The prevalence of the private car has been one of the most significant changes to our society in the past century. Private cars have given us great freedom, but also challenges with accidents, pollution, and traffic. Now, we are facing a shift in technology that can create an entirely new transportation system: Self-driving cars, taxi-apps and new ridesharing services are some of the novelties. This can provide flexible transportation services for more people but will also pose new challenges.
The interdisciplinary project REGSMART (Regulating Smart Mobility), where the Norwegian Board of Technology is one of the partners, aims to prepare policy makers for this transition. The project will consider three areas:
- Data sharing will be necessary for an efficient and smart transportation system. Simultaneously new actors will get access to more data on how we travel. How can we ensure privacy?
- The new transportation market: Many new providers will enter the market. Digital transportation platforms want the largest possible market shares, while existing companies will be challenged. How should the market be regulated?
- Public control: What will the new roles of public transportation companies be? How should collaboration between public and private actors be governed?
The Norwegian Board of Technology will contribute to answering these questions by developing scenarios and include laypeople in giving input to the politicians and policy makers.
The project started in the fall of 2018 and will go on for three years.
Interdisciplinary collaboration
The Institute of Transport Economics (TØI) is managing the project, and transportation- and technology researchers from Sweden and Finland will contribute with experience from corresponding projects. Other participants in addition to the Norwegian Board of Technology include ITS Norway, the University of Oslo and the Public Transport Association.
The project is financed by the Research Council of Norway through the Transport 2025-program. The Norwegian Board of Technology is already working with a project regarding autonomous transportation with an expert group with of a wide array of backgrounds, and will also draw upon the experiences from this project.
