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Mobility as a service

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"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."

Henry Ford

What do you think people's response would be today?


One thing is certain: human locomotion is passing through thin ice. Climate change is progressing, causing spring at the North Pole, droughts and extreme weather. Although the environment seems to be benefiting from the current lockdown, this picture could quickly turn into the opposite.
You might think there is reason to celebrate. CO2 emissions are falling, animals are reclaiming their urban habitats and Germany is surprisingly still achieving its climate targets. The crucial question here is: Will it stay that way?

 

Parallel to this development, a broad front of various business representatives is gearing up to restore the economic cycle. The automotive industry is calling for more generous emissions regulations and the Green Deal is stuck in the EU's negotiating mills. While a ban on fossil fuel subsidies and the right to climate protection were on the agenda before the outbreak of the pandemic, these environmental policy achievements could be reversed with a view to the economy.

 

"But now would be the time to invest in clean technologies. Those who design the best and most sustainable products today will be world market leaders tomorrow."

Dirk Steffens
German journalist and climate activist

The resulting conflict brings us back to the initial question. What does man want, or rather, what does man need to ensure his continued existence? "Fast horses" are indispensable - that much is certain. The solution for a sustainable existence may lie in the variety of means of transportation on offer.

How many cars can the city take?


Cities are the living space of the future. The United Nations Population Fund predicts that almost 70 percent of the world's population will be living in urbanized areas by 2050. Are we stagnating and waiting for the mobility collapse? The resulting scenario raises questions: a picture in which pedestrians, cars, cabs, buses, cyclists, vans and trucks are desperately competing for space.


No matter how disastrous the traffic-related space and environmental forecasts may turn out to be, people will not want to give up the flexibility they are used to without further ado. Users expect the same level of comfort that they are used to in other areas. The resulting conflict is inspiring the fantasies of numerous providers and creating new business models. Innovative services such as shuttle services, ride-hailing, car and bike sharing are making their way. But have we already reached our goal? Will we be able to make the leap into a sustainable and comfortable future?

It needs integration and it needs cooperation


The real power of these services only unfolds when the boundaries between individual providers are overcome. And this is precisely when we talk about Mobility as a Service (MaaS for short). It requires the integration of several means of transportation into a self-contained and holistic product. In this way, it is possible to meet the needs of our time.

 

The aim is to transfer various mobility services into a combined, multimodal service. A service that integrates both billing and route planning on a self-contained platform. If this is to succeed, vehicle manufacturers, transport service providers, software providers and public transport operators must join forces.

A trend on the move


In 2019, the mobility sector was by far the most popular sector for start-up investments. This year, too, the forecasts speak for themselves. The international market research company "360 Research Report" assumes that global MaaS sales will grow from the current level of around USD 43 billion to over USD 300 billion in the next six years - despite the pandemic.

 

How we move forward in the future remains to be seen. But if MaaS were to prevail as an integrative solution, this would represent a major breakthrough in the fight for a tomorrow worth living.

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