Solent Transport’s multi-city MaaS app, Breeze, passes 10,000 users milestone

Credit: Solent Transport

Solent Transport has announced that its Breeze app – a transport super-app for south Hampshire and the Isle of Wight – has passed the 10,000 user mark, improving residents’ and visitors’ access to transport services and service information across the region.

Breeze is the UK’s first multi-city Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform; a five-year trial project that uses cutting-edge technology to offer users access to a wide range of transport information and services, on a scale not yet seen in the UK.

With a diamond shaped zone of operation that includes Winchester in the north, Havant and Totton in the east and west, and the Isle of Wight in the south, Breeze gives users access to a range of transport services across the region. Whether users want to check on the location of their bus, buy rail tickets or hire one of the rental e-scooters or rental bikes that are available, Breeze makes this all possible without needing to switch apps or set up multiple accounts.

As user numbers grow, Breeze is responding by continually adding new services and features to make the app even better. Recent updates mean that every bus service in the region can now be accessed through the app. An expansion of the existing rail coverage will be complete at the end of November 2023, supporting travel from Bristol to Brighton and everywhere in between. For islanders, holidaymakers and commuters, travel to and from the mainland is a major consideration, so Breeze will include Hovertravel tickets by the end of October 2023. More services are being added all the time as further updates are rolled out.

Breeze has been developed by four local authorities: Hampshire County Council, the Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council through Solent Transport, a partnership organisation.

The UK’s Transport and Decarbonisation Minister, Jesse Norman, said: “The Breeze app, backed by Department for Transport funding, is showing how new technologies can improve connectivity through better and more timely transport information, lower congestion and greater access for vulnerable groups and communities.”

Councillor Phil Jordan, Deputy Chair of Solent Transport’s Joint Committee and Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, said: “I’m really excited about the opportunities that the Breeze app presents us with. Since being released to the public, it has already become a very popular platform that is making it easier for residents and visitors to access the growing range of transport options that we have across the region. 

“Breeze provides simplicity, digital access and integration in the palm of our hand and is changing the way that we travel and access travel arrangements. The better the information we have about our transport system, the easier it is for people to get from A to B. I’m encouraged that, through Solent Transport, we’re able to model and deliver successful collaborative working across the south of Hampshire county, the region’s cities and the Isle of Wight,” he concluded.

Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport at Southampton City Council, said: “The Breeze app is rightly popular with people in Southampton, as a single source of information for choosing how to get around the city by bus, train, bike hire or e-scooter hire. It supports our aim of encouraging the use of affordable, efficient bus travel and all forms of sustainable transport. Breeze makes it easy to plan and book journeys in Southampton and beyond, and I look forward to seeing it continue to grow in popularity.”

Councillor Rob Humby, Leader of Hampshire County Council, said: “This is a brilliant initiative that will benefit people from across the whole of the county who need to travel in and around the south Hampshire area. For those who travel using lots of different types of transport on the same day – maybe using trains, buses, hire bikes or scooters on the same journey – this looks like just the ticket.”

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Transport at Portsmouth City Council, said: “I’m very pleased to see that more and more people are using the Breeze app to plan their journeys and book tickets to get around Portsmouth and the surrounding area. This is a great way for people in the city to avoid having to use multiple apps to access transport services, and with more operators joining the app in the near future, I look forward to seeing more options for people to move around the city and further afield.”

Breeze’s development is not funded by council budgets, but through the Future Transport Zone (FTZ). Funds of £28.8 million have been provided by the Department of Transport (DfT) to support the research and testing of new transport and logistics solutions. The Solent Future Transport Zone is one of only four locations in the UK to receive this funding.

The DfT is working closely with Solent Transport, its four partner local authorities, the University of Portsmouth and the University of Southampton to gather research and feedback on the effectiveness of Breeze. The groundbreaking app aims to improve access to transport and reduce congestion and air pollution by encouraging people to consider occasionally leaving the car at home.