"To Establish Seamless Transportation, Public Leadership and Private Creativity Must Join Forces"

Daegu Transportation Corporation and Automobile Journalists Association Joint Symposium
'Metropolitan Area MaaS, Public Sector Responds' Theme
Integrated Service for Public Transport and Personal Mobility
Enabled by Technological Advances like Smartphones
Expanding Universal Mobility Rights... Public Sector as Main Role
Private Sector Creativity Needed for Sustainability

For Mobility as a Service (MaaS) to function properly, close collaboration between public institutions such as central and local governments and private companies is necessary, experts pointed out. MaaS, which enhances convenience and efficiency by integrating various transportation modes including public transit and personal mobility devices, is considered a field with increasing feasibility due to technological advancements.

Simply put, MaaS refers to services ranging from providing public transportation information including transfer details or guiding the fastest routes at a basic level, to ultimately enabling seamless travel from the moment one leaves home to the destination at the desired time in a single trip. It is also regarded as a core value of the future mobility era in terms of guaranteeing universal mobility rights. Recently, as competition among local governments and companies launching related services has intensified, concerns have been raised about the lack of synergy.

Seoul Metropolitan Government's shared bicycle, Ddareungi. Some local governments, including Seoul, operate shared bicycle services as personal mobility devices. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The Daegu Transportation Corporation and the Korea Automobile Journalists Association held a symposium titled "Metropolitan Area MaaS, Public Sector Responds" on the 19th. The event was held as a side event of the Korea Future Mobility Expo (DIFA) at Daegu EXCO. The symposium featured presentations by Professor Kwon Oh-hoon of Keimyung University on "Domestic and International MaaS Project Cases and Trends," and Kim Geun-wook from the Daegu Transportation Corporation’s Transportation Policy Research Institute on "Metropolitan Area MaaS, the Role of the Public Sector," followed by an expert panel discussion.

One of the successful MaaS cases is Finland’s Whim. Launched in 2016 centered in Helsinki, Finland, this service was started by a startup called MaaS Global and later expanded through a joint effort involving the government and other companies. It integrates various transportation modes such as public transit, taxis, rental cars, shared vehicles, bicycles, and kickboards into a single application. A common blind spot in transportation services is the "first and last mile," referring to segments where public transit is unavailable just after leaving home or right before arrival.

In South Korea, some local governments and companies have introduced integrated services. Jeollanam-do started J-TaaS in 2022, a service connecting tourism information with transportation, accommodation, and food information for reservations and payments. Bucheon in Gyeonggi Province also launched a Smart City Pass as a government public project, offering discounts linked with kickboards, bicycles, and other modes.

Introduction to J-TaaS, the Jeonnam Tourism Platform operated by Jeollanam-do

In Daejeon, since July this year, a service offering mileage benefits by linking rail, city buses, and public bicycles has been operating. This service plans to eventually integrate with metropolitan transportation such as high-speed rail (KTX), express and intercity buses, and air travel in the mid to long term. The plan includes using tiered subscription-based fare systems by stage and user, and integrating information and settlement systems previously managed separately by cities and various public institutions. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Metropolitan Area Wide Transportation Committee also plans to launch a nationwide pilot project early next year in collaboration with some companies.

With the widespread adoption of smartphones, such services have become feasible, but various issues have emerged during operation. Financial concerns, including how to cover operating costs and the extent of public support from governments and local authorities, have been significant. Some local governments have only completed pilot projects without advancing to full-scale implementation.

Professor Kwon Oh-hoon pointed out, "Although platform-based smart mobility services incorporating ICT (Information and Communication Technology) are actively operated, there has been a tendency to focus on technology development without systematic and standardized guidelines or consideration of users." He added, "While contributing to the integration of various transportation modes, there was insufficient preparation for maintenance, financial support, and revenue structures after development and actual operation."

On the 19th, a discussion between presenters and expert panelists took place at the symposium "Metropolitan Area Mass Transit, Public Solutions" held at Daegu EXCO.

Kim Geun-wook, team leader at Daegu Transportation Corporation’s Transportation Policy Research Institute, said, "There was a tendency to push forward competitively focusing only on speed without sufficient discussion and deliberation." He emphasized, "It is necessary to fully consider and discuss the public nature of MaaS and its role in integrating mobility modes." Kim Jae-gu, deputy director at Korea Expressway Corporation, noted, "During the pilot project preparation, discussions with various stakeholders revealed that some viewed each other as exclusive and competitive, possibly to secure a leading position in the growing market."

There were also criticisms regarding the limitations of existing public transportation. Kim Ki-hyuk, president of Daegu Transportation Corporation, said, "Simulations showed that subway fares would need to be about 14,000 won to maintain operations," highlighting the structure that relies on government support from local authorities during urban rail operations. However, considering climate change, he noted that car-centric mobility cannot be the solution, and the MaaS system needs to become more sophisticated for a sustainable transportation system.

Concerns were raised about the scattered nature of transportation usage information, making it difficult to offer efficient services. Choi So-yoon, senior researcher at T-money, said, "After operating a MaaS platform for about three years, securing and linking public data was not easy." She added, "Public investment is necessary to provide incentives to attract users and to establish MaaS-specific infrastructure similar to existing public transportation."

Professor Oh-Hoon Kwon of Keimyung University is introducing domestic and international cases of MAS at the symposium held on the 19th.

Experts unanimously emphasized the need for collaboration between public institutions such as central and local governments and private companies. Professor Kim Ik-gi of Hanyang University, who chaired the panel discussion, said, "To realize MaaS policies, central and local governments must jointly research and establish standardized basic formats, while maintaining openness to introduce creative and useful service products from private companies." He added, "A basic framework is also needed to enable the use of various information and data at the public level."

Team leader Kim Geun-wook said, "In the future, MaaS needs to play a system-level role overseeing and managing all mobility modes including autonomous vehicles and urban air mobility." He emphasized, "Considering that public transportation has the nature of a public good, future mobility modes should also serve as public transportation guaranteeing mobility, so MaaS must consider and promote its public role." Professor Hong Jeong-yeol of Keimyung University said, "Citizens and local communities know their transportation issues best, so active communication among them is essential." He added, "MaaS systems tailored to regional characteristics, such as hub-type or tourism-type, are necessary."

Team Leader Kim Geun-wook of Daegu Transportation Corporation is presenting on the role of public institutions in promoting urban area MaaS.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.