Implications for public policy

The penetration of mobile Internet into the sphere of individual mobility is a source of immense and potentially profound transformations, whose scale we are only now beginning to glimpse. These transformations concern both the actors and modes of tomorrow’s transport and the travel behaviour of connected individuals who are able to get real-time access to new sources of travel information and to new transport services (ridesharing, bikesharing services, etc.). This chapter discusses the main challenges now facing public authorities in the development and implementation of transport policies as a result of the spread of the smartphone and the digitisation of urban mobility. The first challenge is to take advantage of new data and new opportunities for interaction with citizens to improve the targeting and effectiveness of transport policies. The second challenge is to integrate the new mobility services into transport systems and public space, connect them with public transport and modernise existing public transport systems. And finally, the third challenge is that of transitioning to a conception of the urban mobility market as a service, based on the digital integration of transport services in pursuit of sustainable mobility objectives. Tackling these three challenges will entail profound transformations in the nature of public action.