Maas: better than owning a car?

The West Midlands is shortly to become the first UK region to pilot Mobility as Service (MaaS). MaaS brings several modes of travel together, combining options from different transport providers into a single mobile service. The service is managed and accessed by an app called Whim which has been developed by Finland-based MaaS operator MaaS Global, and is currently being pioneered in Helsinki, Finland. What lies in store for the UK?

31 March 2017

The Midland Metro tram outside the recently redeveloped Birmingham New Street Station. Trams will be part of the MaaS offering being developed by MaaS Global and Transport for West Midlands

Jonna Pöllänen

Chris Lane

The West Midlands is shortly to become the first region to pilot Mobility as Service (MaaS) to its residents. MaaS brings several modes of travel together, combining options from different transport providers into a single mobile service, so removing the hassle of planning and one-off payments. It’s rather like a mobile phone package, where users choose set amounts of data, minutes and texts, although MaaS users would opt for a tailored package of public transport access, taxi use and car...