Public transport in the UK can be…testing…at times.
Most of us, at some point in our lives, have spent longer than anticipated at a frosty bus stop only to find ourselves 50p short of the fare, or scrambled through emails to find a digital ticket only to sit on the floor of an overpriced train (and yet still feel lucky that you avoided the dreaded words, ‘rail replacement’).
But the good news is that it’s not all doom and gloom. In a world increasingly defined by on-demand convenience, our transport systems are catching up, slowly but surely.
Allow us to introduce you to Mobility as a Service (MaaS). It’s a simple but transformative concept that shifts reliance away from fragmented systems like apps for trains, cash for buses, or separate subscriptions for bike-share and car hire, and instead unifies them all under one roof. It allows for planning, booking, and paying for any journey, across any mode, all in one app—essentially, it’s the Spotify of transport. Personalised, integrated, and subscription-ready…just with less control over what you listen to. That’s still up to the teenage DJ on the backseat.
But MaaS is more than an app. It’s a shift in mindset that aims to make shared, sustainable transport not only viable, but preferable to private car ownership—and at a time when urban centres are under pressure to cut emissions, reduce congestion, and improve accessibility, this couldn’t be more relevant.
What Is MaaS and Why Does It Matter?
Mobility as a Service refers to a digital platform that lets users plan, book, and pay for journeys that combine multiple modes of transport, from public buses, trains, and taxis to e-scooters, bike shares, and even walking routes.
When it works best, MaaS is seamless. A single login, one interface, one payment system—simple as that. Whether you're commuting to work or planning a weekend trip, the system tailors routes based on live data, personal preferences, and availability, replacing unnecessary stress with real-time convenience. In some mature markets, you can even subscribe to monthly ‘mobility packages’ that cover a set number of rides or access across transport modes, similar to streaming subscriptions.
MaaS offers huge promise to both local authorities and its citizens in the shape of:
- Convenience – No more switching apps or juggling payment cards
- Sustainability – Encourages shared and public transport over car ownership
- Cost-efficiency – Lets users choose optimal journeys based on time or budget
- Inclusion – When designed well, it can serve both urban hubs and remote communities
UK MaaS in Practice: Trials and Takeaways
MaaS isn’t a new concept here in the UK. In fact, local transport authorities have been quietly testing a diverse set of pilots across both urban and rural settings already, with mixed results.
Whim in the West Midlands
Launched in 2018, this was the UK's first major MaaS trial.
As a partnership between Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and Finnish MaaS Global, the project aimed to deliver integrated travel packages using Whim, a commercial MaaS app already tested in Helsinki. The app allowed users to access public transport, car hire, and taxis all in one place.
But the results were a mixed bag. Uptake was modest, and integrating payment systems across operators proved challenging. TfWM acknowledged it didn’t “live up to expectations,” but despite this disappointment, the region learned vital lessons about backend data standards, public-private collaboration, and what local users actually want.
As such, a revised version of the MaaS app, built in partnership with Mobilleo, is now being trialled with new features, better integration, and a stronger focus on user experience.
Go-Hi in the Highlands
Scotland's rural MaaS offering, launched in 2021, integrated buses, ferries, car clubs, and taxis into a single platform tailored to remote communities in the Highlands and Islands. Over 3,000 users signed up in the first months—a strong showing for a sparsely populated region.
Go-Hi is the perfect example of how MaaS isn’t just for cities. In places where transport is often fragmented or infrequent, the real-time view of multimodal options was a game-changer for residents and tourists alike. It also provided lessons in dealing with patchy mobile coverage and integrating offline ticketing systems into a digital-first product.
Enable and GetGo in Central Scotland
Other Scottish MaaS projects, like GetGo in Dundee and GoSEStran in Forth Valley, explored MaaS for healthcare access, inclusive travel, and tourism. They offered tailored interfaces and trip planning for patients, older adults, and visitors, proving that MaaS can be adapted to specific user groups and goals, not just general commuting.
These regional pilots were supported by Transport Scotland and the MaaS Scotland initiative and really reinforced one key insight: successful MaaS systems must reflect local context, whether it’s urban congestion or rural connectivity gaps.
Learning from Europe’s MaaS Leaders
While the UK is in its MaaS adolescence, across the pond, countries like Finland, Germany, and Sweden offer a glimpse into what a more mature version could promise.
Whim in Helsinki
Whim is what the kids would call the ‘OG’ of MaaS apps. Since 2016, Helsinki residents have used Whim to access nearly all nearby transport options, from metro to rental scooters. Subscription packages offer unlimited rides or pay-as-you-go models, with over 60,000 active users joining and the app facilitating 1.8 million trips in the first year alone.
