III Symposium

In 2007 half the world’s population lived in cities; by 2050 it is expected that two-thirds will. According to Arthur D . Little, a consultancy, urban journeys already account for nearly two-thirds of all kilometres travelled by people. On current trends urban distance travelled each year will have trebled by 2050, and the average time urban drivers spend languishing in traffic jams is set to double to 106 hours a year.

The traditional policy responses to congestion —build more roads and expand public transport— are too expensive for these cash-strapped times. Hence, the appeal to urban planners of the idea of travellers combining existing mass-transit schemes with a growing variety of private mobility services. It offers a way to attract private capital into public transport. By enabling a closer link between supply and demand it will make mass transport more efficient. Congestion at peak hours will fall as travellers are diverted from crowded routes to less packed ones; varying prices by time of day could help here too.

As well as commuters’ lives, cities will also be transformed. With fewer cars and parking spaces needed, they can be redesigned to be more pedestrian-friendly and to have more green spaces. Quicker journeys will increase the catchment area for job-seekers prepared to travel to work.

There is uncertainty as to how the MaaS marketplace will develop; MaaS offerings may take many forms and be marketed to different types of customer. Providing mobility using MaaS may result in consumers deciding they no longer need to own a car. It may also have other consequences, such as increasing the number of journeys or leading to mode-shift away from public transport. This symposium will show what MaaS could look like from the perspective of the customer. It then identifies the stakeholders that are needed to deliver it and the benefits that MaaS could provide to different stakeholders.

MaaS offers an opportunity to improve how people and goods move, both from the perspective of the policy maker and from the travellers themselves.