Autonomous vehicles will radically transform how people and goods are transported around cities. What steps do government leaders need to take to ensure the future of mobility remains safe, clean and accessible for all people?

This report, co-published by the World Economic Forum and The Boston Consulting Group, presents the findings from a three year collaboration that explored how autonomous vehicles could reshape the future of urban mobility. We partnered with the City of Boston to assess the impact of autonomous vehicles in the city, to catalyse testing of autonomous vehicles there and to strategize how the city could foster this technology to achieve its mobility goals.

In addition to our partnership with the city, we conducted consumer research and built a traffic simulation model to understand the effects of autonomous vehicles in the City of Boston. Our findings offer insight and guidance to help both policy-makers and mobility providers reshape urban mobility systems into new versions that are safer, cleaner and more inclusive. As the line between public and private transportation systems in cities becomes increasingly blurred, policy-makers have an opportunity to develop incentives that enhance urban mobility for all city residents, not just the wealthy.

Report by the World Economic Forum