sustainable mobility and transit solutions, and the new global Taskforce The SUMIT. ———————————— Join us next week at CoMotion MIAMI '25, Apr 29-30. Get your pass now: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

Across the country, transit agencies face a dilemma: how to provide reliable, safe, and equitable service for individuals who rely on ADA paratransit, while keeping costs low? In this episode, CoMotion's Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Dmitriy Vanchugov, Head of Partnerships at Uber Transit, alongside Spare Labs Co-Founder & CEO Kristoffer Vik Hansen, Stephanie Doughty (MV Transportation), and David Hatch (MBTA) to explore all the different aspects of ‘Riders’ Choice’, an innovative approach to paratransit that allows riders to flexibly choose between conventional paratransit vehicles and ridehail.

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Lewis Lehe, Assistant Professor in the Transportation Systems group of the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at UIUC, to discuss congestion pricing's consequences, two months later. Has the toll worked in reducing congestion downtown? How might we measure that? And beyond simply reducing congestion, are there other benefits to this policy? This conversation explores answers to those questions, and probes further about the purpose of ambitious policies like this one.

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Leigh-Ann Buchanan, Founder & CEO of the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority, a 501c(3) non-profit that connects the most innovative startups in Miami's private markets with the most pressing needs in the public sector. They discuss how MDIA is disrupting slow procurements, and how public sector involvement can 'de-risk' innovation. Plus, a sneak peek at CoMotion MIAMI '25.

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Puneeth Meruva, Partner at Trucks VC, a fund which invests in early-stage ideas that make transportation decarbonized, safer and more accessible. With the retrenchment of public dollars in things like electrification and alternatives to private automotives, the private sector is exploring where true creativity and returns are possible, and where policy adaptations can yield scalable change; hear in this conversation where the future dollars of early stage investors might go!

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Alison Cohen, founder, chair, and president of Bicycle Transit Systems, one of the oldest and largest bikesharing networks in the country. They talk about the stubborn economics of bikeshares, the history of the model from coin-operated to electrified, and what's in store as systems recover from the ebbing ridership of the pandemic.

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Henriette Cornet, USF professor and sustainable autonomy expert, and Toby McGraw, Chief Revenue Officer at Beep, an autonomous shared mobility startup, to discuss the past, present, and future of autonomy, with lessons from Europe and beyond on fleet management, integration of autonomous infrastructure into urban cores, and using autonomy to compliment, rather than compete, with public transit. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '25, Apr 29-30. Get your pass now and save 50% off: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

In this episode, Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with Ya-Ting Liu, the new Chief Public Realm Officer for New York City. They talk about how urban leaders can thoughtfully deploy pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, tackle entrenched bureaucracies, and expand economic opportunity through vibrant, joyful urban design. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '25, Apr 29-30. Get your pass now and save 50% off: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

In this episode, John Rossant talks to Paul Rennie, OBE, the British Consul General in Los Angeles, about the UK's new legal framework around autonomy and how that'll impact the next decade of innovation in the sector. They also talk regional investment, what LA's car-culture can learn from the brits, and how autonomy may reshape not only our cities, but the demographic fabric of our countries. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '25, Apr 29-30. Get your pass now and save 50% off: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

2024 saw a significant contraction in venture capital investment in mobility, down more than 50% since its frothy peak in 2021. So what comes next? In this episode, John Rossant, CEO & Founder of CoMotion chats with Prescott Watson, Operating Partner at RedBlue Capital, and investor and board member of Aerolane, a new company focusing on reducing aerial cargo costs. Hear from them about where venture does (and doesn't) make sense in mobility investing, how Aerolane is disrupting shipping, and what the next admin might look like for the clean energy transition. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '25, Apr 29-30. Get your pass now and save 50% off: https://www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

In this episode of CoMotion’s Fast Forward Podcast, host Nick Perloff-Giles dives into Portland's efforts in advancing sustainable delivery and smart curbs with PBOT's Jacob Sherman and Kristin Hull. They share insights on the challenges and lessons learned from implementing smart curbs, mapping curb usage, and partnering with private companies to “make the curb more productive”. The conversation explores the significant shift in urban delivery landscapes, emphasizing the importance of safety, climate goals, and equity. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '25, Apr 29-30. Get your pass now and save 50% off: https://www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ

In the latest episode of CoMotion’s Fast Forward Podcast, Ray Sosa, Chief Planning Officer for LA Metro, sits down with our own Nick Perloff-Giles to talk about the billions the agency is investing to expand transit in the notoriously car-centric region. Ray, who has been working in LA transit for three decades, says the big shift is not just about the new rail lines and bus routes being built, it’s about a fundamental change in attitude where people are demanding more transit options. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion LA '24, Nov 13-14. Get your pass now: www.comotionla.com/register ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