Â鶹ÒùÔº

Social attitudes are driving Europe's mobility transformation, not tech

Mobility is evolving rapidly, especially in Europe, and this transformation is not only reflected in the types of vehicles being used, but also in citizens themselves. Motivations, preferences, and social values are shifting quickly.

Innovations like electric and self-driving cars promise to make transport , efficient and clean. As a result, public policies and discourse are now focused on guiding and preparing society for this new generation of vehicles.

However, recent years have also seen the exponential growth of ride share services like Uber and Cabify as well as electric bike, scooter and moped rental apps like Lime, which are known collectively as MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service). This has revealed something unexpected: people today are less concerned about the type of vehicle they travel in, and . To many of us, what matters most is simply getting where we're going rather than how we look while doing it.

More than technology, mobility has always been governed by social trends and cultural norms that evolve over time. The current transport revolution therefore no longer depends solely on a group of engineers, but on understanding users' true needs.

Moving past 'Peak Car'

While the shift has been gradual, there is little doubt that today's younger Europeans by owning or using a particular type of vehicle. Data shows that we are now moving past what is known as , with statistics from recent decades revealing a .

After housing and food, transport is often a household's third biggest expense, making car use a perennial source of questions, especially for young people: Why buy a car if you can rent one? Why not use an Uber, Cabify, or a taxi? If you don't ever plan on owning (or can't afford) a car, why bother getting a driving license at all?

Increasingly, practical or personal considerations—such as values, personal circumstances, environmental awareness, a sense of freedom, age, income or geographic location—now take precedence over owning a particular kind of vehicle.

Historically, mobility-related research has focused on vehicles—how to make them cleaner, smarter, more automated—without much thought for the people who use them. However, declining vehicle sales and the rise of new transport options are now bringing people's needs and preferences to the center of the conversation.

One of the clearest examples of this shift is the change in how private cars are perceived. While older generations dreamed of owning a car—not least because it symbolized status, freedom and adulthood—young people today often see it as an . Phenomena such as Peak Car and the growth of MaaS prove that the value placed on car ownership and use has indeed hit its limit.

It should, however, be acknowledged that for many people living beyond the reach of public transport and MaaS, such as in rural or suburban areas, the private car . The same can be said for families with small children, or elderly or disabled relatives.

Distrust and ethical dilemmas

Research data shows that technological evolution is not always socially accepted. In the , many people still distrust their range, and despite their widely recognized , the cost remains too high for many, especially young people. There are also serious . As a result, environmental awareness often takes a backseat to pragmatism.

Autonomous vehicles also raise ethical questions. Who is responsible in case of an accident? How are decisions made in emergency situations? Who will the vehicle try to save if an accident is unavoidable? This ethical dilemma—closely related to the famous thought experiment—demands a standard to be set whereby autonomous vehicles are programmed to save .

In addition, there is no unified legislation for autonomous vehicles across all European countries. Why would a consumer buy an autonomous car if they might not even be allowed to use it?

There is also a growing concern about privacy. To use an autonomous vehicle, you have to tell it where you're going. This raises serious doubts about who gets access to that information. Is it just the vehicle, or could it also be your parents, or your partner?

To all this we can add the increasing popularity of among young (and not so young) people. The appeal is clear: they are quick, affordable, can travel through roads and pedestrian areas alike, and don't need a parking space. They can also be taken on trains or buses, a form of transport known as multimodality.

Evidently, it won't just be MaaS that replaces private cars. Transforming mobility will require a balance between technology and social realities. No solution will succeed if people don't trust it, nor will it succeed if it excludes large parts of the population—young or elderly, urban or rural, single individuals or families—or fails to meet their diverse needs.

People at the center of tomorrow's mobility

The way we move around in Europe is not just changing because of technology, but also because of how we think. For future transport systems to work, we need to understand how different people view, use, and adapt to these new ways of moving.

This means that governments, companies, and innovators need to work together. It's not enough for transport to be fast or eco-friendly, it must also be accessible and affordable for everyone, taking into account the unique needs of each section of society. This means technology cannot be disconnected from real life. We need to teach people how to use digital tools, make sure everyone has access to new services, and design systems that fit the way people actually live.

Only by putting people at the center of these changes can Europe fully benefit from the mobility revolution that is already well underway.