Skip to main content

Cubic pushes greater role of public transit authorities in driving MaaS

Public transit agencies must start playing a central role in shaping the direction of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) solutions, driving the implementation effort and acting as coordinators of future endeavours, according to Cubic Transportation Systems' (CTS’) report presented in Washington DC. The document, authored by the company's president Matt Cole, aims to help clients, partners and the transit industry revisit their assumptions about MaaS and encourage an open discussion about public transit as the bac
March 26, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Public transit agencies must start playing a central role in shaping the direction of Mobility as a Service (8356 MaaS) solutions, driving the implementation effort and acting as coordinators of future endeavours, according to 378 Cubic Transportation Systems' (CTS’) report presented in Washington DC. The document, authored by the company's president Matt Cole, aims to help clients, partners and the transit industry revisit their assumptions about MaaS and encourage an open discussion about public transit as the backbone of the concept.


Called MaaS: Putting Transit Front and Center of the Conversation, the white paper was launched at the American Public Transportation Association Legislative Conference and was delivered to the MobilityManagement Committee.

Additionally, the inquiry discusses trends taking place on the urban, technological and social layers that make Maas applicable to the current transportation landscape and drive the discussion about the need for MaaS solutions forward. The report goes on to define ten objectives for a responsible, people-centred and socially inclusive MaaS that points to a crucial role that public transit agencies must play. CTS' paper also explores challenges that MaaS players need to overcome such as improving integration, encouraging responsible, secure data sharing, solving issues related to ownership of the customer and finding a common language of agreeing on the right economic and pricing model. It also covers the role that local authorities and governments should play in the overall MaaS picture and what responsibilities should remain in the hands of local authorities and what should be outsourced to third parties.

Cole, said: “Today, the definition of MaaS remains ambiguous. The early adopters of MaaS were almost exclusively private mobility providers and so the industry has come to consider MaaS a private sector initiative. With public transit at its heart, MaaS can bring many benefits to cities, communities and transit agencies.”

A full copy of the report is available %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external here false https://www.cubic.com/sites/default/files/Maas_Final_Whitepaper.pdf false false%>.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Authors publish roadmap for creating smart cities
    May 30, 2019
    Authors Oliver Gassmann, Jonas Böhm and Maximilian Palmié have published a book to aid stakeholders in the development of smart cities. The authors say Smart Cities: Introducing Digital Innovations to Cities explores how the smart city concept promises to solve urban issues such as mobility, pollution and inclusion. The book is expected to serve as road map and provide answers to the following questions: • What core elements constitute smart cities? • How can the digital shadow of city element
  • Europe’s number one leading Mobility as a Service conference says the future of transport lies in delivering change
    January 19, 2018
    First hand reports on the rapid progress being made, as well as the obstacles being faced, by Mobility as a Service projects across Europe dominate the agenda of the second “MaaS Market Concept to Delivery” conference taking place in London next month. Speakers will cover the political and regulatory implications, open data, technology and common standards, demand responsive transport and future business models. This is Europe’s number one leading MaaS event and it includes presentations from Port
  • London Science Museum hosts free driverless vehicle exhibition
    March 8, 2019
    Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are at the heart of a new exhibition at the London Science Museum. Driverless: Who is in control? opens on 12 June and looks at “how close we are to living in a world driven by thinking machines”. Continuing until October 2020, the show examines themes familiar to ITS professionals wrestling with the legal, ethical and logistical issues around the introduction of driverless cars to public roads. The museum says it will focus on “how much of this seemingly futuristic technolog
  • Self-driving bus collides with pedestrian in Vienna
    July 24, 2019
    A self-driving bus trial in the Austrian capital Vienna has been halted after a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian, says Bloomberg. Authorities are now investing the cause of the incident which led to minor injuries. According to Bloomberg, state broadcaster ORF says the Navya vehicle was driving at 7.5 miles per hour when it hit the 30-year-old woman in the knee. In a statement given to The Verge, Navya said witnesses had seen the pedestrian wearing headphones and looking at a mobile phon