Highlights from the SAAM Day 2025 Panel Discussion

When the room filled up for the second panel of SAAM Day 2025, there was a special kind of energy, the kind that happens when people who don’t usually sit at the same table decide to do so.

On stage were representatives from public transport, government, and technology, all united by a shared goal: to understand how Switzerland can build the future of autonomous mobility together.

Moderated by Eric Silva, the discussion brought together Marc Châtelain (TPG Geneva), Stefanie Berliner (Holo), Pascal Kern (Canton of Zurich), and Amin Amini (Loxo), under the guidance of Oliver Nahon (SAAM).

Setting the Scene: Why Collaboration Matters

Opening the session, Oliver Nahon reminded everyone that autonomous mobility “needs authorities, road users, operators, certification bodies, everyone.”
This simple statement set the tone: collaboration isn’t just a value at SAAM, it’s a necessity.

To make this collaboration tangible, SAAM recently launched a working group on the application process for automated vehicles, helping members and partners navigate the approval landscape.
As moderator Eric Silva explained, the goal is to guide anyone looking to deploy autonomous vehicles on Swiss roads, not only today for pilot projects, but soon for type-approved vehicles as well.

Meet our panelists  

Marc Châtelain
Chief Operating Officer, TPG

Stefanie Berliner
Head of DACH, Holo 

Pascal Kern
Head of Mobility Development and Management, Canton of Zürich

Amin Amini
Co-Founder & CEO, LOXO

Eric Silva
COO & Deputy CEO, CertX

Oliver Nahon
Director of Operations, SAAM

The Road Ahead – Challenges on the Horizon

With the new federal ordinance on automated driving in place, the panel explored what comes next.

For Marc Châtelain from TPG Geneva, the shift of responsibility from the federal level to the cantons is both a challenge and an opportunity. It allows motivated regions like Zurich or Geneva to move faster without waiting months for approval from higher authorities. But that agility comes with a price: cantons must now build the technical expertise needed to manage these new authorizations.

From the operator’s side, Stefanie Berliner of Holo stressed that regulation must be flexible enough to evolve with the technology. “We won’t have off-the-shelf level-4 systems next year,” she noted, emphasizing that each project needs to adapt to local infrastructure and safety requirements.

Representing Zurich’s public sector, Pascal Kern outlined three key challenges: clarifying who leads each process, verifying that operators truly meet safety standards, and managing political expectations between urban and rural areas.

Finally, Amine Amini of Loxo brought in the perspective of a tech provider. He warned that too many overlapping approval procedures could slow innovation, especially when European and Swiss requirements duplicate one another. For him, “asking for requirements is easy — ensuring they are traceable and consistent across systems is what really matters.”

Learning by Doing: What Past Pilots Taught Us

The panelists agreed that Switzerland’s strength lies in its hands-on approach.

At TPG, Marc Châtelain shared lessons from past projects like AVENUE and ULTIMO, which showed that autonomous vehicles work best in low-density areas where traditional bus services struggle. Their experiment even inspired a new on-demand service, TPG Flex, now expanding rapidly across Geneva.

For Stefanie Berliner, the key takeaway from European pilots is that technology alone doesn’t guarantee success. What really matters is early collaboration between operators, authorities, and technology providers to ensure projects meet real operational needs.

Pascal Kern added that long-term motivation is essential. Running a pilot means navigating countless legal and technical hurdles, so having aligned partners (and genuine enthusiasm) is what keeps momentum alive.

Meanwhile, Amine Amini reflected on two surprising findings from Loxo’s experience. First, social acceptance has been much higher than expected. “People are curious and positive,” he explained. “They come to see the vehicles, ask questions but rarely to complain.” Second, he noted the strong institutional support in Switzerland, where collaboration between city, canton, and federal authorities has been remarkably smooth.

To him, the next step is not about perfecting technology, but about making it useful and enjoyable for humans, including the drivers, dispatchers, and logistics workers who will use it daily.

As the discussion closed, Oliver Nahon summed it up simply: learning sometimes means failing, and that’s okay. “If we fail projects; we’ll learn from them and come back stronger.”

Collaboration in Practice: The Role of SAAM

The conversation naturally turned to the question of how collaboration actually happens and where SAAM fits in.

For Marc Châtelain, the answer is clear: public transport is, by nature, collaborative. “Our goal is to deliver the best possible service,” he said, “and that goal pushes us to work hand-in-hand with others.”

Stefanie Berliner added that while some discussions must remain closed early on, openness should be the default once foundations are set. “The real progress happens when we start sharing knowledge,” she observed.

From Zurich’s perspective, Pascal Kern sees SAAM as the crucial bridge between the public and private worlds : collecting lessons from each pilot and redistributing them across the ecosystem so that “no experience is lost.”

Amine Amini agreed, suggesting that SAAM’s impact could grow even further with more resources to help members connect and align their efforts. “We’re far from reaching the limits of collaboration,” he said with a smile.

In conclusion, Oliver Nahon emphasized that collaboration thrives on transparency and clarity. “When everyone knows their role and what value they bring, cooperation becomes natural.”

A European Perspective: Scaling Beyond Borders 

When audience questions opened, the topic quickly turned to scaling. Could Switzerland’s model work across Europe?

Amine Amini compared the local landscape to Germany’s. Switzerland, he noted, is smaller but more agile, thanks to the new ordinance, it no longer asks if autonomous mobility can happen, but how and when.

Stefanie Berliner added that scaling is not about running endless small pilots, but about aligning around a few strong projects that demonstrate safe and effective integration. The real challenge, she said, is consistency: ensuring that each canton, and each country, doesn’t reinvent the wheel.

Finally, Marc Châtelain reminded everyone that inclusion must remain a priority. Scaling should make mobility more accessible, not less. “We have to make sure everyone can use these services,” he noted, “otherwise we risk creating new mobility gaps.” 

Conclusion: A Shared Commitment to Move Forward

As the session drew to a close, Oliver Nahon reflected on what makes Switzerland’s mobility ecosystem so special: a unique mix of trust, pragmatism, and open dialogue.

He reminded the audience not to take this collaborative culture for granted. “The opportunities we have here are rare,” he said. “Let’s keep building on this spirit, together.”

The message was simple yet powerful: the future of autonomous mobility in Switzerland won’t be built by one actor alone. It will be the result of many: public, private, and academic: working as one.

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