Is MaaS 🛴 🚲 🚗 a Dead Horse? - the bankruptcy of MaaS Global in March 2024 marked the end of the first phase of the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) concept. Despite umob’s acquisition of its assets, many see this as a turning point for the industry. The decline of MaaS was evident at InnoTrans 2024, where only a few key players like Siemens Mobility/Hacon, Via, and AXON VIBE represented the once vibrant ecosystem.
Until now MaaS (1.0) struggled with profitability, fragmented markets, and an over-reliance on apps. Its failure lies in the disconnect between business-driven goals and the complex reality of multimodal transportation ecosystems. The public mobility paradigm now gaining traction offers a more collaborative approach, emphasizing the role of public authorities and infrastructure over tech startups and profitability. As reflected in reports like those from TNO "Public Mobility: The Next Evolution of MaaS" explains, the future of mobility is likely to be shaped by local governments focusing on sustainability, efficiency, and user-centric design. The report focuses on research amongst others from Holland, Vancouver and Berlin.
What are these cities do differently? Local authorities in those cities seem to understand the complexity of creating a MaaS ecosystem, and are acting accordingly, says Kevin Vedder, one of the report’s authors: “It’s interesting that one of the first hires for Jelbi (our MaaS platform here in Berlin, based on Trafi technology) was a relationship manager.” My personal observation from Hamburgs collaboration with MOIA unpin this observation. I still recall a conversation with Sascha Meyer, in which he stressed the importance for Moias success on being truly seemingness integrated in the city’s public transport system system and the strong bonding with local authorities.
The shift from a tech-driven MaaS model to a public-focused mobility strategy highlights the need for adaptability and stakeholder collaboration. As MaaS evolves, its success will depend on a shared vision between public entities and private companies—placing users and communities at the heart of mobility solutions. What are your thoughts on this? #MaaS #futureofmobility #publicmobility
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