The business of transportation is being redesigned. It is all over us with Uber and peers changing what it means to move from one location to another.
It does seem that the business of making cars may not be a profitable one in the far future. So car manufacturers are diversifying.
Volkswagen has bought PayByPhone, a company that lets drivers pay for parking using their mobile phones. Volkswagen says it plans to bundle PayByPhone’s capabilities with other mobile payment services into a separate business built around parking.
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Earlier this month, Volkswagen launched a digital business division called Moia that will offer, among other services, an on-demand shuttle for commuters living in urban areas in an aim to expand beyond its traditional focus of making and selling cars.
Just note that when it comes to transportation, no one can predict what will happen next. The sector is experiencing many new transformations beginning with the pioneering Uber business model.