The key concept behind MaaS is to put the users, both travellers, and goods, at the core of transport services, offering them tailor-made mobility solutions based on their individual needs. This means that, for the first time, easy access to the most appropriate transport mode or service will be included in a bundle of flexible travel service options for end users.

The MaaS Alliance builds upon the momentum and drives achieved during the last European ITS Congress in 2014 hosted by Helsinki, where MaaS received political support from the Finnish government. “MaaS is a new approach to changing mobility markets. It relies on existing and developing transport services and has a huge chance for global scaling”, says the father of the concept Sampo Hietanen, CEO of ITS Finland. According to Rasmus Lindholm, ERTICO’s Director of Communications and Partnership Development: ”MaaS has the potential to fundamentally change the behaviour of people in and beyond cities, hence it is regarded as the biggest paradigm change in transport since affordable cars came into the market”.

Founding Partners of the Mobility as a Service Alliance include Aalborg University, AustriaTech, Ericsson, ERTICO – ITS Europe, Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA) Region I, Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications, Helsinki Business Hub, IRU, Connekt, ITS Finland, ITS Sweden, ITS Ukraine, MOBiNET, National Mobile Payment Plc. (Hungary), Swedish Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation, Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation (Tekes), Transport for London, Vinnova, University of Tampere and Xerox.