CHALLENGES

MaaS: transports in mutation

Faced with the multiplication of travel modes and the difficulty of modulating each of them to obtain an optimised itinerary, MaaS is emerging as an innovative concept.

MaaS allows the coordination of all the means of transport available in an area, in order to offer coherent and simple rides. It allows the inclusion of previously unknown modes of transport, such as Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT).

What is MaaS?

A real challenge for the future of mobility, MaaS is intended to be very practical, with the aim of encouraging people to stop using their personal cars.

The "mobility as a service" principle

MaaS is what is known as "serviced mobility". Derived from the English "Mobility As A Service", this new concept aims to bring together all modes of travel in a single application. This service does not include the personal vehicle, since theinterest of MaaS is above all to limit its use to a maximum.

With MaaS, it is no longer necessary to download several public and private transport applications to design your own itinerary. Here, everything is modeled to offer an optimised ride , taking into account all available transportation modes.

MaaS thus provides access to multimodality andintermodality in a fluid and coherent way, whether for a short or a long ride.

How does MaaS work?

MaaS takes the form of an application accessible from a smartphone. It allows travelers to select the modes of transportation they want to use to travel, thanks to a complete listing of all the possibilities. Thus, several actions are available on the MaaS application:

To have several travel options, taking into account the time of ride, the price, and the available modes of transport;
Store e-tickets in the smartphone, which serve as dematerialised tickets;
Centralise payment for all rides.

The MaaS system is available on a monthly subscription basis, or on a per-act basis.

MaaS: an innovation with multiple benefits

Much more than just another application, MaaS is part of a large-scale citizen's approach, and offers many advantages.

Although themobility offer has never been as dense as it is today, it is not always easy to make the link between the different means of transportation. By centralising all the data and allowing users to create a personalised itinerary that takes into account all modes of travel, MaaS is part of a unique approach: limiting the use of personal vehicles and promoting public transport.

This multimodal transport chain then includes all different modes, from train to subway, bike, walk or scooter.

Having a simple, coherent and optimised ride offers a qualitativeuser experience. It encourages them to consider commuting to work or to rides as an alternative to their own car.

By doing so, MaaS also aims to relieve road congestion and facilitate parking.

Mobilty as a service: a solution with ecological ambitions

With the promotion of public transport and the soft mobility,MaaS is actively promoting sustainable mobility. This service offers modes of transport that are more respectful of the environment than a private car, and thus supports the government's ecological transition plan.

Pollution is thus considerably reduced, and the general quality of the urban environment is greatly improved: less noise, less unpleasant odors, healthier air, smoother traffic...

MaaS can help users realize that owning a vehicle in the city has very little interest, and that there are plenty of mobility alternatives available in urban areas.

A social approach to shared mobility

Until recently, mobility meant only the use of the personal vehicle. It was the most widely used mode of transport, because it represented comfort and safety. Today, transportation modes have diversified and developed, and citizens living in urban areas are rethinking mobility, turning to a logic of sharing.

MaaS reconnects people by providing access to a service based on sharing. Whether it's with public transport, or a shared mobility service set up by a company, MaaS acts to bring people together for the same cause and towards the same goal: to leave the personal vehicle in the garage, to protect the planet, and to improve traffic conditions in town.

Facilitating access to information and payments through MaaS

Finally, on a purely practical level, MaaS greatly facilitates transport payment operations. Instead of having bus tickets, subway tickets, a bike-share card and another for tramway in your wallet, MaaS centralizes all these payments in its application.

In the form of a monthly subscription, or on a fee-for-service basis, the user pays rides according to the partners selected, in all simplicity.

MaaS and Demand-Responsive Transport

While MaaS is perfectly suited to an urban mobility approach, it also has its place in suburban or rural areas, and makes it possible to link different actors. Thus, in its objective to limit the use of personal vehicles and to promote multimodality, MaaS includes the solutions of Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT). This mode of travel, which is particularly interesting in rural areas, is part of the intermodality approach sought by MaaS.

Users in peri-urban areas will be able to integrate DRT into their itineraries to reach the cities and their dense transportation infrastructure networks. This solution opens doors for rural people who, until now, had no choice but to drive to work or to the city, as these areas were poorly served by public transport.

A true innovation at the service of users, MaaS is a simple and effective solution foroptimizing rides. Padam Mobility is part of this initiative by offering everyone the opportunity to include DRT in their mobility options, especially in rural areas.

MaaS: transports in mutation