We have spoken about MaaS (Mobility as a Service) before – its impacts, effects, and consequences on the future of transportation.
MaaS has allowed for the democratisation of access to mobility for all. It has done this by leveraging technology to provide a frictionless experience for anyone with mobility needs.
Booking a cab today is a matter of mere seconds. We have become accustomed to the fast-paced process as consumers.
Platforms and operators champion low waiting times and speedy service. However, we face a very different reality when it comes to mobility policies, their development, implementation, and evaluation.
Innovation, investment and integration
Today, we need to view mobility platforms as being part of the solution from a policy development point of view as well.
Policy development usually follows a three-step process, design, implementation, and feedback.
This is an archaic process, that fails to consider the necessity for fast feedback and adjustment.
The mobility industry is on the rise. The post-COVID uptake of micro-mobility has spurred innovation, investment, and integration with the current mobility policies in place.
We’ve seen partially successful micro-mobility policies implemented in Paris when it comes to e-scooters, with the guidance and support of the largest micro-mobility operators.
This was only possible due to the operators sharing their data on riders. Providing feedback to policymakers in real-time on the effects of the laws that they were implementing.
The implementation can only be considered partially successful. Safety was not enforced and eventually led to a negative perception of e-scooters in Paris. In April of 2023, Parisians voted to ban e-scooters.
The role of data
When mobility operators are left out of the policy-making process, it is detrimental to all stakeholders.
Data has played a role in policy development for the last 20 years. However, it is usually an extrapolation of historic data. Or volunteer surveys that are then used to hypothesise how policies should be framed.
Naturally, one cannot wait, years in some cases, for a government statistics office to publish data to be able to take decisions.
With the data that we have access to today, as a tech mobility company, we are able to forecast faster, plan more efficiently and able to re-validate our decision-making at later dates when other data sources are published.
The granularity of the information – from how users interact with our products, to determining the most efficient way of distributing drivers across a territory to ensure low waiting times – further demonstrates the vast and untapped potential of mobility operators in policy-making.
The one source of truth
Mobility operators are the one source of truth when it comes to understanding how the end user chooses to use transportation.
We believe policies should focus on the improvement and empowerment of citizens. When you leave MaaS operators out of the conversation, it is a disservice to the citizen.
Even poor adoptions/enforcement of existing policies lead to bizarre cases. These slow down progress and hinder industry stakeholders from accelerating the industry forward.
When policies don’t make sense, businesses don’t invest.
Mobility is a capital-intensive, high volume and low-margin network market. So, the lack of enforced quality policies proves to be a barrier for MaaS and investment.
The cost of physical infrastructure (i.e., charging pillars), vehicles and maintenance of 24/7 operations is not a simple obligation. Especially when the operators deal directly with consumers and take on the responsibility of the well-being of their users.
The European Commission has formed a Commission Expert Group on Urban Mobility (EGUM). Its long-term objective to “help develop urban aspects of transport and support implementing the New EU Urban Mobility Framework”.
EGUM expects to develop the work programme over the next two years. With a key pillar focusing on data sharing for urban logistics, and how to support dialogue and voluntary data sharing between all types of stakeholders, whether they be public or private.
Big data – a new opportunity
The utilisation of big data is imperative in the adjustment of existing laws and the development of new policies.
This would allow for reactive monitoring and adjustment of policies in a rapidly developing industry. Thus, ensuring that the governance of MaaS is vision-led and scaled to the right function urban area (FUA).
Big data is a new opportunity to ensure that when policies are designed, they are taking into consideration data from multiple sources and across the representative population.
GPS data has been used since the 2000s to help shape policies. However, it only provides information about what is happening. It does not facilitate further understanding of why a user may be travelling in a certain pattern or using only certain types of transportation.
The democratisation of mobility
We need to be able to tap into social media data to help policymakers detect the driving forces of people’s movement behaviour.
Furthermore, policymaking needs to further expand the scope of sources that are used to shape policies.
The democratisation of mobility also encompasses representation of all demographics within the population, from Gen Alpha’s through to Boomers. Each cohort is a valuable stakeholder that has to have their wants and needs thoroughly considered to ensure that all citizens are empowered.
Policies should focus on the improvement and empowerment of citizens… When policies don’t make sense, businesses don’t invest.
eCabs International Business Development Manager Ruslan Golomovzy
The idea of ‘food deserts’ (places where most residents don’t have access to affordable, nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) extends to mobility, where a certain type of mobility could be underrepresented.
Without big data and the inclusion of all stakeholders, we risk isolating these members of society and depriving them of accessible mobility.
We believe policies should focus on the improvement and empowerment of citizens. When you leave MaaS operators out of the conversation, it is a disservice to the citizen.
This would be disadvantageous to all stakeholders, hindering people from accessing mobility and delaying the implementation of effective and future-oriented policies.
