How Mobility as a Service is bringing rail to the forefront

We have published a Whitepaper entitled ‘How Mobility as a Service is bringing rail to the forefront’ in partnership with Phocuswire. We’ve included the Foreword written by Cameron Jones, our Chief Commercial Officer, below.

We are in the midst of a perfect storm which opens up the potential for rail operators to move more people by train.

Seizing upon momentum behind protecting the environment, massive industry investment, liberalization driving a heightened focus on the rail customer experience, government and EU directives and, rapidly changing consumer trends – rail operators could see strong growth in the years to come.

Rail may not have moved as quickly into the digital age as other segments of travel but now is the time to capitalize on some of the early initiatives.

Liberalization of the market is acting as a driver for rail operators to open up, collaborate and share data.

In addition, consumer expectations of everything live and available via digital channels are acting as a further impetus to change.

Many rail operators in Europe are getting their houses in order domestically when it comes to digital distribution, and some are looking beyond their borders with cross-border services plus extending their route networks by forging relationships with rail operators in neighboring countries for through tickets.

With the growing opportunity around Mobility as a Service (MaaS), it’s a good time to consider what the future holds with increased ridership on shared transport modes, such as rail, as people shift away from personally-owned modes of transportation.

Rail remains at the heart of MaaS whether business, leisure or commuter travel, and initiatives across Europe demonstrate the opportunities for all.

The following white paper sets out in detail the drivers, challenges and opportunity for the European rail industry to develop and leverage the digital ecosystem the allows the transition to fully integrated distribution across Europe.

It also shines a light on Sweden’s MaaS initiative which is a good example of successful collaboration and data sharing in the industry.

Today, like never before, consumers have many options in how they choose to travel, let’s work together to make rail more connected, continue to improve the booking and on-board experience and make rail the first choice.

Download the full Whitepaper here.