About
Decarb Pathways & Darek (Dariusz) Koper
I am Darek (Dariusz) Koper, Founder and Managing Director of Decarb Pathways. I am a highly skilled manager and a people’s leader with significant experience in large organisations in retail and transportation in private and public sector. I deeply care about organisation-wide interests and key stakeholder outcomes while delivering excellent customer, employee and stakeholder experience with a focus on safety, sustainability, performance and creating shareholder value. I am focused on motivating and influencing people to achieve the desired culture, outcomes and improve performance to realise strategic goals.
I am leading the decarbonisation of transport with one of the largest Australian companies and have led the transition to low emission buses in Auckland, New Zealand and have led the investigation to implement low emission ferries and the necessary landside infrastructure upgrades in Auckland. I have been teaching at UITP and PTAANZ Zero Emission Bus Training in Canberra, Sydney, and Auckland and global training webinars online. I chaired the NZ Low Emission Bus Working Group and took part in the Bus Decarbonisation Steering Group with the NZ Ministry of Transport and Waka Kotahi NZTA to influence regulatory changes and standardisation for electric buses and infrastructure. I presented and spoke at various seminars, conferences and webinars on transition to low emission public transport, electro mobility and charging infrastructure. I collaborated with organisations looking to transition to low emission transport and the supply chain who will support it with their products and services.
On my journey to sustainable public transport, I have taken the leadership to develop Auckland’s plan to transition to low emissions buses from 2018. I successfully engaged the bus supply chain through New Zealand’s first Low Emission Bus Forum in July 2019 and subsequently led and chaired Auckland’s Low Emission Bus Working Group, taking it to a national status in 2020.
I have successfully implemented and conducted zero emission bus procurement, e-bus trials and electricity grid impact studies for bus depots to further develop Auckland’s Low Emission Bus Roadmap to transition Auckland’s public transport buses to zero emission (at the tailpipe) buses by 20350. The trials included Australasia’s first 3-axle hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) bus and the first electric bus in the 3-axle configuration and associated charging infrastructure. The Low Emission Bus Roadmap and HFC bus trial were the finalists for the Low Carbon Future Award at the New Zealand Energy Excellence Awards in 2021 and 2022.
I supported the Ministry of Transport’s policy development on decarbonising bus public transport in New Zealand by 2035 and influenced changes to the Waka Kotahi NZTA Requirements for Urban Bus (RUB) regulations in 2020 to enable safe and efficient operation of zero emission buses in NZ and their interoperability. I also played a key part in developing a pathway for transition to low emission ferries in Auckland, including an assessment of landside charging infrastructure to support the operation of electric ferries.
I have presented at Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand (PTA ANZ) as a subject matter expert at Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Training in Canberra, Sydney and Auckland, ZEB Online Forums hosted by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), and was as guest speaker at Mass Transit’s Conference on Clean Buses in APAC in Singapore in 2019 and online conference in 2020 and participated in a number of panels on decarbonising transport.
What others say about us
Our mission
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You can count on our expertise
Proven ability to perform under pressure and deliver within deadlines, on budget and achieve high-quality outcomes and high standards of management excellence.
Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships, including the ability to coach, advise and influence all levels of seniority, both with internal and external stakeholders in private and public sectors.
A firm commitment to sharing knowledge, experiences and seeking continuous improvement.
Ability to translate vision and strategy and deliver on significant change programmes and key strategic projects.
Expertise in shaping the future of public transport and reducing transport emissions.
Hear us speaking
Latest appearances
July 2024 | Attended events organized by UITP ANZ in Sydney, Australia.
May 2024 | Panelist at Tourism and Transport Forum’s 2024 Green Revolution Summit in Sydney, Australia.
September 2023 | Appeared in September 2023 edition of Silicone India Magazine with CXO Insights | Read more
July 2023 | The 65th Annual Conference of Taranaki – Groundspread NZ in New Plymouth, New Zealand.
June 2023 | Gave and Interview for the Silicion India Magaizne | Read more
March 2023 | PTAANZ Zero Emissions Public Transport Symposium in Sydney, Australia.
January 2023 | The grand opening of New Zealand’s first fully electric bus depot in Auckland, New Zealand.
October 2022 | Official launch of the new e-bus with the Minister of Transport Michael Wood at the Bus and Coach Association of NZ in Auckland, New Zealand
November 2022 | PTAANZ Zero Emissions Bus Training in Sydney, Australia.
October 2022 | KPGM NZ Public Sector Network’s Future Cities and Regions event in Wellington, New Zealand
Notable mentions
Tourism and Transport Forum’s 2024 Green Revolution Summit in Sydney
In May 2024, I attended Tourism and Transport Forum’s 2024 Green Revolution Summit in Sydney representing UGL on panel talking about decarbonisation of public transport and accelerating the change.
We discussed responsible sustainability practices, from minimising environmental impact and conserving natural resources to supporting local communities and cultures through tourism and transport, and I spoke accelerating transition to sustainable public transport in the ANZ region.
Key take out from the event:
- Collaboration with energy sector is desperately needed to meet peak power demands and timely HV connections to airports, and other large transport hubs.
- Developing locally produced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) will unlock lower emission form air travel and open opportunities for cheaper sustainable diesel for heavy road and rail operations.
UITP ANZ in Sydney, Australia
In July 2024, I had opportunity to share some learnings, challenges, and opportunities with other global and local subject matters experts and some interested stakeholder at events organized by UITP ANZ. I heard from professionals working on meeting the government’s commitments to zero emission buses (ZEBs) and accelerating transition to sustainable public transport in the ANZ region.
There are some key take out from the event:
- Australia needs to double the ZEB manufacturing capacity by 2028 to meet future demand for ZEBs under current local content requirements.
- Collaboration with energy sector is desperately needed to meet peak power demands and timely HV connections to bus depots.
- Cost of charging electric fleets may change in near future from with overnight charging no longer the cheapest as Australia’s energy mix changes.
- Batteries are getting more efficient and cheaper, and the associated charging technology opens new possibilities.
- Multi-use sites are great way to co-locate with ZEBs and other commercial EVs and maximise investment in property and achieve efficiencies with power supply.
- Financing buses and batteries at scale provide alternative and faster way to deploy more electric vehicles.
- Technology opens new opportunities to monetise investment in charging infrastructure.
- Hydrogen will play a role in transport with fleets performing well but the cost of hydrogen remains the biggest challenge.
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Get in touch with us to get a free consultation. This would be a 30-minutes quick fire chat to briefly discuss your approach to reducing transport emissions and understand how we can help.
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