Page 36 - TT July Issue for Digital Edition

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Mobility as a Service
Where do

we go from here?

Carol Schweiger, President, Schweiger
Consulting LLC examines if the MaaS is still alive.
According to her, while the “success” of MaaS

is questionable, it still appears to have strong
backing by the governmental entities across the
world, such as the city and regional governments
and public transport agencies. Carol has nearly 45
years of experience in transportation consulting

and is nationally and internationally recognized
in the areas of Intelligent Transportation Systems
(ITS) and Advanced Public Transportation Systems.

here have been numerous of hype as the concept “took off” While the “success” of MaaS
articles in late 2023 and without determining what was is questionable, it still appears
in 2024 that suggest needed to prove the concept. It is to have strong backing by
that mobility as a service worth noting how we got to this some governmental entities
(MaaS) is dead. There point and whether or not there across the world, such as city
T are four major reasons is a sustainable future for MaaS. and regional governments
for this recent sentiment: While and public transport agencies.
over the past ten years, there Europe has seen the largest Several of the most notable
have been many MaaS pilots, number of MaaS pilots and locations moving forward with
most of the pilot programs did deployments since the concept MaaS is Transport for West
not continue past the pilot stage; was introduced in Sweden Midlands (TfWM) in the UK,
secondly, several MaaS platform and Finland around 2014. The the Solent Future Transport
development companies lost development of MaaS in the US Zone (comprising Portsmouth,
their venture capital funding and the Asia-Pacific region has Southampton, South Hampshire
and either went out of business been much slower, although there and the Isle of Wight in the UK),
or became consultants instead are several pockets of deployment Berlin, Germany, and Brisbane,
of platform developers; most in Japan. In India, planning Australia. TfWM is planning to
MaaS pilots did not produce for MaaS was spearheaded in launch a MaaS app some time
results that were based on clearly 2021 through the creation of a in 2024, while each of these
identified goals and objectives framework for MaaS in Indian other locations already have a
or hypotheses, that showed cities (Narendra Verma and Tim- MaaS system in operation and
significant usage, and were Sören Hohmann, “Creating a are enhancing it (Breeze in the
thought to be sustainable; and Framework for Mobility as a Solent region, Jelbi in Berlin,
lastly, MaaS was subject to a lot Service (MaaS) in Indian Cities”). and Odin Pass in Brisbane).

36 TRAFFICINFRATECH / July 2024 / www.trafficinfratech.com