Startups lead the way in smart city mobility

Mobility startups typically have the advantage of youth, agility, an interest in new technology, and an eye to creating future-proof transportation and technologies. However, they also face a number of unique barriers. Fortunately, smart cities have created a valuable space for mobility startups to innovate within.

By 2030, sixty percent of the global population will live in urban areas, and one in every three people will live in cities with at least half a million inhabitants. Many cities have spent part of the last decade embarking on ambitious, smart city projects that aim to make cities not only responsive but ‘smart’ and predictive of the needs of their inhabitants. A range of this smart infrastructure has IoT embedded in it, including smart kiosks, parking, transport systems, connected vehicles, weather monitoring, waste control, lighting, and traffic controls. Cities connect their infrastructure to deliver urban services more effectively, save money, and provide a means to engage with citizens, visitors, and local businesses.

Successful cities are typically part of research programs, pilot studies, and funding recipients of bigger Government investments or the investment of big companies such as Cisco, Intel, and various telcos and utilities. But equally critical is the role startups can play in smart city mobility, bringing in new…