Matkahuolto, a nationwide provider of passenger, parcel and carrier services, and Kyyti Group, a solution provider for Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), have agreed to co-operate to create world’s first nationwide MaaS-solution.
According to Janne Jakola, CEO of Matkahuolto, digitalisation makes it possible to create completely new service packages that cover the whole country. They also make it possible to facilitate people’s mobility significantly, even when not using a private car.
Matkahuolto aims to be Finland’s most popular mobility and travel service provider and facilitator of easy travel. MaaS-based mobility solutions have already been implemented in many different cities around the world, but there are no other similar nation-wide implementations yet. It is excellent that Finland, as MaaS’s home country, continues to be a pioneer in large-scale projects and Matkahuolto is involved in implementing travel chains, says Jakola.
The new solution combines all mobility services for use with one easy-to-use smartphone application. The application provided by Matkahuolto initially includes nationwide bus and part of local public transportation. In the future, other forms of movement will be added to the application. The service can include all public transport services (including subways, buses, trains, etc.) as well as private operator services (including taxis, rental cars, communal cars, city bikes, electric scooters, parking, etc.). The app provides a variety of options for different needs, with the user choosing the one that best suits the situation. The services used are paid for directly through the application.
Matkahuolto is well placed to build the service, as we already have a uniquely large, nationwide network of service providers and customers, as well as extensive expertise in public transport. In the future, other providers of the Matkahuolto application may be, for example, public transport operators in different cities or large-scale local businesses, Janne Jakola lists.
According to Pekka Möttö, CEO of Kyyti Group, the basic principle of Matkahuolto’s MaaS-solution, which will be released early this year, is to provide all Finns with fast and easy door-to-door travel chains tailored to their needs.
Kyyti Group’s expansion targets have been global from the outset, and the focus of operations will continue to be overseas. Naturally, having Matkahuolto as a national partner to create an example in Finland of what MaaS can be also has enormous international value, says Möttö.
Original source and photo credit: Kyyti Group website
