The Future of Public Transportation

From Mass Transit to MaaS Transit

-Opinion

Companies and start-ups are rushing to create platforms that offer end-to-end transportation solutions in one convenient place. Some are developing apps that help track nearby transportation services, while others are looking to offer a fully integrated transportation experience. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has been making waves lately in the transportation industry and turning quite a few heads.

One primary roadblock to MaaS is getting companies and agencies to provide a way to integrate their services into a larger transportation network. MaaS covers a wide range of services from ride-hailing to public transit, from car share to long-distance rail. The goal of MaaS is to make it easier for people to move around, with the goal being without the need for personal vehicle ownership. However, with each transportation company using their own proprietary systems and data management these necessary integrations become difficult.

In some proposals, a monthly subscription would allow essentially unlimited use of the integrated mobility services. This concept of a subscription model provides an easier system for the user. No need to make individual payments for each ride; a fixed cost makes for easy budgeting. However, given the customer’s variety of needs, the number of necessary services included in MaaS must be provided to fit those needs. While a lot of new transportation options focus on local individual trips, implementation of MaaS would look to integrate a much larger multimodal network.

This is where I propose bringing Public Transit into the discussion of MaaS. Not as just one provider within a network, but as the service provider for the network. Public Transit companies would manage connecting customers with services through an app-based system. Real-time data-driven solutions have been developed in the form of GTFS, along with several e-bike or e-scooter providers adopting a similar system. Additionally, demand-responsive microtransit is being quickly integrated with existing Paratransit and short trip services. Using integrated systems of real-time data collection and analysis to provide a multimodal system of travel for Public Transit riders that extends beyond traditional methods could increase overall satisfaction and usage for current and new users.

Current users of multimodal transportation methods may require multiple payment methods and apps to meet their needs. In some situations, the user may not have a guarantee of transportation for one leg of their journey, which makes them hesitant to make a regular habit out of what otherwise would be a more environmentally and economically friendly method of travel. Providing a service that can guarantee each leg of their journey will be covered and available will change ridership perceptions of the services to be more convenient and reliable. To facilitate payment a user would simply be required to have a Public Transit pass. Currently, many Transit passcards can be loaded with various monthly values or cash values to facilitate the trips the user will take. Public Transit passes can be expanded to included payment for other systems of travel in the form of different payment tiers to cover different modes of travel.

Using the ability of new and emerging Artificial Intelligence systems to schedule, track, modify, and predict usage of different forms of mobility in one robust transportation system would allow Public Transit to not only remain relevant in the Gig economy, dominated by companies such as Uber and Lyft, but to be a primary driver of new mobility solutions. In some situations, we have already seen Public Transit agencies enter into deals with gig services to provide additional travel options for their customers in the form of late-night rides that can extend service hours for lower ridership areas or as door to transit center rides.

If history can be our guide here, we can look at how streetcar services declined due to increased personal vehicle use. In the current situation of lower ridership numbers on bus routes and rail due to the changed travel habits of passengers in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we could predict a more permanent shift away from Public Transit to favor personal vehicles or shared services for short trips.

Mass Transit becoming a provider of MaaS Transit could work to avoid continued ridership declines as passengers seek alternative modes of transportation and bolster the use of Public Transit services.

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