Mobility as a Service (MaaS), an umbrella term for the provision of multiple integrated mobility options via a single digital platform, represents a real opportunity to leverage new technology in order to improve this state of affairs. Of course, to say so is easier than to do so, and successfully deploying a comprehensive MaaS offering is a major undertaking, both in terms of the physical and digital build and the enabling governance framework. But this should not deter stakeholders, especially public bodies, from grappling with the task, given the clear utility to public health, to general wellbeing and to the economy.
The risk that public authorities run if they sit back and allow private sector interests to forge ahead on a piecemeal basis is that they lose the opportunity to shape the development of the MaaS ecosystem, depriving the public of the oversight and involvement that should enable such new mobility systems to gain durable acceptance.
This year saw the Department of Transport (DoT) publish its National Sustainable Mobility Policy (NSMP), explicitly envisioning MaaS in Ireland, as well as Smart Dublin and the SMP’s ‘Rethinking Mobility in Ireland’, which makes a strong case for MaaS. We have developed the Mobility Readiness index, to assess the relative preparedness of ten major urban centres across the island of Ireland to develop MaaS. We hope that this will spur consideration and collaboration between relevant stakeholders, and smooth the path to adoption for what promises to be a revolutionary development in transport history.
