Whitepaper 1: Open or Closed? The Case for Openness in Mobility as a Service

There are many elements involved in building the open Internet of Mobility. The MaaS ‘ecosystem’ requires contributions from road and rail at the core of public transport to the new disruptors in bike-share and on-demand taxis; to the platform providers which serve up travel options to individual travellers. And in between are various forms of data collection, provision and aggregation, along with the many components of back office payment systems.

In this context what we mean by ‘open’ is many layered. Open can be via the provision and use of open data or open source code. Or, via the growth of local eco-systems of providers who use these open tools to create new businesses and business models. Or through the sharing of data.

‘Closed’, on the other hand, creates proprietary systems which, often as not, will not work with other functionally similar systems within the same sector. Yet convergence is often desirable for efficiency.

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Center for Automotive Research Sheds New Light on MaaS

Emerging trends in mobility technology, such as the rise of ridehailing and carsharing services, have led many industry analysts to offer their views on how these trends will affect the automotive industry in the United States. The reports stemming from these efforts have resulted in highly conflicting visions of the future, ranging from a dramatic decline in vehicle sales to a windfall in revenue and profits.Faced with this cloudy picture, researchers at the Center for Automotive Research decided to weigh in with their own analysis, one that is rooted in our cumulative knowledge of travel behavior, consumer preferences, and the operational characteristics of new mobility services.Our analysis, based on sound data and detailed in this report, sheds light on what we believe are likely future directions. We welcome feedback on this effort and will continue to refine our viewpoint as technology, society, and service offerings continue to evolve.

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TravelSpirit enables the Northern Digital Powerhouse !

The technology sector in the North of England is vibrant and growing rapidly, and yet it is still far from reaching its potential. A new report (download from here) commissioned by Tech North and published by the RSA in partnership with the Impact Hub, shows just how much potential there is. It details a number of recommendations for how greater collaboration could unlock a £5.7 billion boost to the Northern economy and how open source projects, such as TravelSpirit will be a key enabler. Read even more…