The Future of Transportation Services in Latin American and Caribbean Countries

The scope of this discussion paper is to describe the main trends disrupting transport services and the policy implications for Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries; this includes both those issues already being felt today, as well as those “on the horizon”. This paper looks at the two singular global trends that have a direct link to transportation services: disruptive innovation and the sharing economy; followed by a detailed discussion of more specific transportation trends. The core of the discussion would then be on the use of electric vehicles and the varying levels of vehicle automation; and, more importantly, the types of transportation business models which might emerge based on technologies. The implication on transport policy and requirements for government oversight would also be analyzed.