Mobility Lab Express #49 – November 1, 2014

Quick Links -Trend to Watch

In major U.S. cities, Uber and other services that connect people with nearby taxi drivers via smartphone are really catching on.

But have you heard of BlaBlaCar yet? Founded in 2009, it is designed as “an Uber for long-distance trips,” has 10 million members, and is growing quickly. As of this fall, the company has introduced its iPhone and Android app in Turkey, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Ukraine and the U.K.

It’s trends like this that make it important that the U.S.-based Shared-Use Mobility Center has just launched. Lyft, Uber, and many others from the “sharing economy” took part in an event in Chicago on October 27.

SUMC promises to “broker the advancement of the industry.” Find out more here (and check out this photo from the launch event).