Uber sheds light on what it takes to share cars, and market space, nicely

The rise of the sharing economy, enabled by increasing connectivity and digitalisation, promises to revolutionise the transport industry. At the vanguard is Uber, the California-based ride service which allows users to request a private taxi through an app. Drivers use their own car and keep a percentage of the fare, with part going to Uber. Overall, the service promises convenience, cost savings, transparency and reductions in congestion and emissions.

Uber's Chief Strategist David Plouffe believes that such solutions are essential to addressing the "massive challenges that our global cities are facing." And the key to success in this case centres on reliability. Speaking in a panel debate at the recent Annual Summit of the International Transport Forum, Plouffe commented: "For people to decide not to purchase a car, they have to know there's guaranteed reliability. There will be a car or a mode of transport where they requested in three minutes."