Skip to main content

European Mobility-as-a-Service Alliance launched

Twenty European organisations have joined forces to establish the first Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Alliance. This new initiative will work towards a truly European and common approach to MaaS through public and private stakeholder cooperation, providing the basis for the economy of scale needed for a successful implementation in Europe. The Alliance will be officially launched in the Finnish Pavilion (C37) at the ITS World Congress in Bordeaux on 6 October at 1300. The key concept behind MaaS is to
October 6, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
Twenty European organisations have joined forces to establish the first Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Alliance. This new initiative will work towards a truly European and common approach to MaaS through public and private stakeholder cooperation, providing the basis for the economy of scale needed for a successful implementation in Europe.

The Alliance will be officially launched in the Finnish Pavilion (C37) at the 6456 ITS World Congress in Bordeaux on 6 October at 1300.
 
The key concept behind MaaS is to put users, both travellers and goods, at the core of transport services, offering them tailor-made mobility solutions based on their individual needs. This means that, for the first time, easy access to the most appropriate transport mode or service will be included in a bundle of flexible travel service options for end users.
 
The MaaS Alliance builds upon the momentum and drive achieved during the last 438 European ITS Congress in 2014 hosted by Helsinki, where MaaS received political support from the Finnish government. “MaaS is a new approach to changing mobility markets. It relies on existing and developing transport services and has huge chance for global scaling”, says the originator of the concept Sampo Hietanen, CEO of ITS Finland.
 
According to Rasmus Lindholm, Ertico’s director of Communications and Partnership Development, MaaS has the potential to fundamentally change the behaviour of people in and beyond cities; hence it is regarded as the biggest paradigm change in transport since affordable cars came into the market.
 
Founding partners of the Mobility as a Service Alliance include Aalborg University, 4793 AustriaTech,  5650 Ericsson, 374 ERTICO – ITS Europe, Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA) Region I, Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications, Helsinki Business Hub, IRU, 6784 Connekt, 7350 ITS Finland, 5497 ITS Sweden, ITS Ukraine, MOBiNET, National Mobile Payment Plc. (Hungary), Swedish Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation, Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation (Tekes), 1466 Transport for London, Vinnova, University of Tampere and 4186 Xerox.
 
"Bundling services to simplify access to mobility is a key step to ensure the best use of all modes of transport. 8054 FIA Region I call upon the transport community to develop and combine these services based on the public’s concrete needs. In the FIA, we believe mobility must be safe, sustainable, accessible and affordable for all”, says Jacob Bangsgaard director general FIA Region I.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Sampo Hietanen: “Why BP investment in MaaS Global is a good thing”
    November 26, 2019
    As a multinational oil giant, BP might not seem like the greenest choice for sustainable mobility provider and Whim owner MaaS Global. Sampo Hietanen explains his reasoning...
  • Dundee trial offers insight into delivering MaaS in smaller urban and rural areas
    March 27, 2018
    A MaaS trial in Scotland will evaluate the attraction of such services for young people living in small cities and rural areas. Colin Sowman reports. It is often said that Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is fine in big cities - but what about smaller towns and rural areas? Well, the city of Dundee in Scotland has only around 150,000 people but is set to provide some answers with its trial of NaviGoGo, a MaaS operation aimed at 16-25 year olds – be they students, working or unemployed. By population, Dundee
  • Why Netflix could overcome road pricing resistance
    October 28, 2019
    As the US moves towards a national road usage charging trial, education is paramount – and subscription services like Netflix might help people understand why the money is needed, writes Bill Cramer
  • Accelerating Smart Mobility with Beter Benutten ITS
    March 21, 2016
    The Netherlands’ Beter Benutten programme is focused on ITS deployment and smart mobility. Beter Benutten (Optimising Use) is a programme run by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment focused on ITS deployment and smart mobility that actively encourages cooperation between the private sector, users and the government. The Netherlands has clear ambitions to foster innovation, strengthen its competitive position and be a frontrunner in the area of cooperative ITS, self-driving cars and smart