A tram of the network Tramlink in Londen, picture: Transport for London

‘Mobility as a Service as last mile for freight transport’

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) could be used for the ‘last mile’ of rail freight transport. Lina Konstantinopoulou, Head of Transport and Logistics, Innovations and Deployment of ERTICO – ITS Europe, shared this view last week at the international rail conference in Amsterdam.

During the conference it was made clear that rail freight operators struggle with arranging the last mile in a cost efficient way. Konstantinopoulou stated that the infrastructure of public transport could be used for this purpose. “Freight transport should be operated in a more efficient way. Why not use the existing transport infrastructure of taxis, buses or inland waterways for this purpose that are already transporting passengers?”

Last mile

Konstantinopoulou said Mobility as a Service has the advantage of connecting different modalities for people and goods. “This can also be an interesting solution for moving goods.” She explained that goods can be transported in special compartments of buses, trams or undergrounds. “In Finland they already experimenting with MaaS for people and goods.” Finland is a pioneer in Mobility as a Service. Under the NOVELOG project funded by the H2020 framework programme and in the Venice city they are using public transport (water transport) for freight delivery.

Mobility as a Service is a mobility concept that combines different modes of transport, and is meant mainly for passenger transport. Users can select their transport options through an app according to their needs. MaaS is delivered through a multimodal scheme, which puts together passengers, goods, vehicles, and infrastructure and communication technologies.

ERTICO – ITS Europe is public-private organisation of 120 cross-sector entities that develops, promotes and deploy Intelligent Transport Systems for people and goods.

Author: Marieke van Gompel

Marieke van Gompel is editor of RailFreight.com and chief editor of the ProMedia Group online magazines.

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‘Mobility as a Service as last mile for freight transport’ | RailFreight.com
A tram of the network Tramlink in Londen, picture: Transport for London

‘Mobility as a Service as last mile for freight transport’

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) could be used for the ‘last mile’ of rail freight transport. Lina Konstantinopoulou, Head of Transport and Logistics, Innovations and Deployment of ERTICO – ITS Europe, shared this view last week at the international rail conference in Amsterdam.

During the conference it was made clear that rail freight operators struggle with arranging the last mile in a cost efficient way. Konstantinopoulou stated that the infrastructure of public transport could be used for this purpose. “Freight transport should be operated in a more efficient way. Why not use the existing transport infrastructure of taxis, buses or inland waterways for this purpose that are already transporting passengers?”

Last mile

Konstantinopoulou said Mobility as a Service has the advantage of connecting different modalities for people and goods. “This can also be an interesting solution for moving goods.” She explained that goods can be transported in special compartments of buses, trams or undergrounds. “In Finland they already experimenting with MaaS for people and goods.” Finland is a pioneer in Mobility as a Service. Under the NOVELOG project funded by the H2020 framework programme and in the Venice city they are using public transport (water transport) for freight delivery.

Mobility as a Service is a mobility concept that combines different modes of transport, and is meant mainly for passenger transport. Users can select their transport options through an app according to their needs. MaaS is delivered through a multimodal scheme, which puts together passengers, goods, vehicles, and infrastructure and communication technologies.

ERTICO – ITS Europe is public-private organisation of 120 cross-sector entities that develops, promotes and deploy Intelligent Transport Systems for people and goods.

Author: Marieke van Gompel

Marieke van Gompel is editor of RailFreight.com and chief editor of the ProMedia Group online magazines.

Add your comment

characters remaining.

Log in through one of the following social media partners to comment.