ITS UK has held its first forum on the topic of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) in London, simultaneously launching a new interest group dedicated the subject.

The organisation has identified MaaS as a key deliverable of ITS technologies, and although many of the concepts constituent parts, such as connected vehicles, local authorities, road user charging and public transport, are covered by other working groups, it was clear that there is a demand for specific meetings to discuss and develop MaaS in the UK.

Founding Chairman, Andrew Pearce of Jacobs said, “We have pulled this group together due to overwhelming interest from sectors spanning software to financial services, with key transport and technology players in between. The potential to enable modal shift and reduce pollution and congestion by providing a more convenient alternative to car trips is really grabbing the industry’s imagination and the global projected market of over $2T underlines just what a key topic this is to get right”

The initial meeting heard from speakers representing, among others, Jacobs, TravelSpirit, Newcastle University, Transport Systems Catapult and Ito World, as well as hosts Cubic.

The meeting heard how MaaS is part of the shift, “From the Culture of Me to the Culture of We,” to build seamless demand-based travel. As well as the technology to deliver MaaS, delivery variations between urban and rural areas was discussed, while Professor Margaret Bell of Newcastle University suggested MaaS could be used to manage transport demand in order to reach climate change targets.

The group also considered the contribution of Autonomous Vehicles to MaaS and the role of Local and Central Government in the whole ecosystem.

The ITS (UK) MaaS Interest Group is expected to meet regularly throughout the year, rotating locations between major cities, and to mail key updates in this fast moving sector to all members.