Member spotlight: Christopher Barker
Christopher Barker is a Managing Partner at Hyve 1 and the Vice President of ACT’s Valley of the Sun Chapter. In this September member spotlight, learn about Christopher's current role, TDM experience, and time as an ACT member.
Please introduce yourself and your organization.
Hyve 1 is a green hydrogen fuel development company based in the Southwest and focused on delivering clean energy options for transportation and sustainable living.
As Managing Partner at Hyve 1, I’m working with transit agencies, vehicle/bus/truck/rail/aviation and maritime manufacturers and operators to discuss how we can provide a clean fuel option for their 24x7 transportation operations. Hydrogen offers another option to decarbonize our transportation industry while providing longer operating ranges and less fuel per filling giving more flexibility to fleet operations.
What brought you to TDM and how did you get involved in the field?
I’ve always been fascinated by things that move people – cars, trains, planes, boats, etc. I learned how to fly a plane before I learned how to drive a car. After college, I went to work for Boeing covering all aspects of aviation. I later went to Honeywell Aerospace where I got involved in clean fuels and aviation. More recently I was at Keolis/SNCF advancing 14 different modes of transportation around the world.
I enjoy helping people move from Points A to B. We are living in an exciting time where we get to reinvent what is possible in transportation.
Why did you get involved in ACT?
I’ve had the opportunity to work and travel around the world and observe how people utilize transportation. In many parts of the world, transportation is a train, a bus, a subway, a ferry, or some other mode that transports many people at the same time – a shared service.
In the US, short of a handful of major cities, cars (often with one passenger per car) are the norm. Transit is viewed as the thing people ride when they can’t afford a car. I joined ACT to help advance the human, economic, and environmental benefits of shared transportation – TDM.
What has been the most memorable moment of your experience in ACT?
Attending my first ACT International Conference in Portland. I’ve never met such a welcoming and collaborative group of people all focused on helping improve the transportation experience.
What would you tell someone thinking about becoming a member of ACT?
If you can only join one transportation industry association where you get to meet and collaborate with amazing people – this is the one! Join ACT!
What do you see as future opportunities and/or challenges for TDM?
The biggest challenge is, we live in a car-centric culture here in the US. The historic US focus has been on building more roads for more cars. Transit has been a distant second or third priority for moving people around our communities.
However, with the expansion of telework and more shared mobility options, the increase in vehicle gas prices and no end in sight to roadway congestion, there is more of an opportunity to change transportation behaviors. But we have to make shared mobility more accessible, affordable, clean, reliable and efficient. If we do this, then more TDM is possible.