New Urban Mobility Technology Study finds 93% of U.S. cities are preparing for driverless vehicles within five years

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Jun 26, 2024, 08:50 ET

Verra Mobility polled city technology leaders who shared how they are turning to technology to navigate revolutionary transportation trends such as AI, EVs, and connected vehicles while improving road safety

MESA, Ariz., June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Verra Mobility Corporation (NASDAQ: VRRM), a leading provider of smart mobility technology solutions, today released findings from a new urban mobility technology report which found that nearly all U.S. municipalities (93%) anticipate they will need to be ready for driverless autonomous vehicles on their streets within five years.

In addition, 52% of city technology leaders surveyed would want to use artificial intelligence (AI) to identify road safety priorities.

Verra Mobility's survey of technology leaders from cities of all sizes across the U.S., examined how they are navigating revolutionary mobility tech trends such as autonomous, connected, electric and shared (ACES) vehicles. The survey, conducted by Wakefield Research, also examined how cities are utilizing data, deploying advanced safety technology to reduce roadway fatalities and their hopes for AI-powered solutions.

"This study confirms that cities are balancing many challenges during this exciting transition period in the transportation industry, and technology is at the heart of the solution," said David Roberts, President and CEO, Verra Mobility. "Autonomous, connected, electric and shared mobility elements have already arrived in some form and are continuing to evolve. While AI shows a lot of promise, our survey revealed cities are still struggling to collect or analyze the data they need to make informed mobility decisions. City technology leaders need to harness these trends at a pivotal time when fatalities on U.S. roads are at a nearly 16-year high."

Other insights from the survey included:

Safety: 55% of municipal tech leaders have "reducing road safety incidents" as a top 3 priority for tech-based solutions.
Electric Vehicles: 43% report their jurisdiction has deprioritized support for EV infrastructure because consumer demand for the technology hasn't kept up with predictions.
Connected Vehicles: 81% anticipate some systems will need to be updated before they're ready to incorporate connected vehicles technology into their mobility initiatives.
Shared Vehicles: The influx of e-bikes, e-scooters, and other shared vehicles has complicated technology-focused mobility efforts for 84% of municipalities.
Data: 73% face analysis barriers that prevent them from using their data to implement or improve their mobility and safety initiatives.

"While survey respondents indicated the urgency in preparing for AVs, the reality is there will be human-driven vehicles on our roads for decades to come," said Roberts. "And even as AVs become a more common fixture on our roads, we'll discover new safety challenges as human drivers interact with advanced machines. Our survey findings emphasize the need for city leaders, automotive manufacturers, technology providers and safety advocates to come together to find ways to make transportation easier, more efficient and much safer than it is today."

Methodology

The survey was conducted by Wakefield Research between May 1 and May 8, 2024, using an email invitation and an online survey. Wakefield surveyed 100 Municipal CIOs and Deputy CIOs, who confirmed they work on or are familiar with mobility or transportation related topics. More than one-third of respondents represented cities with populations of more than 250,000.

To download the full report, visit: https://www.verramobility.com/survey-urban-mobility-technology-2024

About Verra Mobility

Verra Mobility Corporation (NASDAQ: VRRM) is a leading provider of smart mobility technology solutions that make transportation safer, smarter and more connected. The company sits at the center of the mobility ecosystem, bringing together vehicles, hardware, software, data and people to enable safe, efficient solutions for customers globally. Verra Mobility's transportation safety systems and parking management solutions protect lives, improve urban and motorway mobility and support healthier communities. The company also solves complex payment, utilization and compliance challenges for fleet owners and rental car companies. Headquartered in Arizona, Verra Mobility operates in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, please visit www.verramobility.com.

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