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Transdev Forward - The mobility podcast
Demographics
For mobility operators, demographic change raises two urgent questions: How will passenger needs evolve, and how will we find the people to serve them? For a Group operating across 19 countries with over 100,000 employees, these aren’t abstract concerns — they’re already being felt in the field.
Jessica Knechtel knows these issues well. As head of Transdev's student transportation division in the Greater Toronto Area, in Canada, she faces the many impacts of the demographic shift on a daily basis. In this inaugural episode of Transdev Forward, she shares what this means for the company – particularly in terms of recruitment and retention – and how she innovates every day to meet these challenges.
00:05 Introduction and demographics challenge
01:57 Jessica Knechtel’s student transportation division
02:46 Special needs expertise and an aging population
03:43 Driver workforce demographics
05:15 Recruitment approach
07:40 Diversifying the talent pool
09:13 Attracting and retaining younger drivers
10:17 Leadership and trust as sources of pride
11:47 Outro
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2. Climate adaptation
16:16||Season 1, Ep. 2From extreme heat to storms and torrential rain, climate events are becoming more and more frequent, putting transport networks under growing strain. For mobility operators, the challenge is no longer just reducing their footprint, but also keeping services running in a changing environment. Operating across 19 countries in a wide range of climates, the Group has made adaptation an operational priority.At Transdev Sydney Ferries, in Australia, William Paranihi sees this reality first-hand every day. As General Manager Safety & Assurance, he is responsible for ensuring the reliability of a maritime network directly exposed to the whims of the weather. In this episode of Transdev Forward, William tell us how his teams are preparing for this “new normal” – from evolving procedures and staff training to risk anticipation. The goal: keeping Sydney’s ferries on the water, come rain, wind — or 46 °C heat.00:04 : Introduction and presentation of William Paranihi02:00 : Impact of climate change on Sydney ferries04:12 : Heat management in day-to-day operations 06:14 : Sydney as a preview of the "new normal" 08:01 : Service continuity during extreme climate events 08:57 : Visible and non-visible investments 09:15 : Other climate-related risks11:26 : Key Transdev initiatives 12:08 : Staff training and awareness 13:27 : Closing reflections and takeaways