EC pledges legal framework for MaaS

Revision of various regulations and directives could serve as enabler for new services
By Adam Hill October 12, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Investment is needed in infrastructure and digitalisation, conference hears (© Andreykr | Dreamstime.com)

The European Commission is to begin developing and enabling a legal framework at European Union level for Mobility as a Service (MaaS), pledged European commissioner for transport and mobility Adina-Ioana Vălean.

Speaking at the 6th MaaS Summit, which was organised by the MaaS Alliance, European Commission and Finnish Ministry Transport and Communications, she said that while Covid-19 was challenging for transportaton, it is also "an opportunity to rebuild better our transport system and to make a huge
contribution to overall economic recovery".

MaaS is expected to be an important factor in the upcoming Communication on Smart and Sustainable Strategy, as well as the revision of the EU's ITS Directive, Sustainable & Smart Mobility Strategy and Urban Mobility Package.

Revisions of the TEN-T Regulation and the Alternative Fuels Directive (DAFI) could also be an enabler for MaaS deployment, delegates heard.

Finland's transport minister Timo Harakka outlined key MaaS challenges such as interoperability of payment, ticketing and procurement, as well as the importance of data accessibility and sharing.

He said that investment was needed in two main areas: in infrastructure to support sustainable modes, and in the digitalisation which enables the easy use of those modes.

At the online conference, Ertico boss Jacob Bangsgaard, who is also president of the MaaS Alliance, said that effort was needed to create the "concrete enablers of an open ecosystem".

Further work is certainly required for MaaS to flourish.

Matthew Baldwin of the EC's DG Move, said: “We, at the Commission, aim to reinforce the synergies and try to develop the framework for a stronger basis
of trust between service providers, transport operators and public transport authorities.” 

Baldwin added: “All transport modes have started to embrace this disruptive change, although at a different pace. However, further work is needed on improving underlying conditions allowing the transport sector to take full advantage of the opportunities to achieve sustainable, seamless, smart mobility across the modes."

Mass Transit & MaaS

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Ertico partners in step for Europe-wide cooperative traffic systems
    December 5, 2012
    According to Ertico, the future of traffic management on urban and inter-urban networks will rely on direct communication and interaction between vehicles and the infrastructure, using new technologies called cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) that support real-time exchange of traffic data. This cooperation can enable a wide range of applications such as vehicle-sourced data collection, green light and speed advice, automated hazard detection, selective vehicle priority, dynamic city logisti
    Read More
  • Study finds big differences in toll collection cases
    December 16, 2013
    Examination of Norway’s tolling companies finds much to praise, and some criticisms too, as Torill Eidsheim told delegates at the ASECAP conference. The cost of collecting tolls has a substantial effect on the profitability, or otherwise, of tolling companies and is within the company’s control to a far greater degree than, for instance, traffic volumes. And while it is easy to assume that all tolling companies incur similar collection costs, that is not always the case according to Torill Eidsheim, pres
    Read More
  • Conscience versus convenience
    June 8, 2015
    David Crawford looks at new ways forward for public transport. By 2025, nearly 60% of the world’s population will be living in towns and cities, increasing their extent and density, and the journeys that people make within and between them. In response, the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) wants to see public transport’s global modal share doubling (PTx2) by the same date. “Success in 2025,” a spokesperson told ITS International, “will save 170 million tonnes of oil equivalent and 550
    Read More
  • Cubic promotes the power of partnerships
    August 22, 2016
    Cubic’s Andy Taylor considers the growing need for partnerships in the transportation sector. At the end of June, The Guardian newspaper in the UK broke a game-changing transport story – Sidewalk Labs, a secretive subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is working on a project that aims to radically overhaul parking and transportation in American cities.
    Read More

Highlighted Content