When we think about autonomous vehicles, we often get stuck in the noisy world of Uber vs. Waymo or the new and improved self-driving cars, but there’s a larger conversation to be had about the value of an open, on-demand mobility ecosystem that supports sustainable, inclusive, prosperous, and resilient cities. 

Bestmile’s perspective is that the economic, social and environmental benefits of autonomous vehicles can only be realized when vehicles are integrated in a coherent and coordinated urban mobility system along with existing transportation modes and city infrastructure.

The company was founded in 2014 by Raphael Gindrat and Anne Mellano when they had the idea to create a “control tower” for autonomous vehicles while working on a project at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

No one was focusing on a system that allowed companies to operate a fleet and provide a service with autonomous vehicles—now, Bestmile enables the intelligent operation and optimization of autonomous services, regardless of the vehicle brand or type.

Earlier this year, Bestmile closed its Series A funding round and was named to the World Economic Forum’s class of 2018 Technology Pioneers.

On today's tech podcast, I learn how Bestmile is helping its customers and partners, such as Renovo and the EU’s Avenue project, solve the first mile/last mile problem and manage fleets of human-driven and automated vehicles.

With the help Bestmile CEO Raphael Gindrat, we take a deeper dive into the technology and next-generation mobility.