Mobility Impact Report: All Industries Edition, Q1 2025

Urban Transport Access Amid Trade Uncertainties Reshapes Mobility Sector Future

This cross-sectoral analysis reveals that transport for sustainable communities has become increasingly urgent due to growing urbanisation, with 60% of urban populations now having convenient access to public transport. However, significant regional disparities create both risks and opportunities across the mobility sector. The research examines how these accessibility gaps manifest as both social equity challenges and potential market opportunities, requiring sophisticated materiality assessment processes that consider both financial materiality, through market expansion potential, and impact materiality, through community access and inclusion, across diverse geographical contexts.

The report additionally reveals how tariff fluctuations have disrupted sustainable transport initiatives for 57% of mobility companies particularly affecting electrification infrastructure and cross-border mobility systems.

Call to Action: Mobility companies should develop regionalised transport networks and implement flexible technology roadmaps that can adapt to trade policy fluctuations ensuring accessibility commitments remain viable despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties.

The report highlights significant cross-sectoral collaboration initiatives, including the €4.9 million Travel Wise project, which integrates air-rail systems to enhance intermodal connectivity while reducing emissions and congestion. These collaborative approaches demonstrate a growing industry recognition of system-level solutions that address both immediate operational challenges and longer-term sustainability objectives aligned with SDG 11.2 goals for sustainable transport systems.

This analysis explores how green hydrogen is poised to revolutionise both air and maritime transport, as underscored by the COP 29 Hydrogen Declaration. Despite facing challenges related to high production costs and logistical complexities, hydrogen technologies represent significant opportunities for cross-sectoral innovation, with companies like ZeroAvia advancing hydrogen-electric propulsion. At the same time, port authorities implement hydrogen infrastructure for maritime applications. These developments reflect growing industry awareness of double materiality considerations in fuel transition strategies.

The report examines Toyota's deployment of 2,650 electrified vehicles for the Paris 2024 Olympics, exemplifying how mobility companies leverage high-profile events to demonstrate their technological capabilities while enhancing sustainability performance. This approach represents a sophisticated blend of commercial strategy and ESG leadership, creating both promotional opportunities and practical demonstrations of low-carbon mobility solutions in demanding operational environments.

Looking toward future mobility landscapes, the report identifies how AI and digitisation are transforming transportation systems, with innovative mobility platforms enhancing efficiency, accessibility and environmental performance throughout urban environments. Companies implementing these technologies are demonstrating enhanced awareness of circular economy principles through more efficient asset utilisation, reduced energy consumption and optimised maintenance schedules, creating both environmental benefits and commercial advantages across increasingly connected mobility ecosystems.