Public Transit 2018
Picture It…
A mosaic of transportation options spread across a city, forming a seamless portrait of urban mobility. Hovercrafts nimbly navigate roads once occupied by terrestrial vehicles. Commute in comfort in an on-demand pod for door-to-door service. High-speed trains propel travelers to far-off cities at unprecedented speeds- a private car would only slow you down.
Well, not just yet…but, advancements in technology have accelerated the changing landscape of public transportation. What can we expect this year?
In Vogue for 2018
A focus on Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has put transit system optimization and holistic integration at the forefront of innovation. All eyes are on autonomous vehicles in 2018, but it seems projections by developers were overly ambitious. Over time, autonomous vehicles will be integrated into mobility ecosystems as pilot programs, eventually becoming mainstream transit solutions. However, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), one of the world’s largest consumer technology events that took place in Las Vegas earlier this month, developments in aero-technology dominated the spotlight. The promise of autonomous, on-demand, urban air taxis grabbed the headlines, proving tech companies of all shapes and sizes are emerging to contribute to urban mobility.
One platform to rule them all
Not all improvements to urban mobility are quite so glamorous as flying vehicles. Harnessing the power of big data in a cloud-based data sharing platform could be one of the most disruptive technologies of 2018. The mobility cloud will be the “connective tissue for forward-thinking services and vehicles that will make up the smart city of tomorrow,” according to a major auto manufacturer.
Big data companies are building a mobility nervous system that can anticipate and react to commuter demands resulting in a more efficient transit ecosystem. Players in the world of mobility envision a fully integrated, multi-modal platform, capable of responding to the dynamic conditions of urban life, where all stakeholders can benefit based upon a mutual desire for a better transportation experience. As the world’s largest aggregator of public transit data, Moovit is propelling this vision. According to Moovit Co-founder and CEO Nir Erez, “This is a treasure trove of urban mobility data that will ultimately underpin the next generation of mobility as a service. This information will lead to an overall shift in all aspects of urban mobility planning and management.”
All for one, and one for all
With 2018 still in its infancy, it remains to be seen who and what will define the practical changes to how people travel. With many tech companies poised to assert themselves as leaders in mobility innovation throughout a plethora of sectors, commuters stand to benefit.
Here’s to another year of mobility progress for all people!