Mobility-as-a-service : from the Helsinki experiment to a European model?

There is a global discussion about how digitalisation, new technologies and the increasing connectedness of people are potentially changing the transport sector in a fundamental way. The city of Helsinki has taken a concrete step in this context and is exploring a new distribution model for mobility services. Mobility platforms shall enable the integration of the transport modes and the possibility for customers to purchase “mobility packages” granting a defined volume of access to public transport, car and bike sharing and also taxi services at the same time. The 3rd Florence Intermodal Forum brought together decision makers and stakeholders from the European Commission, national authorities, and operators to discuss the state of play of this development by focussing on the Mobility-as-a-Service paradigm. It did so by discussing the concept, and what it could develop into in the context of congestion problems and changing mobility patterns. It addressed existing obstacles to intermodality as well as past experiences with intermodal offers by operators. Given the new trends and possibilities of a more connected society it appears that regulation has to pave the way for these trends to translate into a smarter mobility system.