- Some examples of mobility include smart and sustainable mobility.
What does mobility consist of?
A first approximation could lead us to define mobility as the set of movements that occur in a given physical environment and that can encompass both people and goods.
These movements can occur in different ways under two broad categories.
On the one hand, there are those that do not require any type of vehicle, such as walking.
On the other hand, there are those that occur with the use of a vehicle, and there are also numerous types within this category, such as bicycles—which even have an international day, celebrated on June 3—private vehicles, and numerous forms of public transportation, including the subway, bus, train, and airplane.
There are different types of mobility, such as sustainable and smart mobility, which we will explore in more depth.
What is sustainable mobility?
Sustainable mobility can be defined as the concept of transport as a right adapted to people’s needs, with a focus on active mobility and public transport as the main alternatives for citizens.
The objectives of sustainable mobility are varied, ranging from the promotion and prioritization of active mobility (such as cycling or walking), improving people’s quality of life to reducing environmental impact and promoting energy efficiency.
November 26, World Sustainable Transport Day
Since 2023, there has even been a World Sustainable Transport Day, which is celebrated on November 26.
In the resolution in which the UN General Assembly—one of the main bodies of the United Nations—declared this day, it explained that “sustainable, low-emission, and energy-efficient means of transport contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
The same document highlighted “the important role that safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems for all play in supporting sustainable economic growth, improving people’s social well-being, and promoting international cooperation and trade between countries.”
What is smart mobility?
Smart mobility refers to the type of mobility based on digital solutions that help improve travel by generating enormous amounts of data that serve to improve quality of life.
Some of the features of this smart mobility are efficiency, safety, and the sustainability we mentioned earlier.
The combination of smart mobility and smart cities is driving mobility—especially urban mobility—that is governed by efficiency and sustainability, as mentioned above, and focused on citizens.
Some examples of smart mobility are as varied as smart tunnels or cybersecurity in vehicles.
MaaS: mobility as a service
In 2025, Telefónica Empresas launched ‘Mobility as a Service (MaaS)’ (in Spanish), a new solution for cities to improve sustainable travel for people on all possible means of transport in the city.
Aimed at both city residents and tourists, this solution consists of a platform that collects data and integrates different transport operators—public or private—such as the metro, buses, car-sharing services, and public parking lots.
With the aim of improving the quality of life in urban environments by promoting a more efficient, agile, and environmentally friendly transport policy, this service improves the public transport experience, resulting in a reduction in CO2 emissions and improved air quality.
Also within the framework of sustainable mobility, we find ‘Círculo SAF’, a pioneering initiative that is bringing about real changes in the decarbonisation of the economy and accelerating the energy transition.
