Cubic Transportation Systems director of strategy Crissy Ditmore told the ‘MaaS Market’ conference in London that the only way Mobility as a Service can succeed “is by ensuring we are meeting the needs of all user groups”.

She added that if ageing people and the young are not fully considered “we will have missed a great opportunity that MaaS can provide”.

Arup’s intelligent mobility consultant Orla O’Halloran from Cork said that Ireland with its low population density has its own particular version of ‘last mile’ requirements, which would need to be considered when developing MaaS systems to reduce dependence on the private car.

“For a lot of people, the last mile is actually 10 or 15 miles, where it is just not possible to cycle or walk those distances,” she said.

Orla added that getting elderly people to use public transport is not always feasible so shared use, low occupancy connected and autonomous vehicles could have a big impact in rural areas.

She added that the proliferation of autonomous vehicles in cities could lead to lots of prime real estate currently given over to car parks being “repurposed into parks and urban greenery for the public good”.

But she warned that competition for space from mobility services could increase the pressures on kerbside access, which may have an impact on pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

Crissy Ditmore of Cubic was asked for her thoughts on the timescale for the mass take up of MaaS platforms. “In my opinion I don’t think there is a timeline where we will get to MaaS, as every community’s end goal is slightly different,” she remarked.

“I believe the time is right now and systems will continue to develop iteratively.”

• Mobility as a Service will be a feature of Transportation Professional’s future mobility special in May.

(Photograph: Maas Global)