Technological, economic, and societal trends continue to impact the mobility of people around the world.

At the same time, the sharing economy continues to evolve as a global phenomenon that is changing the way we think about transportation. With an increased desire to eliminate costs like insurance, maintenance, and parking, today’s consumers – especially urban dwellers – have demonstrated that they are primed for a micro-mobility revolution.

This revolution will rely heavily on Mobility as a Service (Maas) and require innovative business models and funding strategies.

Business Models

The critical component of any MaaS model is ticketless travel. Users must be able to use their phones. The future of the MaaS model is reliant upon the web-based travel aggregator that many have been using for air travel. This model will evolve to become an everyday tool. The difference will be that services are bundled into a single service.

These new business models are being made possible by new innovative funding methods.

Funding Strategies

According to research by Deloitte, private and public sector players like those below might be motivated to fund innovative mobility-related projects:

Private

• Technology providers. Companies offering digital mobility platforms or telecommunications infrastructure.
• Financial-services firms. Banks, investment funds, private equity, and venture capital firms.
• Media companies. Firms seeking opportunities to deploy targeted advertising campaigns.

Public

• Government programmes. Grants, matching funds, and seed programmes for smart city investment.
• Philanthropic organisations. For example, the World Bank has provided grants and loans to fund these types of models in developing countries.
• Academic institutions. Universities may be willing to partner together to fund pilot programmes that study new technology and business models.

It’s Happening

MaaS is the next frontier in transportation. What began as a pie-in-the-sky “someday” goal, is now becoming a reality. It will be exciting to watch as the benefits of a well-planned and funded MaaS ecosystem unfold.