What does ‘true’ Mobility-as-a-Service look like?

App-based transit solutions are significantly changing the mobility marketplace; will we see the number of new solutions continue to increase, or do you anticipate some consolidation of these offerings?

There are many parallels between the current evolution of Mobility-as-a-Service and what we experienced during the previous mobile communications revolution which was marked by a proliferation in handset manufacturers.

In the 1990s, ‘tech darlings’ like Nokia, Blackberry and Motorola, which came before the advent of smartphones and growing price commoditisation, led to rapid consolidation and the loss of previously dominant brands. App-based transit solutions are still in this ‘tech darling’ phase and we can expect to see more and varied solutions, especially at a regional level, before consolidation occurs.

The convenience of on‑demand transport has the potential to negatively affect congestion levels; how can that be changed?

As much as we love cities, our urban centres are becoming overpopulated and getting around cities is proving to be more difficult. Our technology enables people to move around easily and gives transit agencies the freedom to innovate. At moovel, we are taking steps every day to bring our vision of creating a world without traffic jams to life.

With your previous answers considered, what does ‘true’ MaaS look like in your opinion, and is it truly achievable?

To date, much of the focus has been on covering all possible forms of mobility, but not the reasons why people are moving in the first place. The needs of commuters travelling to and from work are well understood in MaaS, but what about people’s social life? True MaaS will allow people to choose their restaurant, cinema, tourist attraction or other event, select their preferred mobility mode to and from this location or event, and book and pay for everything from one app. Thanks to the artificial intelligence running in the background, these apps will be highly personalised and individual with tailored messages suggesting events, places to visit and things to do based on the user’s lifestyle and preferences – basically, Life-as-a-Service. The technology to do this already exists within the moovel MaaS Marketplace.