It’s an exciting time for the transport sector. Trials of more connected and autonomous vehicles are starting to pick up the pace and the UK is right at the forefront with members of the public now being invited to board vehicles bristling with state-of-the-art technology.
Online retailers have started the introduction of delivery drones in earnest and the reintroduction of supersonic passenger travel appears to be on the cards thanks to Boom and others.
With pioneers like Elon Musk setting a very high bar for how ambitious people can be when it comes to transport technology, and with solutions more advanced than ever before, digital technology plays a huge role in every mode of travel.
The chance to transform existing services
In today’s digital-first era, new concepts such as the internet of things (IoT) offers the ability to revolutionise the delivery of existing public services as well as unlock the potential for new ones – particularly for the vehicles that we drive today.
Soon, our connected and autonomous cars will be another smart computing device we own, much like our tablets or smartphones, highlighting how transport is quickly becoming more intelligent.
Whether it’s new data communications services that will integrate transport systems into IoT or m-commerce that will transform transport retail – ‘intelligent mobility’ is driving disruption and opportunity across the entire transport sector. And it will continue to do so in the years to come, which is essential in order to deliver passenger-centric services.
Has transport been slow to adopt?
Over the last few years, the transport sector has been slow to adopt the new digital technologies that have dramatically transformed the customer experience in other sectors like retail and banking. There are many reasons for this, including our dependence on infrastructure and assets that have very long planning lifecycles and in-service lifetimes.
But the pace of technology development continues to accelerate and transformation is inevitable – embracing digital solutions in all their forms will benefit transport operators who continue to rapidly evolve services around passengers.
Our lives will only continue to become more intelligent with the use of technology, and it’s now time for transport companies to embrace this. By accelerating the route to ‘more intelligent’ mobility, operators can create the better travel experiences for customers that result in loyalty and custom.
Revolution is just around the corner
Digital transformation is already providing multiple ways for customers to optimise their journey by using applications and services that can process real-time conditions and then provide accurate, instantaneous information about various locations of interest.
The sooner we get to intelligent mobility, the sooner companies can create the best possible experience for their customers that will result in customer loyalty, return in custom and also an increase in usage.
Whilst revolution is just round the corner for transport, the likes of Hyperloop and Concorde 2 are still yet to be developed. But if digital technology continues to grow at this rate, the industry should soon be able to accommodate this and much more in years to come.
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To find out more about intelligent mobility, you can visit Fujitsu's blog here.
