What’s the origin of Smart Dublin and what difference will it make to transport in the region?

Smart Dublin is a collaboration of the four Dublin local authorities. It is trialing and testing emerging technology that can make cities smarter. These technologies will help to deliver better public services.

There’s a data opportunity around the use of micro-mobility scooters or bicycle-sharing schemes, which complement mass transit such as the DART lines, tram lines, general rail lines and the bus networks in Dublin. That data opportunity leads us to build a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) system into a network that the public authorities can oversee.

Why is the project so important to Dublin and what have you learned from elsewhere?

There's a huge dependency on the private car in Dublin. We're trying to provide an alternative. I'm not going to pretend that an app is going to solve mobility and congestion issues in Dublin. However, if we get services that are interoperable and we present that via an app, then confidence in the service’s user experience might increase. People might start walking and cycling some legs of a trip, rather than hopping in a car by default.

The MaaS agenda is happening across Western Europe. Every major city is looking at this because, conceptually, it just makes sense that these services operate in a network optimised for citizens.

What are the main innovations/technologies being proposed within the project?

MaaS requires a backend data and services hub, like a marketplace. On the back of that single marketplace, we envisage a world of multiple apps – national, regional, employer-specific or even temporal, for sporting or cultural events.

How can transport professionals take the initiatives from Smart Dublin into other areas and regions?

If you're going to the train station for a lengthy journey, you might drive your car to get there. You take the train and then you need something on the last leg as well. But imagine if doorstep-to-final destination is seamless and packaged in a way that is more sustainable than a private car. The rail company is looking to bundle up an additional service that would be commercially beneficial for the company and its users.

What are the key infrastructure improvements that will be made to Dublin?

We want to establish mobility hubs that go beyond main mass-transit locations and into suburbia. Smaller mobility hubs could help you switch from a car to an e-bike for the next leg of the journey, because you're going to hit congestion as you go closer to the city centre. We envisage a network of these mobility hubs around the Dublin region.

What are the main challenges with the project and how can they be overcome?

One of the main challenges is stakeholder buy-in. In the Irish transport sector, there are clear roles and responsibilities across different organisations. But MaaS is disrupting a lot of existing responsibilities – and it takes time for everybody to feel comfortable about it.

There’s also a sense of urgency around improving quality of life and sustainability. People are still too quick to use cars, but the desire to change is hitting home slowly.

What are the biggest differences that technology and new innovations within Smart Dublin will make to the city?

We want to get data, wherever possible, from anything connected to mobility to feed into this network idea. We are also working on last-mile delivery, trying to make the delivery of parcels from different courier companies more efficient. We also want to promote active travel – walking and cycling, in particular.

For lots more on the issues raised here, secure your place on the Smart Cities and the role AI Masterclass (17 March 2022, 13:00-14:00) or listen in to one of our podcasts such as “The politics of active travel” with Councillor Julian Bell.