Future-proofing the Mobility Landscape

The challenge

Future mobility is being reshaped by rapid technological and societal change. More and more people are moving into cities, which increases traffic volumes, congestion, and accidents. Urban areas are becoming noisier, while air quality and green spaces are decreasing. At the same time, unattractive public transport services encourage private car use, which further reduces efficiency and increases environmental pollution — ultimately lowering quality of life.

A key difficulty in this transition from the “fossil” to the “post-fossil” age is making new (and existing) modes of transport attractive and widely available, so people can travel as flexibly and quickly as they currently do by car. Achieving meaningful change also depends on user acceptance: studies suggest bans often work less effectively than incentives, meaning future mobility requires coordinated efforts from society, politics, and business.

The solution

The mobility of the future is built on the digitalization and networking of transport systems. Technologies such as Big Data, 5G, artificial intelligence, and comprehensive connectivity can increase safety, improve efficiency, and reduce environmental pollution. Future mobility will increasingly combine shared mobility, automation, and electrification, driving transformation in cities: they will become quieter, air quality will improve, private cars will decrease (“road diet”), more green spaces will emerge, and overall quality of life will rise.

Reaching this future requires clear goals and practical implementation. These include alternative fuels for low- or zero-CO₂ mobility, comprehensive charging infrastructure for cars, public transport, and logistics, and the digitalization of transport infrastructure. Networking all road users and providing real-time traffic data with interfaces to traffic apps (“mobility on demand”) will enable better predictions and smarter planning. Attractive sharing services, strong public transport systems, and ride-hailing services will help reduce private car use while maintaining mobility options.

Multimodal mobility concepts form the backbone of this future ecosystem by making travel flexible and seamless across different modes of transport. Mobility hubs and Mobility-as-a-Service models place the user at the center, enabling tailored, convenient journeys through integrated services — often coordinated via a central smartphone app. Step by step, these technologies and concepts will make mobility more available, more flexible, safer, and more sustainable for everyone.