A new study from Juniper Research has found that the total number of MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service) platform users (which integrates different transport services, including buses, taxis, rail and metro into a single app), will grow by more than fivefold by 2021 compared with 2019.

This means the market will reach more than 1.3 million users in 2021, despite the ongoing pandemic. As the MaaS market is so nascent at present, it can defy economic circumstances to grow rapidly.

However, this vigorous growth is contingent upon transit authorities focusing on safety-first agendas in order to win back passengers to public transport. If authorities fail to demonstrate this agenda, then MaaS platforms will fail to fulfil their potential, Juniper said.

The new research, Mobility-as-a-Service: Business Models, Vendor Strategies & Market Forecasts 2020-2027, found that Helsinki is still the leading global city for MaaS implementation. The top four cities were ranked as follows:

1. Helsinki
2. Vienna
3. Stockholm
4. Berlin

Juniper Research ranked the world cities leading deployments based on their readiness for large-scale MaaS service rollouts, considering metrics including existing/planned deployments, the cohesion of public transport services and infrastructure development.

Helsinki was found to be leading MaaS deployment due to the success of Whim, but other cities will gain rapidly after the pandemic as they embrace the many potential benefits of MaaS. The launch of Jelbi in Berlin, in particular, has the potential to transform the scale of MaaS.

—research author Nick Maynard

The research identified that adopting subscription models in transit will be crucial to differentiating MaaS from existing transport solutions. While subscription models are undoubtedly in their early stages in MaaS, bundling the use of all transit modes for a flat fee is a valuable user proposition. Juniper Research found that incentives from governments and transit authorities will be crucial in ensuring that subscriptions models are priced attractively for potential users, compared with existing transit options.