Opportunity awaits in Latin America’s changing transit landscape

The United States’ future engagement with Latin America has received renewed attention thanks to ongoing trade negotiations and the recent announcement of tariffs on steel imports. The Summit of the Americas, taking place in Lima this weekend, is a welcomed opportunity for regional leaders — including newly nominated Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — to showcase the value of an integrated relationship within the Americas, particularly when it comes to mobility.

The winds of trade and commerce in the Americas have been shifting direction for some time, and Chinese investment in the region is contributing to a changing power dynamic. This is especially true in terms of infrastructure investment. While the debate in Washington largely focuses on domestic infrastructure funding, other nations continue to invest billions into Latin America. In recent weeks, Chinese leaders announced an agreement to expand their “One Belt, One Road” campaign throughout Latin America, citing the region’s need for vastly expanded transportation and communications networks. In fact, Latin America has already become the secondlargest destination for Chinese overseas investment.

Latin American economies are eagerly integrating foreign direct investment into their infrastructure planning. As the region’s mega-cities become clogged with traffic and harmful emissions, highly functioning transport and mobility systems are more important than ever.

This combination of trends presents a unique opportunity to move away from the model of personal car ownership that has dominated urban planning and toward new transportation infrastructures focused on shared, on-demand mobility.

Throughout the region, people are turning to technology to connect to these types of accessible transportation options, and U.S. companies have a role to play. For our part, Uber has become an integral part of the transportation landscape in Latin America. Today, Uber does more trips in Mexico City, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro than we do in New York City or Los Angeles. By giving people the option to simply press a button and get a ride, Uber is connecting riders to jobs, education, health care, family and friends.

Those living in underserved areas who historically lacked access to affordable transportation benefit the most.

To get a sense of what improved mobility could mean for economic growth and social inclusion in Latin America, consider a report conducted by the International Transport Forum describing a future in which every trip in a city is completed by a fleet of shared-use vehicles. Congestion disappears and emissions are reduced by onethird. The cost of transportation becomes less than half of what it is today, and 95 percent less public space is required for parking — freeing up room for parks, broader sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and other productive uses.

Progress toward that ideal future demands not just smart infrastructure investment, but also continued innovation. From Uber’s experience across 79 nations worldwide, we know the economies that thrive in this era of accelerating change are those that work with one another to develop broad partnerships.

Therefore, as economies in the Americas continue to develop, the U.S. has an incredible opportunity to work hand-in-hand with Latin American governments and regional leaders to embrace transportation and infrastructure solutions.

So, as the U.S. and Latin America head forward into an increasingly competitive and globalized 21st century, we should pause to remember that our comparative advantage is each other.

As the region’s megacities become clogged with traffic and harmful emissions, highly functioning transport and mobility systems are more important than ever.