Season 5 Episode 3: Digitising Transport - The Rise of Mobility as a Service

With the recent acceleration of technologies such as IoT, cloud computing, and big data – people and services have become more connected than ever. In response to this increasing availability of data and digital services the transport sector is undergoing a sizable transformation as a result of the growing need for more sustainable and accessible travel solutions.

This has stimulated a considerable amount of research aimed at improving the connectivity of transport infrastructure and services, developing new business models that package different modes and services together into one mobile application or online platform to make the planning and payment of trips easier for people and businesses.

Such innovation has been termed ‘Mobility as a Service’ (MaaS), and was outlined in the UK Government’s report Future of mobility: urban strategy, 2019 which aimed to help urban areas harness the benefits and opportunities of new transport innovation.

MaaS platforms integrate and analyse data from transport systems, such as rail, buses, taxis and even cycle hire, to offer the user a choice in journey planning.

The concept of MaaS is to make journeys more convenient through streamlining planning and payment and allowing people to tailor journeys to their specific needs.

In its drive to meet decarbonisation and net zero ambitions the UK Government produced a Code of Practice for Mobility as a Service (MaaS) in 2023. This comprehensive framework focuses on convenience, accessibility and innovation to ensure that modern mobility apps meet the needs of the public. Indeed, the main objective is to make transport options accessible to all, paving the way for an interconnected, user-centric transport ecosystem.

But how effective would such a system be in the UK? what impact would MaaS have globally particularly in remote locations and low income economies? And is the transport industry really ready to integrate this level of digital interconnectivity into its services?

To answer these an other questions about MaaS I spoke with Dr Kate Pangbourne, associate Professor of transport governance at the Institute for Transport Studies at Leeds University and Sharon Kindleysides, Transport engineer and board member of the European Logistics Association to get their views on what implications it might have for the UK transport sector, the impact it could have on society in terms of accessibility and cost, and what challenges it might face in the UK and beyond.

Dr Kate Pangbourne                                  Sharon Kindleysides

Useful Links

Forsight report on MaaS

European MaaS Alliance

We would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this episode. If you would like to get in touch, email us at podcast@imeche.org

You can find more information about the work of the IMechE at www.imeche.org