Mobility as a Service : From the Promise to the Reality

Public transport went digital long before other sectors: electronic payment systems were developed as early as the 1990s, as were passenger information and vehicle guidance systems. The 2000s saw an explosion in the creation of route planners accessible via Internet sites. And then... nothing much. While the smartphone established itself as the leading mobility assistant, public transport long remained on the sidelines of the mobile revolution. It wasn't until the arrival of new entrants such as Google Maps, Citymapper and Moovit that local authorities got to grips with the subject. As a result, many local authorities now have a "multimodal information system", but only a few are truly effective. The quest for completeness in the offer was already complex, due to the multiplication of new offers, more or less regulated, more or less stabilized, and above all very rapid in their deployment. Integrating payment is at least as complex, because in addition to requiring the definition of appropriate fare policies, it has a direct impact on the user's ability and willingness to pay. But transport authorities are not giving up. With MaaS (Mobility as a Service), they are making a promise to users: to consume mobility "as a service". But while putting a name to this challenge is a logical and undoubtedly useful first step, what is the reality of deploying such "integrated services"?