MaaS could lead to ‘unintended negative consequences’, say UK politicians

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) could lead to ‘unintended negative consequences’, according to influential figures in the UK parliament. The House of Commons Transport Committee’s report on MaaS suggested that increased road congestion and poorer air quality – as well as ‘social and digital exclusion’ – could be the unwanted outcomes of the widespread adoption of MaaS schemes. “Early research and piloting of MaaS should focus not only on maximising the potential benefits but also on mitigating potential
February 11, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Mobility as a Service (8356 MaaS) could lead to ‘unintended negative consequences’, according to influential figures in the UK parliament.


The House of Commons Transport Committee’s report on MaaS suggested that increased road congestion and poorer air quality – as well as ‘social and digital exclusion’ – could be the unwanted outcomes of the widespread adoption of MaaS schemes.

“Early research and piloting of MaaS should focus not only on maximising the potential benefits but also on mitigating potential negative effects that could arise,” the MPs on the committee said in their report.

They added: “MaaS should be tested under as wide a variety of conditions as possible if those in local and central government considering MaaS or who are responsible for designing policies and commissioning schemes are to understand and avoid these potentially costly unintended consequences.”

The report also calls on the UK 1837 Department for Transport (DfT) to become “a more active participant in shaping the evolution of MaaS”, rather than observing as private companies and local authorities make the running.

The DfT should “help to support a much more varied ‘test and learn’ approach to the implementation of MaaS”, it adds, collecting data on a diverse range of MaaS projects and “sharing best practice between local and regional authorities and MaaS platform providers”.

The government should also examine “what steps it needs to take to ensure there is fair market competition and that users’ financial interests are protected”.
Paul Campion, CEO of 7800 Transport Systems Catapult, told MPs: “We are at a critical point at the moment. It is not too late to do the right thing, but the longer we leave it, the more private companies will try to monopolise, because that is how they work.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Dutch survey shows drivers are in favour of road user charging
    January 16, 2012
    'Keep it simple, stupid' is an oft-forgotten axiom but in terms of road user charging it is entirely appropriate. So says the ANWB's Ferry Smith. A couple of decades ago, it might have been largely true that the technology aspects of advanced road infrastructure were the main obstacles to deployment. However, 20 years or more of development have led to a situation where such 'obstacles' are often no more than a political fig-leaf. Area-wide Road User Charging (RUC) is a case in point; speak candidly to syst
    Read More
  • Hamburg’s on-demand alternative to commuting by car
    December 5, 2017
    As Hamburg is confirmed as the host for the 2021 ITS World Congress, David Crawford looks at the city’s moves towards enabling MaaS-type operations. Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg, is pinning its civic reputation on having its promised all-electric, on-demand, shuttle bus ridesharing service up and running by 2018. Partners in the three-year project are regional metro and bus service provider Hamburger Hochbahn and Volkswagen Group’s Berlinbased mobility innovation subsidiary Moia, which was set
    Read More
  • UK local roads decarbonisation programme gets £4.5m
    September 19, 2023
    UK Department for Transport and Adept have allocated cash for Centre of Excellence
    Read More
  • Manchester seeks smart but not selective transport solutions
    January 25, 2018
    Smarter transport relies on better communications both with travellers and between transport providers. Andrew Williams reports. Inrix’s prediction that the cost of traffic congestion will rise by 63% to £21bn per year by 2030 clearly illustrates that, in addition to the ongoing inconvenience and inefficiency, ongoing gridlock is a significant drain on the economy. It is against this backdrop that a Cisco-led consortium has launched CitySpire, a smart transport programme that uses location-based services a
    Read More

Highlighted Content