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

  • Ertico reaches for stars with ESA
    September 2, 2022
    Agreement with European Space Agency will look at innovative tech for positioning
  • Intercontinental ITS boosted by recent visits
    December 11, 2017
    Ertico-ITS Europe is actively building stronger links with ITS Japan, whose president, Hajime Amano, led a delegation to Brussels last month. Amano updated his hosts on the progress of the development of ITS technologies in support of Japan’s Active Ageing programme, which is responding to the needs of a population with the world’s highest proportion of older adults by introducing innovative community support systems. Recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant disasters have also highlighted the need to
  • Kapsch looks to the future
    December 16, 2014
    Colin Sowman reports from a two-day meeting where industry leaders, academics and political advisers presented their thoughts on the future of mobility. Most governments do not dare to introduce tolling systems… they are too frightened.” So said Georg Kapsch in his capacity of chief operating officer of Kapsch TrafficCom, during a forward-looking press event at the company’s headquarters in Vienna.
  • FIA welcomes call for intelligent transport systems to improve urban mobility
    November 11, 2015
    On 10 November, the European Parliament’s Transport Committee adopted its report on sustainable urban mobility. FIA Region I welcomes the balanced outcome, which acknowledges that diverse local situations must not be decided upon in Brussels. Jacob Bangsgaard, FIA Region I Director General, said: “With the population in European cities growing by 2 million each year, policymakers need a clear strategy to bring about the mobility solutions that can meet the needs of city residents. Intelligent Transport