Fleet News sister brand Smart Transport is holding its virtual conference today and tomorrow (June 8-9), with 30-plus speakers discussing electric vehicles (EVs), clean air zones (CAZs) and more. 

Kwasi Kwarteng, secretary of state at the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), is the first keynote speaker.

He will discuss the 2030 ban on diesel and petrol cars and vans, and will then answer a series of questions put to him by Smart Transport chair Stephen Joseph.

More than 1,000 people have signed up to the online event, which brings together senior public sector policymakers at national and local level, and influential private sector leaders from across the UK’s transport sector.

If you haven’t signed up for the conference yet, there’s still time to register for free entry here.

Other speakers in this morning’s plenary sessions are:

• Keith Williams, author of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, on rail’s role in integrated transport, decarbonisation and innovation.
• Huw Merriman, chair of the Transport Select Committee, who will outline the steps the committee believes the Government should take to address transport decarbonisation.
• Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, who will share insights from the organisation’s weekly surveys on how people feel about travel during the pandemic.

All three speakers will be taking part in a live panel discussion, chaired by Joseph, at 10am-10.30am, giving delegates the chance to send questions their way.

From 11am to 1.15pm, four breakout sessions on key topics take place:

• Addressing urban air quality.
• Place-based solutions to decarbonise transport.
• Switching to electric.
• Achieving modal shift.

More than 30 speakers will take part in the conference over the two half days, with plenary sessions on day two (June 9) from:

• Rachel Maclean, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Transport, who will discuss the future of transport and the industry’s pivotal role in a ‘green recovery’ from the pandemic.
• Beth Osborne, director of Transportation for America, who will provide a US perspective on transport.
• Norman Baker, advisor to the CEO, Campaign for Better Transport, who will discuss measures to boost a return to public transport as Covid-19 restrictions ease.
• Ruth Cadbury, co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling and Walking, who will outline the opportunities presented by active travel.

A further four conference breakout sessions on day two will address:

• Freight.
• Transport outside cities.
• Data and new mobility trends.
• Universal and inclusive transport. 

The full conference programme is available here.