What Is the Passenger Economy?

When you hear the term "passenger economy," you might have one of three associations: The passenger economy is dependent on autonomous transportation technologies like self-driving cars, but the term "passenger economy" is broad and somewhat intentionally vague. The passenger economy is a set of industries that commoditize mobility, generating new services to enhance--and monetize--the experience of being a passenger in a so-called "driverless future." As it becomes increasingly possible to personalize and automate transportation, passenger vehicles will become a site for commercial opportunity. Public transportation does just this: you pay to be transported from one place to the other. You purchase the ability to access trains and buses that are already operative.