To combat pressing urban population and infrastructure challenges, cities should create a common platform that provides visibility, interoperability and optimization across their transportation networks, according to Deloitte's new report, "Toward a Mobility Operating System." The report explores the key capabilities and technological components of a mobile operating system and how it could be deployed to alleviate pressing urban mobility challenges.

"We are entering an era of fantastic possibility where people and goods will move faster, cleaner, cheaper and safer than ever before," said Scott Corwin, managing director, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and future of mobility practice leader. "Public and private sector leaders in cities across the U.S. and around the world are key to realizing this dream. We have laid out a roadmap for those who want to understand the opportunities at hand and take concrete steps to create and lead the future."

The report explores topics such as:

• "Cities' mobility challenges" – In the world's largest cities, public infrastructure and transit systems are struggling to keep up with the pace of growth. Major policy and technological changes are needed to address the serious urban mobility challenges that result, including increased congestion, lower quality of life, lost economic potential and negative health outcomes.

• "Harnessing the future of mobility" – A host of new forms of mobility—from ride-hailing to bike sharing to dynamic shuttles—look promising, but without interoperability and coordination, they could exacerbate, rather than alleviate, cities' transportation challenges. And simply building more roads is unlikely to bring relief.

• "Greater than the sum of its parts: the mOS" – Cities need a comprehensive system that drives standardization and interoperability, enables value creation and cultivates technological advancements. A mobility operating system platform will integrate physical infrastructure (e.g., roads, rail), modes of transport (e.g., cars, public transit, bike sharing), and transportation service providers (e.g., aggregators, public transport system), and create greater throughput and optimization system wide through market clearing mechanisms.

Corwin continued, "Cities won't be able to build their way out of this problem. In the face of tight budgets and limited space, they need to figure out how to modernize the whole network and manage mobility holistically in order to move more people and goods across the entire transportation system."

The report also includes:

• "Accounting for the movement of goods within and beyond the city" – An overview of the critical role that freight plays in a city's mobility environment, and how a mOS can account for it.

• "mOS components in action" – Real-world examples of cities that have adopted elements of an integrated mobility platform.

"Even though the challenges are great, soon we'll begin to see winners emerge who are able to break through and fully realize the promise of the evolving mobility ecosystem," said Corwin.