However, it hasn’t all been plain sailing. While users love the convenience, the business model—balancing low costs with high integration complexity—has proven difficult to translate into consistent profit. Scaling beyond Helsinki has also been a challenge, although the concept remains strong.
Jelbi in Berlin
Run by the city’s public transport authority, BVG, Jelbi is a public-led MaaS success story, with the app integrating more than 13 transport providers and over 220,000 users. Physical Jelbi ‘mobility hubs’ let users switch from trains to scooters or bikes with ease, creating a tangible, visible MaaS presence in the city.
Its key strength? Control. Because BVG owns the platform, it can mandate service standards, data sharing, and pricing agreements, demonstrating how strong public oversight can avoid the turf wars that often derail MaaS elsewhere.
UbiGo in Stockholm
This smaller-scale Swedish project focused on family mobility. Households could subscribe to monthly packages that included car access, public transport, and bike share, helping them reduce reliance on private vehicles.
While UbiGo wasn’t rolled out city-wide, trials showed significant drops in car use among participants, proving MaaS can shift behaviours if it aligns with people’s actual needs.
Why MaaS Isn’t Mainstream Yet
All sounds pretty promising, right? So how come, despite all the pilots and prototypes, MaaS has yet to break through as a national norm in the UK (or indeed, in most of Europe)?
The main barriers to the mainstream adoption of MaaS include:
1. Business Models: MaaS platforms often rely on slim margins and complex revenue-sharing between operators. It’s hard to build a scalable, profitable service without monopolising the supply chain, which public authorities won’t (and shouldn’t) allow.
2. Data Sharing: Operators like private ride-hail and taxi firms can be understandably reluctant to open their APIs or share real-time data. But without collaboration, true integration is impossible.
3. Fragmented Technology: Ticketing systems, journey planners, and operator apps often run on different tech stacks. Creating one platform to unify them all is technically and politically difficult.
4. Policy and Regulation: The UK is catching up, but issues like digital ticketing standards, micro-mobility legality (such as e-scooters), and MaaS licensing still need clearer national direction.
5. User Trust and Habits: Many people still prefer car ownership for its perceived reliability and flexibility. Changing that mindset takes time and a great user experience.
What’s Next for MaaS in the UK?
As the UK accelerates towards ambitious sustainability targets, urban reimagination, and smarter, integrated public services, the tide may finally be turning on MaaS.
TfWM’s second-gen MaaS app in particular is one to watch. By working closely with local authorities, transport operators, and experienced tech partners like Mobilleo, the West Midlands hopes to deliver a more stable, scalable model.
Nationally, the Department for Transport is investing in Future Transport Zones, where MaaS features prominently. Local councils are being encouraged to mandate open APIs and standard data formats in their procurement processes, and the upcoming Transport Bill is expected to offer greater legal clarity on integrated ticketing, e-scooter use, and digital licensing.
MaaS is also being linked to climate action. Some cities are exploring mobility credits which reward citizens who choose public or shared transport over driving. Corporate MaaS is gaining traction too, where companies subsidise MaaS subscriptions for employees, reducing fleet costs and emissions in one go.
One example of where this kind of seamless, digitised mobility is already working at scale is the Tyne Tunnel’s Open Road Tolling (ORT) system. After transitioning from barriered toll booths to a fully digital setup, journeys through the tunnel became faster, simpler, and cleaner.
Regular commuters through the Tyne Tunnel used to dread the stop-start congestion during rush hour. Now, with no need to queue at toll booths, they breeze through thanks to automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and cashless billing. It’s one less friction in travellers’ days—and a small but meaningful step towards a more connected commute.
Under the hood, the system uses high-definition cameras to capture license plates, integrates payment systems for automatic billing, and delivers real-time journey tracking through the Tyne Tunnels app. No physical infrastructure is needed at the point of payment. It’s proof that when smart infrastructure is designed with the user in mind, the shift away from traditional, friction-heavy systems is not only possible, but preferred.
Better yet, when looking ahead, MaaS platforms will become smarter still. AI-driven personalisation, predictive travel planning, and real-time environmental impact tracking will enrich the experience, while integration with health and wellbeing apps, or with smart city dashboards, will blur the line between transport and lifestyle.
And it’s this near-limitless potential that means MaaS has the power to revolutionise how we move, not just by digitalising transport, but by reimagining the very patterns of mobility across the UK’s towns, cities, and rural regions.
But the main takeaway? We’re not there yet. Successful integration requires more than just sleek user interfaces—it needs policy that encourages openness, partnerships that foster trust, and design thinking that starts with real people and real places.
Remember that the UK isn’t starting from scratch. From the Highlands to the Midlands, pilots have delivered hard-won insights, and Europe shows what’s possible with strong leadership and long-term investment. Now it’s time to scale.