Meet Atle Gabrielsen Forsvoll, Sales Manager Norway, who has a real enthusiasm and motivation for helping to continuously improve public transport.
1. Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at FARA?
I started in my role as Sales Manager at FARA back in May and I have had a fantastic few months, with lots of learnings and getting to know my great co-workers. In my role, I focus on both existing and potential new customers within the PTO segment, and even though I am still fairly new to FARA, I am not new to the public transport industry. Previously, I’ve worked for Boreal Travel, responsible for various IT-projects as well as management of the express bus and tourist routes.
I am a public transportation enthusiast, and I do not own a car. In my spare time I really enjoy cycling, and I had planned a cycling experience going from Cape Town to North Cape. I made it to South Africa, but did not get any further unfortunately before the world went into lockdown.
2. What do you like about working for FARA and what do you enjoy the most about your role?
Working at FARA is not just another job, we are working on some of the most important opportunities of our time – climate change being one of them. The UN’s climate report did not leave room for any doubt, the time to act is now. I find going to work and knowing that we play a part in the solution to climate change really inspiring! It keeps me motivated and eager to give my best.
On a more local level, we help create better connected cities and towns, with less traffic congestion. We help provide those living in more rural areas similar public transport opportunities as we have in busy city centres.
These things make me really excited about my work!
3. What are you most excited about for 2022?
I really like our newest ticketing system feature “BestPrice”. With this feature, algorithms in the travel app will calculate the ticket price based on the passenger’s travel pattern. The more you travel, the more discount you will get. I am also very excited about Tap On / Tap Off. Contactless payment is of undeniable importance in the future of public transport as it provides benefits to both passengers as well as operators and drivers.
4. What is the most interesting development with the public transport industry, and why?
Electric buses! We have had electric cars around for a while now. However, the transition to electric buses has started more recently. Electrified public transport is eco-friendly and produces little noise pollution, there are even electric tour coaches already on our Norwegian roads. There are challenges on the way in introducing eco-friendly transport alternatives, and I am delighted about FARA’s role in overcoming these.
5. And finally, if you could take a long bus journey with anyone famous, who would it be and why?
Well, if it is a bus ride it must be Rosa Parks, the bravest bus-passenger I know of. For those who do not remember, she was a black woman who refused to vacate her seat on the bus for a white passenger in Alabama, opposing the segregation laws. For me it is hard to understand what it took to stand up to this kind of suppression, and I would really want to hear her story.