UK reviews MaaS, data and micromobility regulation

Mobility as a Service (8356 MaaS), transport data and micromobility are to be the subject of new regulatory review by the UK government.

Zero-emission vehicles, driverless vehicles (AVs) and drones are already under similar review. But in a  document, %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy false https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/786654/future-of-mobility-strategy.pdf false false%>, maps out how the country’s Department of Transport will approach other mobility opportunities – and challenges.

“This is the moment to reflect on what we as a society want these changes to deliver and what we want our urban spaces to be like,” the report’s preamble says. “If successfully channelled, they have the potential to deliver step-change advances for society, the environment and the economy.”

The flipside of this is also spelled out: “If technological changes are not effectively managed they could have undesired effects, such as increasing congestion or reducing sustainable travel.”

Transport minister Jesse Norman says that mobility changes are going to be felt most strongly in cities, at least initially, but pledges: “We will be setting out our thinking on the future of rural mobility in due course.”

The government has several principles which it insists will underpin its approach “as far as possible”. These include the tenets that “walking, cycling and active travel must remain the best options for short urban journeys” and “new mobility services must lead the transition to zero emissions”.

Among the government’s pledges are for four ‘future mobility zones’ with £90 million of funding and to encourage “the sharing and harnessing of data, through the creation of standards and platforms that make it easier to access and use transport data”.