Industrial Strategy: Future of Urban Mobility plan to boost innovations such as ride-sharing

The Government has set out plans to become "a world leader in shaping the future of mobility," with a strategy that prepares the UK for "the blurring of public and private transport" including ride-hailing and mobility as a service.

Ministers will prepare a 'Future of Urban Mobility' strategy within 12 months to position UK businesses in the marketplace as part of a new Industrial Strategy, responding to and embracing "a profound change in how we move people, goods and services driven by extraordinary innovation in engineering, technology and business models". The Industrial Strategy White Paper notes that "new market entrants and new business models, such as ride-hailing services, ride sharing and ‘mobility as a service’, are challenging our assumptions about how we travel".

Ministers vow to establish a flexible regulatory framework as part of plans to leave the European Union "to encourage new modes of transport and new business models" to allow new technologies and new business models to emerge, including the pledge outlined at the time of the Budget to bring about self-driving cars to UK roads by 2021.