North America’s mobility is entering a new era. Analysts at McKinsey have suggested that the change ahead may be greater than everything the mobility sector has experienced over the last 50 years. We’re about to watch the growth of electrification, AI in mobility, integrated mobility platforms, and previously unseen platform capabilities unfold before our eyes.
We can already observe the main trends of the upcoming years in North America. This geographical region is leading the change with high smartphone penetration, early adoption of ridesharing, and strong investment in autonomous technologies. By the end of the decade, the aforementioned forces are expected to transform mobility, logistics, healthcare, and other on-demand services.
Onde gathered insights about the U.S. mobility industry by speaking with leaders from The Transportation Alliance, learning from experts at the Mobilize 2025 conference, and reviewing industry data from 2024–2028. This report highlights trends in the North American mobility industry and their potential impact on launching and growing a transportation/mobility business in the years to come.
1. Electrification of mobility
Mobility is almost ready for the age of full electrification. Transportation companies are expanding and scaling EV production. At the moment, over 120 new EV models are released annually, and according to Gartner, over 50% of all vehicle models globally will be electric by 2030. In the near future, we expect the rise of all-EV fleets created by TNC operators and more specialised mobility services.
That’s not all. An increasing number of cities are implementing sustainability mandates. For example, Major North American jurisdictions (NYC, California) have set 2030–2035 zero-emission mandates for TNC fleets. This is believed to have affected operators worldwide and accelerated Uber, Lyft, and other TNCs’ electrification.
What this means for operators:
- Local mobility businesses will face pressure to adopt electric vehicles from both the government and the users.
- Regulations around medical transportation will become stricter, and healthcare networks will prefer low-emission partners.
- Local mobility companies can take part in local transportation programs and partner with government agencies to make city transportation greener. For example, the City of Las Cruces is launching a shared electric vehicle (EV) car‑sharing program with Forth Mobility, where residents can rent EVs at affordable hourly or daily rates.
- For local mobility companies, becoming electric early might mean capturing the niche that TNCs don’t yet dominate. Some companies are already doing that: Electric Cab North America is a local mobility company from Austin, Texas that provides zero‑emission, electric vehicle‑based transit services and offers micro‑transit and first/last‑mile connection services.
2. Expansion of rideshare & TNC services
Rideshare remains strong in the cities and is growing in suburban, rural, and multimodal markets. The U.S. ride-hailing market already generates tens of billions in annual revenue. In the coming years, we expect the design change and the diversification of rideshare and TNC services. The most prominent are expected to be:
- Adaptable vehicle interiors for families, groups, deliveries, and commuting.
- Greater emphasis on safety features (particularly for women, e.g., “Women-for-women” services).
What this means for operators:
- Expanding use cases translate into more trip types and higher overall demand. Dan Reid, the president of Transportation Alliance, points out in his interview with Onde: the mobility market is getting bigger, allowing more companies to offer their services and benefit from standing out. In the same interview, the co-founder of Loyal Transportation Services in Ontario Brandy Gray, shares that her local ride-hailing service stands out by being community- and driver-focused.
- Local operators often outperform TNCs in less dense markets by understanding regional travel patterns and passenger expectations.
- Custom fleets and localized service models can serve as a defensible advantage against large TNCs.
“Expanding into less competitive markets requires a deep understanding of local demand. Big ride-hailing companies often miss these subtleties, which allows smaller, local fleets to capture a portion of the market.” – Natalia Pirtskhalashvili, Mobility Expert at Mobilize 2025
3. The unstoppable rise of delivery
Globally, the delivery sector continues to expand at a rapid pace. According to Research Intelo, the global delivery market was worth USD 158.3 billion in 2024 and will reach USD 359.4 billion by 2033.
For global mobility players, offering ride-hailing services alone is no longer enough. Companies like Uber and Lyft that initially built their infrastructure around ride-hailing now rely heavily on food and grocery delivery. In some quarters, delivery shows similar growth to mobility (e.g., Uber’s 2024 Q4), which suggests a shift towards delivery matching or even exceeding ride‑hailing growth in the near future.
What this means for operators:
- Technology used by mobility company owners must support easy switching between passenger and delivery workflows.
- It’s possible to monetize rideshare off-peak hours if the app also offers delivery services.
- Multi-service platforms are better positioned to handle seasonal or economic fluctuations in customer demand.
4. Autonomous & on-demand transit innovation
Autonomous mobility is gradually transitioning from pilot programs to limited commercial deployment. Full robotaxi networks are yet to enter the real-world market. However, autonomous shuttles and minibuses are already operating in controlled environments such as campuses, business parks, and residential communities.
North America currently represents the largest share of on-demand autonomous transit revenue. Market forecasts point to substantial expansion in autonomous shuttle services over the next several years, driven by aging populations, workforce shortages, and demand for cost-efficient transit alternatives.
What this means for operators:
Operators should prepare for coexistence with autonomous services. It’s important for local service providers to be prepared for the market shift and get ready to differentiate on service quality, local knowledge, and reliability.
5. AI Integrations in mobility
Mobility is one of the industries most significantly affected by AI. AI lets mobility operators simplify the complex challenges of fleet management. The ocean of data from vehicles, drivers, and passengers, gathered over the years, can now be used to improve mobility services according to customer expectations and optimize operations. At the moment, 60% of transportation companies have integrated AI into operations, and 80% expect a significant impact within five years.
Here are just some things AI can do for mobility businesses:
- Allow accurate voice booking
- Alert about imbalances in customer vs. driver availability
- Identify driver cancellation hotspots
- Detect anomalies in driver behavior
- Predict maintenance issues
- Recommend nearby services (e.g., events, restaurants, pharmacies)
- Optimize dispatching and routes (route optimization that uses AI reduces fuel use and delivery times by 20–30%)
- Offer personal assistance services that act as a concierge
- Offer multilingual call center support
Various TNCs are already experimenting with AI and developing their own tools to maximize the benefits of new technology. Uber’s machine learning platform, Michelangelo, helps with rider-driver matching, ETA estimation, and demand forecasting. Uber claims that ML models already contribute to reducing driver idle times.
As of 2026, however, AI still has significant limitations. AI systems may hallucinate and misinterpret data patterns, resulting in incorrect recommendations. Human oversight is still required to verify AI forecasts, analysis, and recommendations.
What this means for operators:
AI allows small mobility businesses to offer enterprise-grade features. Ready-made white-label mobility apps (Onde, Atom Mobility), as well as booking and dispatch platforms (iCabbi, Autocab), are developing AI features that help local mobility companies operate more efficiently without having to develop their own machine learning software.
If your company is already using third-party automation software, you probably don’t need to do anything and can just wait for AI features to come to you. If, however, your company has developed its own apps and system, or has used software development services, you may need to invest more in AI integration.
Conclusion
Between now and 2028, North America’s mobility landscape will continue to evolve, automate, diversify and electrify. Ride-hailing, delivery, transit, and medical transportation are converging into more flexible, technology-driven service models.
What’s important to remember is that while TNCs will dominate globally, local operators still have room to succeed. The way to do it is by focusing on diversification, community relationships, service quality and applying local or specific knowledge. The winners in this next phase will not be the ones who spend more, but those aligning technology with clearly defined local needs.
