At ITS Toulouse 2022, MaaS Global CEO Sampo Hietanen together with Voi’s Jasmin Rimmele, UCL Energy Institute’s Maria Kamargianni and TPF’s Clément Brosy took part in a panel titled ‘Mind the gap – perceived value of MaaS vs car ownership’ where they discussed the value perception of cars, how to approach decreasing the amount of private vehicles on the roads and to advance the MaaS ecosystem. As part of the panel, we interviewed the participants on their topics to learn more about their thoughts.
At MaaS Global, our mission is to replace 1,000,000 private cars with Whim subscriptions by 2030. We actively promote the more sustainable way of living MaaS brings with it, but we do not want to force anyone to get rid of their car and rather provide them with a better alternative. Clément Brosy, Team Leader Customer Experience of TPF, thinks along the same lines.
“The worst thing you can do is to force people, because when you force someone you make them do it reluctantly and they start to see what they are offered in a negative way. My philosophy is to show to people that there is an alternative and it is as good or better than what they have given away.”
A user-centric approach is essential to MaaS. Similar concepts have increased in number and become everyday life for users in the last decade, but mobility-as-a-service may still be a very new concept for most. Introducing new users to MaaS platforms means approaching it from their perspective.
“What MaaS can do is be less expensive and more ecological, but most importantly it is there when you need it,” notes Brosy.
It is important that private cars are not seen as the enemy in the MaaS industry. Their usefulness in certain situations is undeniable, but we have come to rely on them for everything and on every occasion. It represents our idea of freedom, but most of the time we do not enjoy the ride and instead we worry about it, summarizes Brosy.
And because it has become such an integral part of our lives, introducing new options has to be done on the users’ terms, at a time when they are open to new solutions that will not take anything away from their lives but add to them.
“I think where MaaS can convince people is, for example, when their car is too old and they need to buy a new one. It is the best time for them to ask themselves:”Should I buy a new one or is there a better alternative?” Brosy says.
Because of the constantly increasing carbon emissions and other negative effects private cars have on the environment and people’s well-being, a great number of users may be looking for a more ecological way to move about. And people like to be ecological, notes Brosy.
“No one likes the pollution and the noise cars cause. But we should look for solutions that are good for the purse as well as the environment and fit everyone’s needs,” he emphasizes and adds: “Let’s use cars wisely!”
This is why TPF recently collaborated with Touring Club Suisse, the largest mobility and automotive club in Switzerland that offers services for their members when, for example, their car breaks down. Called Park2City, this new project integrates public transport and private cars by providing a day pass for the parking lot at the station and a public transport day pass that enables people to go to the city, move about and come back again. All this will be available in the TCS’ app to attract new customers who usually drive all the way to the city. This way, everything can be found easily in the same place with one click.
“We both want a greener and more sustainable approach to mobility. In the end, our goals are the same, so we wanted to work together to advance those goals.”
A huge transformation is shaking the whole mobility industry, and in order to find the best solutions for the users, all operators should work together. According to Brosy, this openness should extend to the MaaS ecosystem as well. Good user experience relies on platforms working seamlessly and the user always finding what they need quickly and easily in one place.
“It’s all about sharing data and what we have learned. And that’s why we chose to collaborate with Whim,” he summarizes.
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