Keynote delivered by Steffen Schaefer, Head of Innovation for Mobility Management, Senior Principal at Siemens AG
Urban roads are clogged; Public Transport is at its limit in many places. But demand for urban mobility is only growing. It is predicted to triple by 2050. New mobility services like car sharing, bike sharing, ride sharing are widely emerging. Demand Responsive Transport and self-driving taxi services are becoming a significant new mode in urban transport. They are all largely possible due to new (digital) technologies. Digitalization is highly disruptive to the Mobility ecosystem. The value however of Mobile Internet, Internet of Things, and Cloud Computing is very clear. Aggressive and well funded new players who understand these technologies are entering the market. Traditional main line and public transport operators, Automotive OEMs, taxi companies, and road authorities must act, otherwise they will be left behind. And transport legislation must be adapted to create a suitable framework for a new ecosystem. The large number of mobility services from various providers brings a host of options to the traveler, but also certain complexity. What apps do I need for which region? Packaging and simplification of mobility services is essential. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) will help to do so, in a model that is very similar to Telco industries. A scalable, digital mobility platform will form the backbone of all mobility infrastructure and services.