Most often, IoT is associated with sensors integrated within electronic devices in our home. The IoT discourse is dominated by the same players that have been fighting for the space in our desks and pockets: Apple, Samsung, Amazon and Google. But there is another stream gaining traction led by companies using hardware to deploy software in spaces where it was not present before. A key example is bike sharing company Lime, which is integrating a number of sensors into their hardware allowing them to understand not only how users are moving, but also the environment in which they are doing so (quality of the roads, for instance). Other examples are Sensoneo (trash collection) and Pulsa Sensors (inventory control), both working on how utility enterprises can use sensors to improve efficiency and decrease time/resources spent on routine tasks.
Airtaxi companies Lilium and Volocopter were either mentioned or themselves presenting concepts of air traveling. The main focus was on how we can introduce vertical mobility as a complement to/or exchange for horizontal mobility. We were definitely intrigued by their progress in the field (or sky). The most plausible use case for vertical rather than horizontal MaaS, and for us the most compelling one, is utilizing it as a complementary means of mobility to reach places where there is minimal infrastructure, or as a quick fix to the burning issues of airport transit — and the congestion it tends to fuel. Sidenote: listen to our podcast episode with Co-Founder Alex Zosel from Volocopter.
Despite a common view that real-time information is needed to optimize mobility networks, there is limited access to quantitative data pools across mobility modes. Mobility providers consider location analytics to be a key differentiator and therefore have been only conservatively supporting cities with data analytics; for example to determine the best charging spots for shared vehicles. But cities need to act now and develop public-private partnerships that address digital management of mobility. The end goal is to move people from private to shared transportation, not only using incentives but also penalizing behaviour that is not green, unsafe or that compromises the livability of shared spaces.
Founded in Vilnius, Lithuania, Trafi has been revolutionizing urban mobility since 2013. Our MaaS platform is designed to run even the most complex transport systems and has been trusted by Berlin (BVG), Brussels (STIB), Portsmouth & Southampton (Solent Transport), Munich (MVG), and Zurich (SBB).
Trafi’s mission is to empower cities with state-of-the-art MaaS solution that helps to tackle their mobility challenges and to achieve ambitious sustainability objectives. Our white-label product offers all the features and components needed to launch your own-branded MaaS service. With more than 50 existing deep integrations to mobility service providers and payment facilitators, we help to reduce risk, cost, and time-to-launch for new services.
