In many ways, ride-hailing has already been around for decades in the form of the humble taxi. The only difference for the passenger is that today, those rides are booked through an app. Within a relatively short space of time, a number of ride-hailing giants have emerged and are now huge companies in their own right. Uber, Lyft, and Didi are some of the big guns, but many others have also found success.

Uber in particular has become a household name in the burgeoning ‘future mobility’ space, and in future plans to be the de facto robotaxi company of choice. It is a bold ambition that is shared by many others, but the company has more pressing matters to address. The business is far from stable, and indicates that even ride-hailing—one of the more conventional means of ‘new mobility solutions’—can be difficult to make money from.

The appointment of Dara Khosrowshahi from travel company Expedia in…