Patrick Foster of car sharing provider Drivy told the ‘Move’ mobility event in London: “I don’t think every consumer wants the same thing. When travelling to cities in Europe, I value (MaaS products) that have one bike and one car sharing system. But my wife will open up seven apps looking for a bike that is two minutes away, regardless of the provider.”

Anders Wall of car sharer Green Mobility agreed that individuals “do have different needs” but added “it is difficult to combine it all in one app”. And if there is to be a single operator of a MaaS public transport service in an urban area, he asked, who should judge who that is?

“What works in one city may not in another city. But that said it is the role of cities to have some control, otherwise they might be flooded with lots of cars and bikes that haven’t moved anywhere.”

On the question of whether a city should have one or several MaaS providers, Stéphane Labrunie of shared mobility specialist Kisio Digital quipped: “Can you imagine one kind of cheese in France?”

He added that MaaS systems must not be allowed to make bold decisions on behalf of customers that may not suit their needs. For instance, an app that detects it is raining could tell users “to take the subway and not walk”. But he warned: “This is something we should fight against.”

Mobility as a Service is a good way to organise transport, Stephane continued, “but it should not mean that MaaS operators define the future”.

(Photograph: Maas Global)