A global manifesto has been launched ahead of European Mobility Week by Ito World to demonstrate how Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) has the power to unlock a greater number of opportunities for populations in cities across the world.

‘The MaaS Manifesto: Accessing your city’s potential’ shares the expert views of Ito World’s CEO Johan Herrlin and insight from academics and European government ministers looking into how they can reduce congestion and pollution in towns and cities.

MaaS is fast becoming recognised as a means to transform the movement of people and goods around cities, reducing people’s dependency on privately owned cars and making alternative modes of transport easily accessible.

The manifesto speaks to the key issues raised by European Mobility Week’s theme of ‘multi-modality’ - the mixing of transport modes within the same journey or for different trips.

Herrlin said: “As worldwide urbanisation continues to gather pace, it leads us to ask the question, will our traditional transport networks be able to cope?

“Being able to get from A to B is a basic human need, not least to open up access to education, employment, healthcare and communities. But even this fundamental right is being threatened by congestion, pollution and the continued use of private vehicles

“At the core of MaaS is a mobile application that puts the customer first, allowing them to craft their journey to their specific needs, priorities and preferences.

“As the MaaS marketplace continues to evolve, public authorities need to lay a foundation and establish their place at the centre of the future urban mobility ecosystem.”

Collaboration between private transport companies, data experts and public authorities will be the key to making MaaS a success in cities, says Ito World. So, too, is open data.

The manifesto outlines that the public needs to know which transport options are available to them, based on where they are at any particular time, in order to choose the optimal mode and route.

To access the Ito World Manifesto, ‘Accessing your city’s potential’, please click here.