Smart Mobility: The Future Of Transportation For The New Age Commuters

Padmanabhan Balakrishnan Oct 01, 2020

It has been 5 months since COVID entered our country and we walked indoors to keep ourselves safe. Hoping the situation would become normal soon. Well, it would, but it will be a new normal. Life-altering social & geo-politics consequences have been witnessed across the country. The same goes for economy & industry - Every sector has been impacted, we all have been embracing the new normal and are learning to adapt and Mobility is no different.

Just like any other sector, the mobility industry is also witnessing a trend where people are wary of using modes of transport that leads them to compromise on their safety including social distancing and hygiene issues. Moreover, with the economic implications and impact on the peoples’ earning / purchasing power, preferences are shifting towards more affordable & reliable options.

Future of Mobility: Self Driven and Safe

As cities limp back to normalcy people are increasingly seen shunning crowded forms of transportation especially buses, shared autos, cabs, etc, and gravitating towards personalized transportation modes.

According to 'The Urban commute analysis' by CSE India, Pre COVID about 80% of people in the top Indian cities used to commute through some crowded form of transport (aka bus/metro/suburban rail/cabs/autos, etc). But due to the impact of the pandemic, a significant part of this population will now be seen shifting to some sort of shared/personalized form of transportation as India will return to work in the next 6-12 months.

SWOT is increasingly looking better for self-driven mobility because it is inherently safe as you don’t to share your ride with fellow passengers or even drivers, so minimum external contact. Looking from an industry point of view - only 18% of India owns a personalized form of transportation and given the overall cost of owning a vehicle, the “big shift” will gravitate towards self-driven mobility. Within Self-driven mobility, the scooter segment should take away the biggest share given the low-cost model that it offers, which is only comparable to local buses.

Being Innovative: Key for Scooter Mobility Players

With an increasing number of people switching to private modes of transport due to COVID 19, demand for subscription model has also seen growth. Moreover, the impact on their budgets and spending capacity has also changed their plan to invest in a new vehicle avoiding hefty loan, maintenance cost, and insurance registration among others.

Keeping the situation in mind, scooter mobility players have come up with innovative ways of capturing different user segments by venturing into rental models where one can rent from days up to months. This is a never before seen model where a user gets all benefits of having a personal ride without actually owning the vehicle and with no major additional expenses apart from the fuel. The amount of freedom and flexibility offered is unparalleled and will be unique in the times to come.

Mode of transport that helps environment / Sustainable transport solutions

The younger generation, while making a transaction, not only cares about direct benefits but also for the bigger cause the brand or category stands for. Electric mobility has been a talking point for quite some time and its induction in the category has only increased its acceptance amongst the modern Indians but with limited infrastructure, India still has a long way to go.

However, now that the country’s mobility sector is in midst of a fundamental shift, this is the right time to hit the hammer hard, and no one better than the self-ride two-wheeler players to pioneer this change. The new government guidelines and subsidies present an opportunity to bring this service to the next billion Indians. Clean, carbon-free, safe, secure, low-cost scooters powered by India’s foremost mobility players which can be shared in a pay as you go model will get the young, vibrant, raring to go Indian population moving and take the country forward.