Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) has rapidly gained acceptance in Europe. Pioneering MaaS projects have been launched in cities such as Annemasse, Angers, Antwerp, Berlin, Birmingham, Dusseldorf, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Madrid, Manchester, Paris, Stockholm and Vienna in the past two years.

Helsinki’s experience with the Whim app set the ground for other cities to follow suit. The large number of active subscriptions of Whim app suggests that users are increasingly exploring the shift from private car ownership to the shared use of resources. MaaS is also generating greater level of data for cities and transit authorities. The rising popularity of the concept among users, investors, transit agencies and operators alike has prompted many city transport authorities and policymakers to invest in the deployment of MaaS models in their respective cities.

To accelerate the implementation of MaaS, the European Commission has launched three projects — MyCorridor, iMOVE and MaaS EU – under the EU Horizon 2020 programme. Shift2Rail has also initiated Shift2MaaS to launch pilots focused on shared mobility services and seamless passenger experience. Meanwhile, Galileo 4 Mobility is exploring opportunities to improve MaaS schemes through the application of its satellite technology.

Going forward, the market size of MaaS is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 35-40 per cent by 2025. Nearly three-fourth of this growth will be driven by cities in Western Europe. It is expected that MaaS will include not only public transport and private mobility service providers but also parking, electric vehicle charging, road toll collection, services at stations and other value-added services.

While MaaS presents opportunities to create a user-centric experience through transport behaviour analysis, there are concerns about data sharing and privacy. There are also questions on who should drive the integration of mobility options and value-added services – a private integrator or the transport authority. These concerns need to be resolved if the anticipated growth has to be achieved.

To learn about MaaS applications, discuss these developments and explore opportunities, Global Mass Transit is organising a conference on Mobility-as-a-Service in Europe: Plans and Opportunities; Technology and Solutions on March 18-19, 2020 at the InterContinental Amstel in Amsterdam.

The mission of the conference is to discuss the applicability of MaaS, understand its benefits, explore key trends and developments, discuss business and service models, review case studies, highlight technological innovations, find solutions to key challenges and discuss the way forward in Europe.

It will bring together experts from leading transport authorities/agencies, transit operators, taxi fleet operators, ride-hailing and ride-sharing service providers, micro-mobility providers, ministries and government departments, solution providers, system integrators, fleet management software providers, technology platform suppliers, car-leasing and renting service providers, fare collection system suppliers, ticketing infrastructure providers, investors, consultants, ICT infrastructure providers, insurance companies, regulatory organisations, R&D institutes, and academic institutions. They will present their perspective, lessons from early projects and possible solutions.

The one-and-a-half day conference will have 15 targeted sessions, panel discussions and case studies, with participation from a wide range of international experts providing valuable insights and actionable advice. The agenda will cover plans of cities for deploying MaaS in Europe. It will also highlight the latest technological developments and solutions to improve customer experience.

The event will also help understand the role governments, transit agencies, operators, private players and investors can play in deploying a successful MaaS scheme in a city or region. Besides, it will provide insights into the offerings of leading MaaS suppliers, ICT infrastructure providers and technology platform suppliers.

There will also be a dedicated session on the experiences of leading cities in MaaS deployment. This will provide an opportunity to learn how to deploy the MaaS scheme, integrate various modes of transport and manage stakeholder expectations.