There is a growing consensus that we need to reduce private car usage and harness the benefits of alternative shared transport solutions – that is for a variety of reasons ranging from public health, creating fit-for-purpose city plans, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

And Mobility as a Service (MaaS) provides the ideal facilitator achieve all such objectives.

MaaS: A staple of a the modern city

A survey conducted by MaaS Global and its Whim App found that the hybrid – in person/remote – working philosophy is likely to affect travel habits as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was conducted in the Helsinki region of Finland, and found trends relating to an uptake in public transport and a decline in private car usage.

Concretely, the survey concluded that a decrease in the use of private cars could be observed by a matter of 42 per cent of the surveyed population, while 51 per cent say they are planning to increase the use of public transport.

Juniper Research forecasts that 2.3 billion private car journeys are set to be replaced by MaaS options annually by 2023, quantifying MaaS’ ability to reduce congestion in cities.

It went on to state that that figure equates to around 18 times the number of taxi journeys across New York in 2016.

In reference to the Helsinki-survey and Europe more generally, it has proven to be a region that has largely embraced the concept of MaaS, and accounts for the greatest proportion of the migration to alternative travel methods.

Juniper Research (2022)

The continent is also home to the MaaS Alliance – a European public-private partnership that operates in the pursuit of societal betterment by establishing foundations for a common approach to MaaS.

Closer to home, research conducted by the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies in in Australia’s largest metropolis, Sydney, found that private car usage may change following a subscription to a monthly mobility service.

The indicative evidence in the study found that MaaS has a potential to change consumer behaviour in regards to travel options when it aligned to sustainability objectives.

Bounce’s fleet of buses are entirely electric and offset zero carbon emissions.

The combined objectives of increased electric vehicle uptake and reduced congestion on existing infrastructure is an attractive propositions for authorities.

MaaS, at its core, is a pursuit to address the future sustainability of travel options in larger cities.

“The world has begun to make a conceptual shift toward seeking not just efficiency, but also sustainability and recycling economies,” Bounce Mobility CEO Alan Higgins said.

“It is thus fair to say that we have entered into an era in which the coexistence of diverse value systems, expansion of choices, and the social uncertainty all require sustainability.”

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(Feature Image: Creative Commons Licence)