
Siemens to develop MaaS platform in the Netherlands
Siemens Mobility will sign a contract with Dutch Railways NS and public transport companies HTM and RET, the three carriers that together form the joint venture RiVier, for the development of a national Mobility as a Service platform (MaaS). The MaaS platform will be completed in the autumn of 2021.
The platform makes it possible for mobility providers to integrate the planning, booking and payment of a combined trip with different modes of transport in one app. The platform will be connected to existing apps from the MaaS providers Dutch Railways NS, and RET and HTM, operating trams, buses and lightrail in the regions Rotterdam and the Hague respectively.
MaaS platform
The technology core of the MaaS platform is provided by Siemens Mobility subsidiaries Hacon and eos.uptrade. The platform is being developed as an open ecosystem that can be linked to existing and new apps from the MaaS suppliers. The initiators are calling on MaaS and mobility providers to participate, so that traveling by public transport, bicycle sharing, car, scooter and taxi is better connected and easier to understand.
“The pandemic is changing our behaviour”, says RET director Maurice Unck on behalf of RiVier. “We work, learn and travel more flexibly: in time, place and choice of means of transport. That is why we are investing in the best travel options for consumers right now. We lower the threshold to easily plan, book and pay for a trip with multiple modes of transport.”
Out of the private car
With the MaaS platform, mobility providers can better tailor their services to the needs of passengers and optimise their fleet management. MaaS is expected to have advantages in the field of sustainability, because people will leave the car at home more often because of the ease of using public transport or shared solutions.
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