Economy of sharing for more space and cleaner air

Our mobility patterns are, to say the least, on the verge of a major shift. Digitalisation gives people the possibility to take advantage of an economy of sharing on a larger scale, and owning a car no longer needs to be an intrinsic value. Instead of ownership, access to various transport options is the key.

Rather than ownership and reliance on a single mode of mobility, the mobility of the future will encompass a diversified blend of different transport services. This concept is called Mobility as a Service. A variety of transport options and services will be used to meet mobility needs.

For the ordinary person, seamlessly interconnected mobility services bring effortlessness. Not owning a car means not having to worry about servicing, insurance, parking spots and unexpected costs.

From society’s perspective, a reduced number of cars would have an impact on the use of space. Cars are stationary about 95 per cent of the time, taking up space on streets and in parking lots and garages. As research shows that one carpool can replace up to 15 individual cars, their use on a wider scale will have major impacts on, for example, construction, town planning and the cityscape.

The business opportunities for mobility services are promising in Finland as well, but the biggest challenges and thus also the greatest opportunities lie in tackling the pollution and congestion issues in megacities. We Finns can do our part in overcoming these challenges.