Gen Z shaping future of global mobility
The
revolutionary Gen Z are not only shaping digital trends and societal norms and
across the world but are also transforming the mobility landscape.
During
the push for rejection of the Finance Bill 2024 in Kenya in June, a politician
was quoted saying that the Gen Z travel to the protests using digital cabs and thereafter
retreat to global fast-food chains for a meal.
While
the remarks may have sparked a backlash, it pointed towards a generational shift
on mobility by the youth.
This
means that it is critical for investors in the transport sector, especially
digital cabs and public transport as well as road safety advocates, to
understand the perspective of the youth in mobility. This will help them in
making sustainable decisions in their investments, transport policies and also
road safety campaigns.
Insights
from a first-ever study on youth and mobility done by FIA and released in
January 2024, shows an interesting trend among the young people. FIA is a
governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world’s leading
mobility organizations.
The
report summarized views about transport solutions and car ownership by 9,000
young people aged between 16-25 years across Kenya, US, Germany, China, India,
Mexico, Argentina, Australia, and Spain.
In the survey,
it came out clearly that majority of the Gen Z are eager to contribute to the
development of transport solutions with 54 percent of the respondents saying
they want to be involved in development of safe and sustainable mobility
options. This is a significant number that road safety agencies across the
world cannot ignore. While most countries have set up transport and safety
agencies, it is time for these institutions to review their strategic plans to
ensure they have considered this generation in shaping the future of transport
solutions.
Public
transport
In
most developing countries, Gen Zs use public transport to work, school or
shopping but also seek flexibility in the mode of mobility. This came out
strongly with 57 percent of those interviewed saying public transport was very or extremely important
in helping them move around locally. On the other
hand, the use of shared transport also came out as an area of priority for the
Gen Z where 48 percent of the respondents indicated that they want better
access to shared cars and bikes. Despite the choice of transport as indicated
above, the youth placed safety and sustainability of
local transport as their top priority in the survey.
The
use of public transport and shared vehicles however does not mean an entire
shift from seeking to own vehicles. The survey revealed that 51 percent of the
respondents already had a driving license and 33 percent of those who didn’t
have indicated they will acquire one in the next five years.
The
survey interestingly revealed that 18 percent of the youth have licenses for motorcycles,
which are relatively cheaper to purchase than vehicles.
To
the Gen Z, owning a car is still important, with about 54 percent seeing it as
a kind of “bubble or extension of their home,” and 56 percent indicating it is
important to own one.
In
conclusion, the future of mobility will depend on how effectively investors in
the transport sector, players in road safety advocacy and public transport embrace
the values of Gen Z, and a align their strategies to the priorities of the
young people on safe, sustainable and flexible mobility solutions.
Rethinking mobility for Gen Z is not just a choice but a necessity for a more inclusive and sustainable transport.
Beatrice Obwocha is the editor at www.roadsafetyhub.com
This article was also published by the Daily Nation and Star Newspaper.