With the rise of the internet and smartphone access, the perception of mobility and transportation has changed. Mobility as a Service or MaaS is not a popular term, but most of us are customers of it; if you have ever booked a ride via Uber, Grab, Rapido, and similar apps. Year by year, more people are adopting ride-hailing services than driving their vehicles. According to a report by Goldman Sachs, the global ride-hailing industry is expected to grow eightfold to $285 billion by 2030. Thereby making it one of the quickly growing markets.
Mobility as a Service or MaaS app enables users to easily access the most appropriate transportation from the various travel options simply from their smartphone. It integrates various transport-related services into a single, on-demand, comprehensive mobility service. It hosts a diverse menu of transport options for the users, including public and private transportation services like taxis, car rentals, cycle /bike sharing, etc., or a combination of transport services giving the best to the user, society, and the environment at large. To cut it short, the entire MaaS includes three main concepts-
Mobility as a service is based more on the consumer-centric approach than the contemporary vehicle-centric system. It is a harmonized, connected, and seamless ecosystem for the users. You can book various transportation services from an app, choosing e-bikes, e-scooters, e-taxis, and other public and private transports at different passages of their journey.
The MaaS sector is growing very rapidly across the world. According to a study by Statista, the number of customers using ride-hailing services will reach 1,430.8 Million by 2026, and 53% of total revenue will be generated through online sales. The key reasons for this growth are;
Launching a MaaS app is almost similar to launching any other mobile app. You can either develop an from scratch or purchase a whitelabel solution. You may need to hire or partner with an experienced app development company to develop an app from scratch. Building an app from scratch offers many benefits, like, you can build the app specific to your business requirements. While purchasing a whitelabel solution enables you to go to market faster, it often has restrictions in terms of customization. Feel free to contact us If you are interested in custom app development or white-label solutions.
A few essentials before launching your app are as follows;
While building an app, there are certain essential features, good-to-have features, and some unique features that can help your app to showcase its USP. No “one for all” features can be added while developing your app. Instead, it would be best if you considered adding features to help your app stand out from its competitors. Here are some useful features you can opt for while developing a Mobility as a Service app.
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Increases user convenience by integrating mobility and non-mobility modes such as parking insurance, EV charging, etc., and accessing these services from one platform through a single user account. MaaS apps make the whole travel experience hassle-free,e as it is easy to plan a barrier-free trip in real-time or see vehicle occupancy before starting the journey.
It uses the latest technologies like e-ticketing,e- payment, and other integrated infrastructure of technologies. Also, providing incentives for using sustainable transport modes and tracking travel spend data so that active traveling can be encouraged, benefiting all.
The most common mode of payment is paid as-you-go or using monthly passes or pre-paid cards that can help improve the efficiency and scale of public transport systems. Subscription-based models also allow different operators to offer their services in bulk by allowing them to be purchased as a package by the commuters. For example, it is like different mobile plans. Some users need lots of data, and some don’t but need lots of calls. Others don’t want a contract but pay as they go. In the same manner, the MaaS app works.
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A personalized travel experience is impossible without open data. Like personal data, the location where you travel is data mandated. However, establishing fair data and information flow rules ensures transparency, accountability, and protection norms.
Understanding travel demand is important, but predicting travel demand is more necessary. With the help of data analysis tools, it is possible to predict the peak travel periods, road traffic congestion, and capacity utilization rate for trains and buses, which can help with the commuter’s travel behavior. The system can spread demand more efficiently by adjusting travel prices number of vehicles or shifting demand to another travel mode. Overall, MaaS enables proactive measures to ensure transport operates smoothly, reducing journey interruptions.
Over time, more consumers have opted for car-sharing apps and ride-hailing services. Many companies are already using MaaS, and some of the operators are Lyft Line, UberPOOL, Citymapper Ride, ViaVan, and GrabHitch. Some ride-hailing apps, such as Lyft and Uber, have already observed a meteoric rise, and several start-ups are always entering the market. Let’s take the example of Grab, which connects millions of passengers with private and public taxis, and private hire and coach drivers.
Grab app helps you find a ride with the best fare estimate. In addition, it offers cashless payment in the form of a paid app with Grab pay or debit/credit card, along with sustainable economic empowerment. Apart from these big players, some conventional automakers are looking to get involved in this space, taking up their versions of car-sharing initiatives. The future of transportation is moving towards more reliance on shared mobility solutions.
Here are some of the companies that are leading MaaS.
Moovit is an android, iOS, and web app that helps people to travel around using any mode of transport. This includes car-sharing, ride-hailing, local bicycle services, and others among its services. Moovit has over 950 million users and provides a wallet account for payment, planning the trip to include specific pickup locations, itinerary, and dropoff places. Also, it provides real-time arrival information for multiple modes of transportation. This app is one of the most comprehensive software solutions for MaaS.
RideCell is an app that provides the technology for running car-sharing or ride-sharing and is a hybrid of both options. RideCell’s products and services assist users in building loyal rider bases and managing vehicle fleets. In addition, it provides insights into mobility patterns through machine learning for self-driving services.
EasyMile focuses on driverless and autonomous technology and plans to bring autonomous vehicles into reality.EasyMile serves various clients from manufacturers, universities, airports, transport operators, city operators, etc.EasyMile uses technology that combines computer vision, vehicle dynamics, robotics, and deep learning.
AxonVibe has a multifaced technology that provides data on people’s movement patterns to anticipate modal shifts. This app helps predict real-world human behavior through smartphone sensor data that helps public authorities and transport operators provide relevant information to each customer to enhance their mobile experience. Moreover, this helps in anticipating consumer behavior and planning and delivery of mobility-based solution providers.
Zoox combines machine learning, robotics, and design to provide the world with the next generation of rider transportation that takes us to the future. Also, it takes responsibility for all aspects of the ride-hailing service, including driving, charging, maintenance, and vehicle upgrade. Zoox has partnered with Amazon to pursue this venture into the autonomous vehicle industry.
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Moreover, this shift will significantly impact businesses and individuals. Thereby driving the MaaS market further. Due to the advent of e-commerce companies and e-wallets for financial transactions, we can observe more mobility in the MaaS market. With more secure payment gateways, many people opt to use these services.
As we continue the transition to a unified transport system, we must realize that the economic growth of a nation is heavily dependent on the mobility of its population, and there is no better way to achieve it than by adopting the MaaS concept. MaaS will help the transport authorities cope with the growth of mobility demand and traffic congestion in the coming years.
As such, it might be too early to predict how this shift in transport will affect public transit and congestion. But one thing is for sure people are quite impressed with the access to a more efficient, stress-free, and green commuting travel experience. MaaS is the next evolution in mobility, and it’s your call to choose wisely!
