Maximizing underutilized assets and infrastructure for both passengers and cargo, by leveraging auxiliary assets, emerging technologies and innovative service-based business models
There is a vast network of public and private infrastructure and assets that are not utilized to their maximum capacity due to reasons like scheduling, systemic inefficiencies, repair requirements, cultural norms of ownership etc. For example, companies like Uber and Ola have disrupted the need for private vehicle ownership, demonstrating a successful use case for the concept of services that facilitate sharing. The application of this concept can now be explored in public transit, railways, roads, inland waterways and more, opening up new opportunities for economic productivity and employment generation. Similarly, a digital toll payment technology allows for greater utilization of existing infrastructure, i.e. highways, by a larger number of cars in a shorter amount of time. Other such auxiliary assets can be created or leveraged to improve the utilization of existing assets and infrastructure.
The optimization opportunities inherent in this under-utilization of assets and infrastructure can be capitalized upon using emerging technologies and innovative business models. If concerns about data security are adequately addressed, sharing services can revolutionize access, affordability and convenience, particularly for inter-modal and digital connectivity.
Discussions under this theme will explore the opportunities emerging in these areas.

Promotion of clean transport involves a greater degree of reliance on electricity and alternative energy sources. The process of electrifying mobility will require the establishment of adequate infrastructure such as public charging infrastructure, dedicated charged corridors from point A to point B, charging points in residential complexes, bi-directional vehicular-grid interactions for power exchange, etc. None of this will be possible without comprehensive electrification, expanding the geographical reach of electrification to remote areas, as well as expanding the scope of electrification from households to other infrastructure.
The viability of new energy solutions along with the entire ecosystem including supply chain, mining & manufacturing, research and development, emissions mandates etc. are also waiting to be explored. Storage technology is rapidly evolving, and will alter the landscape of technological and economic possibilities. The diversification of energy sources that comes with exploration and exploitation of alternative energy will also improve energy security.
Discussions under this theme will build thus on existing public discourse on a comprehensive electrification agenda and potential alternative sources of energy. Policy opportunities arising from this ecosystem evolution are to be considered, together with a predicted timeline for these changes

The opportunity to bring efficiency in the movement of goods promises significant contribution to economic growth, and can lower embedded costs of doing business for agriculture and rural economies.
As national and local commerce expands, goods movement is ripe for transformation - this may range from optimized trucking, inter-modal transfer, concurrent passenger/freight traffic, to business model innovations like freight/driver swaps, and technology opportunities such as autonomous trucks, delivery robots, and drone delivery models.
Discussions under this theme will also consider the footprint of freight in the urban context, including pollution patterns, urban entry patterns, multi-use vehicles and other aspects to maximize public outcomes of vehicle utility.

The vast amount of data generated in mobility, from public transit use and operations, mobile phone usage, other connected devices, app-based aggregators, navigation systems, autonomous vehicles, etc, reflects unprecedented potential to improve decision-making and foster innovation.
Information helps new economy business models to thrive, but can also help cities and communities plan better for transportation, housing, and resource allocation, improving ease of living for citizens.
This theme will cover the generation, use, and potential for data and related innovations to facilitate improved outcomes for innovators, public stakeholders, and users.

India is projected to add 300 million new urban residents by 2050. This is almost equivalent to adding the population of United States to India in 30 years! If India adds the same number of vehicle penetration as the US, this would translate into almost one billion vehicles! Today, Indian roads are congested with 1/10th the vehicles of the US. The level of pollution in several Indian cities is one of the highest in the world. In terms of resources, the amount of imported oil India needed to fuel 1 billion cars will severely impair India's growth story. One of the biggest challenge of India's demographic shift to cities will be that of accommodating the mobility needs of the growing population. This will require India to rethink the design of its cities, particularly ways the cities can address the mobility requirement of its citizens and goods.

The way people travel is changing rapidly and could reshape cities and its transport system in fundamental ways, throwing up both opportunities and challenges. Policy makers around the world are experimenting will all possible mobility solutions. What does success look like? The session brings to share global best practices - the main trends, major challenges, and policies and programs initiated by the Government and the private sector. Indian cities can perhaps adapt some of their best practices with which India can forge a new pathway in mobility.