Understanding MaaS
The concept of mobility as a service is relatively new. It promises a paradigm shift—or rather a sense of flexibility—to the existing framework of ride-sharing. MaaS is an innovative transport strategy that coerces users to make the switch from fleet ownership to shared mobility—while still providing the comfort of private transportation. MaaS encourages its users to consume mobility on an “as-needed” basis, which not only frees one from fleet ownership, operational, and maintenance costs but also puts forth a more enduring, more convenient, choice of transport.
How does MaaS work?
MaaS deploys application programs to provide users with an uncomplicated ride-sharing experience. To put things into perspective, MaaS invokes GPS technology and internet connectivity to deliver a world-class transportation experience to its users. MaaS enables users to find transportation services near them or inversely, helps transportation services, like taxis, cabs, locate users. What MaaS really does is simplify the process of shared mobility. It eliminates all the anxiety and hesitation associated with ride-sharing by supplementing users with real-time data.
MaaS, interchangeable with TaaS (transport as a service), in its essence, is an “on-demand” transport service that streamlines everything for you—from the very first step to the last. It identifies your location, connects you with a nearby vehicle, efficiently re-routes to pick people/peers along the route, generates invoices, and sets up payment gateways. Users pay-per-use, and will experience fluidity in transportation infrastructure.
Is mobility as a service a sustainable option?
One of the biggest pain points for urban mobility is congested roads. Roads flooding with fleets is more than a mere inconvenience for some. For businesses dealing in last-mile delivery, fleet rentals, or (emergency) transport services, these congested roads become a make-or-break aspect. The Urban Mobility Report (2019) published by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute confirms that commuters, on average, spend 54 hours a year stalling in traffic. Rush hour is dead. Traffic is forever. You live in your car now.
Besides, the ever-increasing fleets on our roads pose a threat to the health of our global environment. Vehicular carbon footprints adversely affect our natural habitats and drain our energy resources. In such a scenario, inculcating shared mobility into our transport routines is more than an advantage—it’s about sustainability. Car-pooling with office peers or cab-sharing to an airport are prudent examples. MaaS does exactly this! It reduces dependency on public transport (which is reputed for delays and inaccurate ETAS) and gigantic fleet ownership costs. What’s more, is that it provides the convenience and comfort of private transportation at affordable costs.
What’s Next for MaaS?
The Global mobility as a service market is expected to reach $1.76 trillion by the end of the year 2028—that is in less than 7 years! MaaS is expected to take over one-fourth of the total transportation industry. Clearly, MaaS is on its way to adaptability and scalability! This means it will be facing challenges like handling massive user traffic, managing a large number of fleets, and constantly monitoring drivers. Luckily, the telematics and IoT industry can help with this. With in-fleet cameras and driver monitoring systems, reckless or distracted driving can be checked. Fleet utilization (or rather fuel economy) can be enhanced by planning optimized routes and training better drivers. With live tracking, accurate ETAs can be shared with all involved parties.
If MaaS delivers all that it promises, it is certainly going to make urban transportation affordable, flexible, and more reliable!
References:
https://static.tti.tamu.edu/tti.tamu.edu/documents/mobility-report-2019.pdf
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/22/us/traffic-commute-gridlock-transportation-study-trnd/index.html
Author :
Tushar Bhagat
Director
Uffizio India Software Pvt
Published in Telematics Wire
