MaaS can work – but must be consistent with ‘decarbonised future’, says UK expert

Innovations such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS) will help to make transport more free-flowing for individuals – but that must not be done at the cost of society or the environment. That was the message from Paul Campion, CEO of the UK Transport Systems Catapult, speaking at the Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum’s seminar on intelligent mobility this week. He told delegates at the London conference that innovations in the 20th century had put travel within reach of most people, and tha
January 23, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Innovations such as Mobility as a Service (8356 MaaS) will help to make transport more free-flowing for individuals – but that must not be done at the cost of society or the environment.


That was the message from Paul Campion, CEO of the UK 7800 Transport Systems Catapult, speaking at the Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum’s seminar on intelligent mobility this week.

He told delegates at the London conference that innovations in the 20th century had put travel within reach of most people, and that the 21st century will see even greater convenience becoming commonplace.

“The next few decades will see the democratisation of seamless travel,” he went on. “I want the complexity to go away – but it must be consistent with a democratic, decarbonised future.”

The new mobility options on the table – such as ride-sharing and connected vehicles – have the potential to make life better for everyone. But he warned that there was also a risk that some of their impact could be negative.

“We have to think very hard about what we want. We have to find ways to ‘sell’ the things that lead to utopia and try to resist the things that lead to dystopia,” he said.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • TM 2.0 boost TMC data feed and driver influence
    November 15, 2017
    TM 2.0 views connected vehicles and V2I as two-way communications channels, benefitting traffic management and drivers, as Alan Dron discovers. As connected vehicles are progressively rolled out there will come a point at which traffic managers and traffic management centres (TMCs) will have to gear up to cope with a rapidly-evolving road scenario. The TM 2.0 Platform (see box) is promoting a concept of new-generation traffic management (which carries the same TM 2.0 title) and is studying how future T
    Read More
  • MaaS: 'It's been much easier to convince politicians than we expected'
    August 11, 2021
    As she leaves the Mobility as a Service sector, Piia Karjalainen explains why the user must continue to be the focus – and why we haven’t yet even seen half of the innovations available 
    Read More
  • SAE Level 3 is not 'real autonomy', says Axa Insurance
    January 29, 2020
    Autonomy at SAE Level 3 is just very good driver assistance, said David Williams, managing director, underwriting and technical services at Axa Insurance.
    Read More
  • What will MaaS look like in 2031?
    October 25, 2021
    The next decade will see the humble trip planning app transformed by machine learning and AI, revolutionising the way we move around and interact with each other, says John Nuutinen of SkedGo
    Read More

Highlighted Content