To start with, MaaS is a service that allows users to plan, book, and pay for multiple types of mobility services with a single account on a single platform. MaaS - and this is a crucial aspect for us at Mobimeo - also describes the shift away from personally-owned vehicles towards mobility provided as a service. It includes public and private mobility service providers - like public transport, sharing and on-demand companies - and allows users to book single tickets or get subscriptions.
The MaaS concept is an opportunity to present an attractive alternative to private vehicle ownership by providing access to the transportation network as an integrated system, offering more mobility options than just public transit. This kind of transport transition is one lever to stop climate change, cut congestion and reduce land consumption.
I do not believe that we will change people’s behaviour in the long term by telling them what to do. It is far more convincing to create an alternative mobility offering that is as attractive as the privately-owned car - at the same convenience, comfort and cost. In addition, if you look at it from a steering perspective, it helps cities to get more out of their existing infrastructure by managing traffic and capacities more effectively.
MaaS only works if three stakeholders come together:
There is the MaaS platform operator who enables users to choose the best option from a range of transport modes, such as public transport, sharing and on-demand offerings and taxis. Additionally, the MaaS operator provides a digital marketplace to match user demand with the supply of mobility services from these public and private providers.
The mobility service providers operate the infrastructure, vehicles and services. They benefit from MaaS by directly reaching a larger number of potential customers via the Maas platform.
And most importantly, it’s all about the users getting access to the best and most economical mobility option based on their current needs and situation.
The development towards MaaS is triggered by a variety of innovative new mobility options such as ride-, bike-, scooter- and car-sharing, as well as on-demand services. Combining these options multimodally opens up completely new possibilities.
The effective use and expansion of local public transport is the backbone of the transport transition. When we talk about comfort, self-driving cars can be an addition that will probably accelerate user adoption of MaaS. Depending on personal preferences, using a self-driving car in certain situations will be much less costly than waving down a taxi today.
The goal is to make mobility as convenient as unlocking your own vehicle parked in front of your house today. It’s all about getting from A to B as easily as possible. Integrating all modes of transport to connect your starting point and your destination with a seamless mobility experience will be the game changer.
Mobimeo offers its MaaS platform as a subscription (Software-as-a-Service) to public transport companies and associations. The consolidated offering of public and private mobility service providers is made accessible to users via white-label apps representing the brands of Mobimeo’s customers.
MaaS has many benefits for the stakeholders involved. To highlight the most important ones:
Read more about MaaS and the benefits it delivers in the course of the upcoming interviews with our in-house experts.
The interviewee
John David von Oertzen is Managing Director and CEO of Mobimeo. With his long-standing experience in the mobility industry and his strong technology background, he has been driving Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) solutions early on.
