A step forward towards the transport of the future: multimodal, personalized and more accessible. The MaaS App trial starts on July 1st, through which it will be possible to plan, book and pay for multiple transport services, based on your needs, in a single travel experience. Starting next Monday, citizens of Emilia-Romagna will be able to submit their application on the page https://mobilita.regione.emilia-romagna.it/piani-programmi-progetti/maas (link for the trial active from July 1st). In exchange, they will receive a credit of 10 euros every month until December 2024, the end date of the trial, to be spent on regional transport services (buses and trains) and for parking in over twenty municipalities. The only condition is to ‘consume’ at least 5 euros every month.
Emilia-Romagna is one of the Regions chosen by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport for the testing of the MaaS4Italy (Mobility as service for Italy) project, with funding of 2.3 million euros within the Pnrr, which will be used to develop Maas policies and adapt the necessary technological equipment of local public transport companies.
MaaS is based precisely on the idea that citizens can purchase personalized mobility “packages”, which allow them to use any possible means to reach a destination, without having to worry about the difference between transport operators.
«If it is easier and cheaper to access the various public transports, it will also be easier to leave the car at home – comments the regional councilor for Mobility, Andrea Corsini -. This experimentation will make it possible to give a strong acceleration to the digitalisation of local public transport, making it an increasingly competitive alternative to private transport, with advantages for the environment, the quality of life in our cities, as well as for the citizens themselves, who will be able move more easily and save money.”
«MaaS, transport and mobility economic operators – he concludes – will also be able to benefit from it, thanks to a system of clear rules, which lowers entry barriers and promotes market development, according to the principles of competition and non-discrimination , avoiding monopoly conditions”.
The initiative involves the entire public transport system of Emilia-Romagna. In addition to the Region, Municipalities and Provinces, the four local public transport companies Tper, Seta, Tep and Start, the Mobility Agencies, Fer, Trenitalia Tper, Lepida, with the collaboration of the regional Federations of people with disabilities FISH and FAND. The scientific referent is the University of Bologna, which will analyze the results of the experience.
The experimentation will continue the experience already gained with Roger, the dematerialisation system for travel tickets already in operation on regional buses and trains, expanding the operators involved to achieve full integration with particular regard to sharing, tourist services, of taxi cooperatives and rental cars with driver, as well as other on-call services.
To test the MaaS system, the active participation of 5,000 citizens of Emilia-Romagna is expected, of which 500 residents in the internal areas and 100 people with disabilities.
Whoever is selected will receive an invitation to download the App for testing. The experimenter will have to complete short questionnaires on the satisfaction and effectiveness of the services and allow the use of their travel data for the purposes of transport studies.
