Department for Transport Call for Evidence on Future of Mobility

Call for Evidence

'The Future of Mobility' was one of four 'Grand Challenges' established in the government's Industrial Strategy to improve people’s lives, increase the country’s productivity, and put the UK at the forefront of the industries of the future. A Call for Evidence was made on 30 July 2018 seeking views and evidence from all those with an interest in the mobility ecosystem. It is split into two main parts: Part 1 seeks views and evidence to inform the Future of Urban Mobility Strategy; Part 2 looks beyond the urban context to inform wider work on the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge.

Summary of the Turing’s submission

As the national institute for data Science and artificial intelligence, The Alan Turing Institute strongly supports the Secretary of State’s observation in the Foreword to this Call for Evidence that “the Future of Mobility will… capitalise on UK strengths in Artificial Intelligence and Data”.

In order to leverage the power of data science and artificial intelligence (AI) to the maximum, the following elements are identified as especially crucial:

1. Development of training and skills in AI and data science to increase capability for innovation across the whole sector including new business start-ups, planning agencies, transport engineers and manufacturers;
2. The power of data is greatly enhanced by the ability to combine and link data from multiple sources. UKRI is developing infrastructures to allow such sharing to take place within environments which are secure and trustworthy. Government departments, local authorities and business organisations should be encouraged to share data through these infrastructures;
3. Data is proliferating at an increasing rate, especially from sensors, apps, in real-time and across whole populations. Demand management through positive incentives (like social nudging) or deterrents (e.g. congestion charging) can be developed, such as through simulation, optimisation and natural experiments, but only with additional funding for research. The Alan Turing Institute is ideally placed to stimulate new research through its national networks;
4. Multidisciplinary research and innovation which places future mobility in the context of changing demographics, innovation in engineering, and in medicine – especially medical bioinformatics and health data research;
5. Designing future transport solutions must take a system view of how the different modes interact, and the flow of users between them;
6. Local government must be given the tools and enforcement mechanisms to manage the interaction between different transport modes and providers if Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is to be achieved.