With the projected growth in transport demand, the current modus operandi in transport supply is deemed unsustainable and generates the need for innovative services that could support seamless mobility and a shift from car-ownership to usership. An emerging trend towards this direction is the integration of on-demand modes in conjunction with public transport, leading to the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) concept. MaaS is a user-centric, intelligent mobility distribution model, in which users' needs are met via a single platform and are offered by a service provider, the mobility operator. Although activities in this field are ongoing, at present there are no established frameworks and quantifiable evidence about MaaS costs and benefits, users’ needs, as well as its influence on travel patterns and car ownership of various user groups.
Against this background the main goal of MaaS4EU is to provide quantifiable evidence, frameworks and tools, to remove the barriers and enable a cooperative and interconnected EU single transport market for the MaaS concept, by addressing challenges at 4 levels, (1) business, (2) end-users, (3) technology and (4) policy. This will be achieved by defining sustainable business models that support the cooperation across transport stakeholders, understanding user needs and choices, implementing the required technological infrastructure (a MaaS mobility hub) and identifying the enabling policy and regulatory frameworks. The project will provide quantifiable evidence about MaaS costs and benefits in 3 real-life, complementary pilot cases, demonstrating the concept in urban, intercity and cross-border trips at 3 EU areas (UK, LUX-DE, HU).
The consortium disposes all necessary competences and has been formed to be able to handle all tasks involved in the project, consisting of 17 partners from 9 countries, among them leading industries, renowned research institutions, transport authorities and operators, consultants and one ministry of transport.