Opinion


MaaS: A buzzword, or an integral part of a sustainable future?


By Nick Salkeld, COO of MHC Mobility Europe. Below:


Nick Salkeld aims to use exciting technology to further sustainable mobility goals


ver the past couple of years, mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) has been rapidly changing the transport industry and discussion about its wider adoption accelerated during the Covid pandemic. Understood as the integration of numerous modes of transport into a single mobility service that is available on demand, many are hailing MaaS as a key component of a more sustainable future. At the same time, the term MaaS itself has become a corporate buzzword, and some in the industry still view it with scepticism. If we look past the flashy terminology, mobility is something our industry has been providing for decades. Enabling companies and their employees to be mobile is at the very heart of leasing. As sustainability and decarbonisation become more important, it


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is only right that as an industry, we expand our focus from providing traditional mobility (company cars) to looking at other, more innovative ways in which we can support our customers and help them reduce their carbon footprint.


With the pandemic bringing about big changes in the way we travel, companies are reconsidering how best to support the mobility requirements of their employees and businesses. MaaS has an important role to play here. In the Netherlands, in partnership with MobilityMixx, recently we launched a mobility card, which gives employees greater choice over the modes of transport they choose – and combines all associated costs into one invoice. The possibility of having one system to manage your mobility budget offers flexibility and incentivises the use


“If we are serious about reaching the decarbonisation goals of net zero by 2050, more must be done to incentivise the move away


from fossil-fuel- powered cars.”


of alternatives to car transport. In turn, this can help manage corporate fleets more effectively, for example through reducing the number of cars in a fleet. The rise in the use of e-scooters, e-bikes and schemes such as carsharing shows that, as a society, we have truly embraced new mobility.


However, MaaS solutions and micromobility will never be the only answer. In some contexts, encouraging use of alternative forms of transport is simply not practical, for instance where public transport networks are not fully developed. On top of that, we simply cannot escape the need for cars – e-bikes can be a solution in certain contexts, but not when drivers regularly drive 300-mile journeys. Where that is the case, we will always work with our customers to ensure we provide them with the best options for their fleet electrification, to meet their carbon reduction requirements.


If we are serious about reaching the decarbonisation goals of net zero by 2050, more must be done to incentivise the move away from fossil-fuel powered cars. The mobility industry won’t be able to achieve this by themselves. We need governments and local authorities to help make this transition a reality. We need investment in infrastructure, such as electric vehicle charging points, as well as more investment in public transport. For those with company car fleets, we need incentives to help customers make the switch to electric – in Poland, we are taking part in the government-backed Moj Elektryk programme, helping customers take advantage of government subsidies aimed at accelerating the growth of electromobility. We cannot simply expect people to choose sustainable transport – we need to provide them with easy access to those options first. At MHC Mobility, we don’t see MaaS as a radical shift in the industry but rather as a natural evolution and a logical next step in the way we address our customers’ needs. The world is changing and so are the requirements of businesses. The thing that has not changed is the core of our business. Whether through MaaS or fleet electrification, we will continue to provide our customers with solutions tailored to their mobility needs.


14 | March 2022 | www.businesscar.co.uk


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