UITP and STA release handbook on ticketing in MaaS

Credit: UITP

The International Association of Public Transport (UITP), along with the Smart Ticketing Alliance (STA), has announced that they have released a handbook on ticketing in MaaS, compiling knowledge from a total of 54 public transport authorities, operators, suppliers, Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) organisations and mobility solution providers, in order to better support the transport sector in the realisation of seamless mobility.

Titled ‘Ticketing in Mobility as a Service’, the handbook is an extensive publication which contains a common view on ticketing in MaaS, its challenges, solutions and real-world situations, as well as identifies real case situations and offers recommendations towards:

• Existing digitisation gaps in ticketing at local, regional and national level
• A lack of understanding of stakeholders’ needs and roles
• Exchange of data: Regulations, trust, privacy issues and competition issues.

MaaS is only sustainable when it is created to follow sustainable goals. With this is mind, the report covers aspects of organisation and governance such as identifying clear roles and rules, as well as MaaS co-operation models. This is because when the right governance is in place and when transport users sign up, the user experience becomes the central focus.

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Ticketing is an enabler of MaaS and interoperability should be a pre-condition so that ticketing systems can be connected. This means the sharing of data, with governance and data sharing standards to be considered. 

“For UITP, it is essential to continue to develop the integrated sustainable mobility of the future. Ticketing is a key part of that – it’s quite literally the start of many public transport journeys. By facilitating emerging trends and technologies in our sector and uniting different players, we’re ensuring that ticketing remains the gateway to the freedom for all to move about,” said Guido Di Pasquale, UITP Co-Director of Knowledge and Innovation.

In addition, the handbook highlights the need for all stakeholders to work together to ensure MaaS remains a sustainable option for greener mobility, with a key focus on public transport authorities, operators, mobility service providers, MaaS operators and integrators, and even public transport users.