The digital economy and urban mobility: a challenge for regulation for social rationales and consumer protection. (RI §424381)  

The digital economy and its services pose new regulatory challenges. By looking at the German Passenger Transportation Act (PTA) and novel ride-pooling services, the article exemplifies how existing regulatory frameworks fail to accommodate new phenomena. Focussing on social aspects and aspects of consumer protection, the article illustrates which regulatory challenges are being posed by platform-based services and how they can be met by way of regulated self-regulation.

I. Introduction. II. Regulatory goals and strategies. 2.1. The case for regulation. 2.2. Combining regulatory strategies. III. Regulating digital services in the mobility sector. 3.1. The German Passenger Transportation Act and new mobility services. 3.1.1. Fixed categories of transport services. 3.1.2. Recent reform of the Passenger Transportation Act. 3.2. Prescient planning in order to create a system of sustainable urban mobility. IV. Some general conclusions. 4.1. Challenges and regulatory approaches. 4.2. Consumer protection and the reputation systems of online platforms. 4.3. Final remarks. V. BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Palabras clave: digital economy; platform economy; urban mobility; public service; regulation; ride pooling; self-regulation; regulated self-regulation; Germany.;

La economía digital y sus servicios plantean nuevos retos normativos. Mirando a la Ley de Transporte de Pasajeros (PTA) alemana y los nuevos servicios de transporte compartido, el artículo ejemplifica cómo los marcos reguladores existentes no logran adaptarse a los nuevos fenómenos. Centrándose en los aspectos sociales y los aspectos de la protección de los consumidores, la publicación ilustra qué desafíos regulatorios plantean los servicios basados en plataformas y cómo pueden resolverse mediante la autorregulación regulada.

Keywords: Economía digital; economía de plataformas; movilidad urbana; servicio público; regulación; paseo en grupo; autorregulación; autorregulación regulada; Alemania.;