The program of the International Transport Forum’s (ITF) 2015 Summit in Germany has been expanded with a session on how the sharing economy will include the transport industry.
“Changing business models driven by the development of the sharing economy will be debated by key global players at an ITF Summit session in May,” the ITF said in a media statement.
“The rise of the shared economy is disrupting traditional business models – including that for transport. This represents a tremendous investment in overcapacity – both for car owners and for the public authorities that provide and maintain public infrastructure.
“[Yet] Over-capacity is not confined to cars – there are many other private goods that remain un-used most of the time (…). This unused potential is at the heart of the emerging ‘shared economy’, where network technologies are used to enable individuals or companies to monetise the spare capacity inherent in many material goods.”
Reportedly, Uber's Senior Vice President of Policy and Strategy, David Plouffe, will share the stage with Umberto de Pretto, Secretary General of the International Road Transport Union (IRU).
