Mobility Trends in North America (2026 – 2028)

Focus Areas: Rideshare, TNC, NEMT, Delivery, MaaS, Electrification, Autonomous Mobility, AI Integrations

Introduction

As technology and customer expectations evolve, the North American mobility market is entering another decade of transformation. McKinsey warns that the disruption that’s coming will exceed that of the last 50 years. We’ll observe the growth of electrification, AI in mobility, integrated mobility platforms, and previously unseen platform capabilities. 

This transformation is already visible in North America, which is setting the trend for the rest of the world. North America is leading the change with high smartphone penetration, early adoption of ridesharing, and strong investment in autonomous technologies. By 2028, the combination of these forces is expected to reshape all mobility, including but not limited to public transportation, rideshare, delivery, and specialized segments such as NEMT.

In this report, we’ll look at trends in the North American mobility industry and how they can influence launching and growing a transportation/mobility business in the upcoming years.

1. Electrification of mobility

Electrification is the primary focus of multiple industries at the moment, and it’s reshaping mobility fleets. Transportation companies expand and scale EV production: EV sales have already surged from 1.3 million in 2017 to a projected 3 million by 2020. 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.

As battery prices decline and electric vehicles become more cost-effective, creating an all-EV fleet becomes a not-so-unlike possibility for TNC operators, NEMT providers, and other on-demand service providers.

At the same time, 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 has affected the TNCs worldwide and accelerated Uber and Lyft electrification.

Implications for mobility business owners:

• 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. If you’re focusing on NEMT and similar services, consider going green.
• 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 rates. 
• For local mobility companies, adopting electrification early might allow them to capture the niche that TNCs have not yet dominated. 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. Onde clients that use electric vehicles stand out from their competitors by appealing to environmentally conscious customers and helping reduce air pollution in their cities.

Justin Borgesius, a Business Development Manager at Onde with over 7 years of experience in the mobility industry. Mobilize 2025 attendee.

2. Expansion of rideshare & TNC services

Rideshare remains strong in the cities and is growing in suburban, rural, and multimodal markets. U.S. ridesharing is already a $30B market, with 150%+ CAGR in major metro areas, and 10 U.S. cities generate $500M+ annually in ridesharing revenue. In the coming years, we expect the design change and the diversification of rideshare and TNC services to fit the demands of the market. The most prominent changes will be: 

• Adaptable vehicle interiors for families, groups, deliveries, and commuting.
• Greater emphasis on safety features (“Women-for-women” services, SOS buttons, live sharing features).
• Digitization of all traditional taxi businesses
• A growing number of niche services (airport rides, NEMT, rides for kids, rides with pets, etc.)
• A growing number of collaborations between different service providers
• The appearance of MaaS providers with tiered subscription models to offer unlimited multimodal travel for a fixed monthly fee.

Implications for mobility business owners: 

• Growing use cases mean more trips and expanded service types. Dan Reid, the president of Transportation Alliance, points out in his interview with Onde that the market is getting bigger and more welcoming.

“There is a recognition that transportation is a big market. The introduction of Uber and its technology has made the market bigger. Your slice of a pie is smaller, but it’s a bigger piece. There will always be people who go for the cheapest option, but there is also a demand for more. And if you want more, if you want security, you’re not going to get it from a bigger company.” - Dan Reid, president of The Transportation Alliance

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. This helped her compete with “soulless companies” like Uber. 

• Service diversification and safety features are essential for survival. Driver screening and thorough document check, SOS buttons, proper licensing, “Share my ride” feature, and other safety features are essential for any mobility service.
• Vehicle customization becomes a competitive advantage.

3. The unstoppable rise of delivery

Rideshare platforms are increasingly adding delivery to their services. For a long time now, Uber Eats, DoorDash Drive, and Instacart have been creating multimodal revenue ecosystems and influencing what we eat for dinner. According to Research Intelo, the global delivery market was worth USD 158.3 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 359.4 billion by 2033.

For multi‑service platforms that offer both rideshare and delivery services, delivery is increasingly becoming more significant. 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.

Implications for mobility business owners: 

• Companies will need advanced and flexible tech platforms that support both passenger and delivery services.
• Delivery creates new off-peak revenue opportunities for rideshare services. Rideshare demand peaks during the morning and evening rush hours, while delivery demand peaks at dinner time and late-night hours. Local mobility companies can dramatically increase fleet utilization by filling passenger “dead hours” with delivery runs.

4. Autonomous & on-demand transit innovation

Autonomous transit technologies, such as full robotaxi services and robo-buses, are moving from pilots into real‑world deployments across North America. For example, May Mobility is a vehicle operator that currently has a fleet of autonomous Toyota Sienna minivans. The company works in business districts, college campuses, and closed residential communities, such as Sun City, a retirement community outside of Phoenix.

For those living in the U.S., autonomous mobility is just around the corner. North America currently holds the largest revenue share (about 35%) of the on‑demand autonomous transit market. The autonomous shuttle and minibus segment in North America is also expected to grow significantly in the upcoming years. Reed Intelligence projects the local autonomous shuttle market increasing from about USD 380 million in 2025 to USD 1.82 billion by 2030. And according to McKinsey, global AV revenues in urban settings could reach $1.6 trillion annually by 2030.

Implications for mobility business owners: 

Full autonomous fleets (robotaxis, electric shuttles) require millions in R&D, vehicles, and infrastructure, which local mobility companies can rarely afford. It’s important for local fleets, however, to be prepared for that market shift and get ready to differentiate on service quality, local knowledge, and reliability.

However, if introducing AV into your services is your goal, then: 

• Focus on controlled environments: campuses, airports, and retirement communities are ideal for early autonomous shuttle deployments.
• Consider hybrid human-autonomous models. They improve reliability and reduce costs before full autonomy scales.

5. AI integrations in mobility

With AI, mobility operators now have the option to simplify the increasingly complex challenges in fleet management and meet growing customer expectations. They can use the ocean of data from vehicles, drivers, and passengers to improve their services 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 get the most out 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 showing incorrect recommendations. Human oversight is still critical to verify forecasts, analyses, and recommendations of AI tools.

Natalia Pirtskhalashvili, Head of Business development at Onde with over 10 years of experience in the mobility industry. Speaker at Southeast Asia Ride-Hailing Summit.

Implications for mobility business owners: 

AI allows small mobility businesses to offer enterprise-grade features. Right now, 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 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

In North America, industry shifts are creating multi-billion-dollar opportunities across ride-hailing, delivery, transit, and NEMT. Mobility services are covering more and more needs, and their complexity results in the need for better automation and more flexibility. That’s why the coming year promises platform consolidation, electrification, autonomous systems, and the introduction of AI.

While large platforms will keep growing and improving, local mobility operators can still succeed by focusing on community needs and personalized service. However, they must meet safety standards, regulatory requirements, and basic digital capabilities.