How is Mobility as a Service (MaaS) being realised?
Article originally published by Chad Duggan on 20/02/2019 via LinkedIn.
Partnerships and networks have already been set-up around MaaS, and are now being utilised to bring together a diverse array of stakeholders and interested parties into a single, organised structure.
The aim of these organisations is to promote MaaS to decision-makers using their members’ broad range of expertise and combined experience of transport, infrastructure, and technology.
The MaaS Alliance
The MaaS Alliance, a public-private partnership, was created in 2014 by its.be (Intelligent Transport Systems Belgium). Its aim is to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility and lay the foundations for the implementation of MaaS; in Belgium and across the rest of Europe. Their reach is expanding rapidly.
Backed by the EU, the Alliance has an ever-growing list of member organisations. Listed below is just a small sample of the members:
- Cubic Transportation
- Europcar Mobility Group
- Hertfordshire County Council
- MaaS Scotland
- Siemens
- West Midlands Combined Authority
- UBER
View the full list of MaaS Alliance members here.
MaaS Scotland
MaaS Scotland is a dedicated network of public and private organisations, taking inspiration from the MaaS Alliance, of which they are a member. Unsurprisingly, the group focus on the situation in Scotland. The group plan initiatives to engage transport operators, service providers and end-users in an attempt to drive the roll-out of MaaS. Membership is open to any organisation with an interest in mobility as a service. Members of MaaS Scotland include:
- Traveline Scotland
- Stagecoach Group
- Mott MacDonald
- Fujitsu
- Hitachi
- Enterprise Car Club
- Cisco
To view the list of MaaS Scotland members in its entirety, please click here.
Networks are Vital
Members of both of these groups span the breadth of stakeholder variety which is required to ensure successful MaaS integration. This includes, but isn’t limited to, innovative digital and data houses, transport providers, local authorities, and transport infrastructure planners. Dedicated groups such as the MaaS Alliance and MaaS Scotland are playing a pivotal role in generating a single clear message whilst also aggregating an approach to revolutionise the transit of people and goods.
Pilot schemes of MaaS have taken place across the world to a good success rate. Helsinki and the introduction of the Whim app (run by MaaS Global) in 2016, is often the go-to MaaS case study. Users in Helsinki are now able to plan, book and pay for end-to-end journeys, picking and choosing which transport modes to use from a range of providers and options. All using a single, user-friendly platform. The app is now live in Antwerp, Amsterdam, and even right here in Birmingham!
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