The Robomobility Revolution of Urban Public Transport: A Social Sciences Perspective

The book explores how technological, political, and societal changes are transforming urban mobility, with the objective of enhancing mobility and accessibility while reducing vehicle ownership, congestion, road accidents, and pollution. Robomobility is a key part of this transformation, offering several mobility schemes such as car-sharing, car-pooling, bike sharing, free-floating, ridesharing, and ride hailing. The book aims to answer questions about what robomobility is, how it is being implemented, how citizens are taking part, its environmental impacts, and its economic impact.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 218 pages
Publication date: 02 September 2022
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Over the past two decades, society has been captivated by the profound transformation of urban mobility driven by a convergence of technological, political, and societal forces. This transformative journey, propelled by both newcomers and established players, has been fueled by disruptive and incremental innovations, with a central objective of enhancing mobility and accessibility while simultaneously reducing vehicle ownership, congestion, road accidents, and pollution in cities.

This remarkable shift has been largely enabled by the widespread adoption of internet-connected devices, such as smartphones and tablets, which have revolutionized the way we interact with the world around us. Moreover, the rapid digitalization that has accompanied this technological revolution has given rise to innovative business models, technologies, and use cases, such as peer-to-peer car-sharing, car-pooling, bike sharing, free-floating car, bike, and electric scooter sharing, ridesharing, and ride hailing services, catering to long-distance and urban mobility needs alike.

In order to comprehensively understand this revolution, the book presents a holistic perspective, exploring how robomobility is unfolding and highlighting the key pillars upon which its implementation rests. It aims to address a range of critical questions, including:

What exactly is robomobility, and what implications does it hold for the diverse stakeholders within the public transport ecosystem? How do policy makers integrate this innovative technology, and how prepared are the regulations to accommodate it? How can citizens actively participate in this transformative process? What is the level of user acceptance for this novel form of mobility? What are its environmental impacts? What is the economic impact of deploying these autonomous shuttles within local ecosystems?

By delving into these profound inquiries, the book seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the robomobility landscape, shedding light on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. It serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, industry professionals, citizens, and anyone interested in shaping the future of urban transportation.

Weight: 367g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030729783
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021