Reflections from TRB #3: Emerging Mobility Services Abroad
Reflections from TRB #3: Emerging Mobility Services Abroad
Tuesday morning at the TRB Annual Meeting, I attended a session entitled "Adoption of Emerging Mobility Services and Other Disruptive Technologies: An International Perspective". The presentations included discussion on technologies in use in cities in Latin America and Africa to organize the informal transportation options to reduce inefficiencies and some of the regulatory challenges.
Some of the highlights of this session included:
- Overview of payment innovations such as:
- Publicly sponsored apps providing that integrate payment for informal transportation options
- SMS payment and reservation systems for informal transportation in Africa
- Discussion on the regulatory efforts and challenges in reacting to the rise of micromobility, including designated parking spaces in cities like Bogota and Mexico City.
The emergence of these disruptive technologies has put government agencies into a state of reaction, and has raised questions about how governments can and/or should regulate or partner with technology companies to best serve their citizens. For example, should transportation agencies aim to serve as the leaders on digital and/or physical integration of new mobility options? What kind of technologies can be subsidized to help fill the gaps of existing public transportation services?
EBP looks forward to partnering with both public and private entities to continue work that could help answer some of these essential questions.
