Sweden-California Mobility Professional Exchange Program Pilot
The Sweden-California Mobility Professional Exchange Program (PEP) pilot successfully facilitated a targeted research and innovation knowledge exchange between public sector transportation professionals in Sweden and California. Recognizing the rapid surge of development in California, the initiative allowed Swedish executives to investigate innovative shared mobility practices firsthand and bring actionable insights back to their home organizations.
Project Idea and Execution
Building on the success of the 2023 Sweden-California CoLab, the pilot was managed by K2 and the Rådslaget initiative, with critical local support from Seamless Bay Area and Californian authorities such as Caltrans.
The program targeted strategically selected transport leaders. Through three exchanges from Sweden to California and one from California to Sweden, professionals from organizations including Västtrafik, Skånetrafiken, and Trafikförvaltningen Region Stockholm conducted focused investigative projects. Their work explored high-impact areas where California is driving global change, specifically:
- The implications of robotaxis for public transport and urban planning.
- Advancements in digitalization and innovation management.
- Strategies for managing large-scale events from a transport perspective.
The pilot moved through four distinct phases: project initiation, the physical exchanges, dissemination activities, and a final evaluation.
Project Aim
Unlike traditional programs for individual mobility in Sweden, this pilot set out to explore how a thematically coherent approach could create synergies between individual exchanges and build a structured framework for industry-wide impact. While focused exclusively on Sweden and California, the concept was designed to be scalable to additional geographies in the future.
Results and Insights
"Innovation rarely crosses borders on its own — it travels with people. By giving a handful of key individuals the time to truly understand another system, we didn't just import lessons from California; we built relationships that will shape Swedish public mobility for years to come."
— Elias Arnestrand, Project Manager, K2 - The Swedish Knowledge Center for Public Mobility
Depth over breadth delivers
The 2-4 week investigative exchanges, each anchored in a specific problem statement, produced concrete recommendations that the participants' home organizations could act on directly. A level of transfer that conferences and study visits rarely achieve.
Four individuals, sector-wide reach.
By investing in strategically positioned leaders from Västtrafik, Skånetrafiken, Region Stockholm and Seamless Bay Area, the pilot's dissemination activities reached approximatly 200–300 professionals across Sweden and the US and created a lasting group of knowledge ambassadors.
A validated model, ready to scale
The pilot confirmed that a thematically coherent exchange structure creates synergies between individual exchanges. It has already generated follow-on activity, including new Sweden–California collaboration on autonomous mobility and public transport, and lays the groundwork for the possibility to scale.
Project Manager: Elias Arnestrand, K2 - The Swedish Knowledge Center for Public Mobility
Coordinating Parties: K2, Rådslaget, Seamless Bay Area (California)
Supported By: Caltrans, Vinnova (as part of the Future Mobility initiative)
Period: 2025 – 2026
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