Report: AVs and MaaS could ‘reduce traffic by 14%’

If you replace today’s traditional private car ownership with a mixture of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and on-demand autonomous vehicles (AVs) running door-to-door, you could make dramatic cuts in city traffic, according to new research. The Oslo Study – How autonomous cars may change transport in cities shows that, “in the most optimistic scenario a reduction of 14 % traffic is possible”. But researchers warn that the traffic reduction potential “is less than estimated in previous studies from other citi
May 16, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
If you replace today’s traditional private car ownership with a mixture of Mobility as a Service (8356 MaaS) and on-demand autonomous vehicles (AVs) running door-to-door, you could make dramatic cuts in city traffic, according to new research.


The Oslo Study – How autonomous cars may change transport in cities shows that, “in the most optimistic scenario a reduction of 14 % traffic is possible”. But researchers warn that the traffic reduction potential “is less than estimated in previous studies from other cities” and it could increase if the mix is not right.

Oslo, this year’s European Green Capital, wants to reduce car use by a third before 2030.

The study was undertaken by COWI and PTV on behalf of Ruter, the Oslo regional public transport operator. Modelling a variety of scenarios, they found that traffic would get worse without ride-sharing – or if MaaS “became more attractive than traditional public transport”.

The Oslo study “assumes a very high level of service”. If users were instead happy with longer waiting times before a vehicle shows up, or would put up with longer detours, “the effect on traffic will be substantially better”, with traffic volumes reduced by up to 31%, the researchers conclude.

• Full story in the May-June issue of ITS International magazine

Related Content

  • Intelligent intersection control
    April 12, 2013
    Intelligent intersection control systems have a growing role to play in making urban traffic more efficient. Robin Meczes reports. The idea of every traffic light turning green as you approach it has long been a dream for many an urban driver – and none more so than those driving heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), which are slow and difficult to bring to a halt and then accelerate back to normal travel speed. But that dream has become a reality for some drivers in a small number of cities around Europe in the las
    Read More
  • Sampo Hietanen: “Most likely you're going to be the ‘magnificent corpse’ out of all this”
    August 21, 2024
    From the pitfalls of being first in the market, to putting your effort into creating an ecosystem, and the difficulties in gaining critical mass, Sampo Hietanen tells Adam Hill how much he’s learned from the rise and demise of MaaS Global
    Read More
  • Outlook good for transportation technology funding
    January 25, 2012
    Chris Cheever and Chris Thomas of Fontinalis Partners discuss the funding outlook for the ITS industry – where the money’s going to come from, and what needs to happen to facilitate change
    Read More
  • Traffic cameras embrace AI
    December 19, 2022
    Artificial intelligence is spreading into many aspects of mobility – but what about traffic management and enforcement cameras? ITS International invited a few vision experts to ponder a couple of leading questions…
    Read More

Highlighted Content