Mobility 5.0 - A review for future strategies

The article Arthur D. Little and POLIS (2024) identifies eight promising “levers” — which, if implemented together, could dramatically shift mobility patterns. But individually, none of the eight solutions is impactful enough alone: each is estimated to contribute at most ~15% — hence the need for a coordinated, holistic approach.

There is a big “implementation gap”: while ~81% of “mobility leaders” surveyed recognise the eight levers as important, under 60% feel confident that current mobility systems are ready to implement them.

Barriers include: lack of integrated long-term policy, insufficient public-private coordination, infrastructure deficits, lack of funding or unsustainable funding models, and challenges in shifting user behaviour.

Holistic strategy is essential — piecemeal efforts (just electrification, or just shared mobility) won’t be enough. An integrated package of policies, planning, funding, services and demand management is needed.

Urban design & planning matter a lot — “city of proximity” and multimodal mass transport are as important as vehicle-side innovations.

Mobility must be viewed as a system, not just vehicles or services. That means rethinking funding, governance, regulation, user behaviour.

Public-private cooperation is critical — city/regional authorities, transport operators, mobility-service providers, investors all have to work together to deliver “virtuous mobility.”