Using and paying of railways, buses, and taxis to be possible with one app

[Smart City Today]

Starting in December at the earliest, it will be possible to check the optimal route to the destination with an application (hereinafter referred to as an app) and make reservations and payments for all mobility services such as high-speed railways, express buses, and taxis.

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Metropolitan Transport Commission (hereinafter referred to as MTC) announced in January that they will push for a pilot project for public-private cooperation for the nationwide integrated transportation platform (Mobility as a Service, hereinafter referred to as MaaS) service.

MaaS refers to providing optimal route guidance, reservation, and payment for all means of transportation on a single platform by linking various means of transportation like a single one. It has taken a step further from the present, where people search for transportation with their smartphones, check the optimal route, and reserve and pay for the transportation they want on each different app.

In order to realize MaaS, MTC plans to prepare an open MaaS where various transportation data are gathered and shared together as data linkage between various transportation means is the key. To this end, a relay service provider that builds and operates open MaaS for public institutions will be invited to establish related data standards and base systems.

It will then launch nationwide MaaS apps within this year by recruiting private cooperation platform operators so that integrated data can be provided as various services. When nationwide MaaS is commercialized, it is expected that multiple customized products such as flat-rate and subscription plans will be released, as a paradigm shift away from the concept of moving into individual transportation.

In addition, with one MaaS app, you can easily use it with integrated mileage from discounts on transportation such as air, rail, and shared cars to purchasing messenger emoticons.

Meanwhile, MaaS is divided into five stages according to the degree of service connection and integration. Like Kakao T, there are three steps to solve reservations and payments for transportation in a single app, four steps to provide MaaS services such as subscription services, and five steps to link them to urban planning. MaaS, which will be introduced as early as December, is in three stages.

Lee Sung-hae, chairman of the MTC, said, "This pilot project will lay the foundation for the integration of various transportation services." In addition, he said, "It is expected that various added values such as the

 

revitalization of new industries will be created by linking with other fields such as tourism, accommodation, and content."