Intelligent Transport Podcast: COVID-19 special – Bernard Tabary, Keolis

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly changed the public transport sector forever – patronage has seen dramatic decline; passenger trust has, in many cases, been compromised; and mobility as a whole has entered a new era of social distancing and essential travel only. 

This rift has been witnessed across the entire sector, but public transport operators are among the hardest hit – Keolis being no exception. Keolis is one of the world’s largest public transport operators, with a presence in 15 countries. Since its formation in 2001, the company now manages trains, automated metros, trams, buses, bikes, sea shuttles, on-demand transport, autonomous vehicles, car parks, etc. across five continents.

In this episode, CEO International Bernard Tabary explains how an operator of Keolis’ scale has dealt with the pandemic and how he sees the future unfolding.

Bernard goes on to explore some of the safety measures being implemented across the world, offering his views on their functionality and practicality. Alongside this, he discusses how COVID-19 may impact the progress that has been made in new mobility to-date, as well as the importance of coming together to mitigate the virus’ impacts on the economy and the future integrity of public transport.

Biography 

Born in 1960, Bernard Tabary is a graduate of Rouen Business School. He started his career with the Bolloré group in 1983. From 1983 to 2000, he held a number of management roles in the Transport and Logistics branch, including Vice Chairman of Marketing, Quality and Information Systems (1989 – 1994), Managing Director Australia and New Zealand (1994 – 1995) and Director Africa Line (1997 – 2000).

In 2000, he was appointed Managing Director of the Environment Division of Plastic Omnium, an automotive equipment manufacturer.

He joined the Keolis Group in 2005 as Deputy Managing Director. In 2007, he was appointed Managing Director of Keolis Lyon, the Group’s subsidiary, with responsibility for operating and maintaining Lyon’s public transport network. In 2011, he was appointed Group Executive Director International.