The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS) has chosen Fleetondemand’s Mobility-as-a-Service platform Mobilleo to support the trialling of its GO-HI rural MaaS project in Scotland.
GO-HI will be powered by Mobilleo, which has been built with the capacity to deploy partner MaaS schemes using its powerful white label capabilities. The app will form part of a customised supply chain that provides residents and visitors in the Highlands and Islands with instant access to buses, trains, car hire, car clubs, bicycle hire, air travel and ferries. This will allow users to plan their journeys and find, book and pay for all modes of transport using any iPhone or Android mobile device.
The pilot project is due to go live in March 2021. It is being funded by the EU North Sea Region Stronger Combined project, and the Scottish Government’s MaaS Investment Fund. The MaaS Investment Fund has been established by Transport Scotland to improve accessibility to public transport services for residents and tourists in the country’s most rural and sparsely populated region.
The HITRANS region is home to 10 percent of Scotland’s population and accounts for approximately 50% of Scotland’s land mass. This includes long, remote coastlines, mountainous areas and many inhabited islands that currently create barriers to the movement and transportation of people and goods.
Ranald Robertson, Director at HITRANS, commented: “This pioneering project is an ambitious region-wide solution that has the potential to make a significant contribution to improve accessibility for residents and visitors. It addresses Government ambitions to reduce carbon emissions by encouraging a modal shift from sole occupancy cars to shared cars and public transport alternatives. It will also help to create healthier lifestyles by improving the sustainable travel choices people can make in the region, including active travel opportunities.”
HITRANS has appointed Marelise Hamar to lead the Maas Project. Marelise joined HITRANS in May this year after making the move to the Highlands from the South East of England. She brings experience from the Aerospace, Automotive and Security Printing industries where she has held numerous project-based roles.
Marelise said: “I am really excited to be part of this project using groundbreaking technology that will bring a real benefit to people across the Highlands and Islands.”
Ross Basnett, Strategic Account Director at Fleetondemand, commented: “We’re looking forward to working with HITRANS to tailor a solution that addresses the mobility challenges faced by residents and tourists in some of Scotland’s most rural areas.
“The GO-HI app will bring together the various transport services in the area, allowing easier access to travel information, more reliable journey planning, in-app ticketing and a hassle-free payment system. These improvements should give people the confidence to use public transport and reduce the feeling of isolation among those without access to a car.”
The HITRANS project engages the underlying Mobilleo platform with several new transport partners, as well as those existing on the platform today. Project partners include Enterprise Car Club and Car Hire, Bewegen, Stagecoach Bus, West Coast Motors, Inverness Taxis, ScotRail, Loganair and SkedGo.
Oz Choudhri, Head of MaaS at Enterprise Holdings, added: “This project will support the delivery of Transport Scotland’s National Transport Strategy, which recognises the importance of embracing new technologies that are beneficial to society. The project will help Scotland to become an international leader in Smart Mobility by supporting digital innovation within Scotland and offering good practice in the application of MaaS for other similar regions.”
Fleetondemand is also providing dedicated customer support alongside the GO-HI app, digital marketing communications to engage with end users and a data platform that offers instant access to detailed management reporting information.
The participating transport providers will be able to access data about the demand for their services, helping them to better understand the needs of people in the region and to make more informed decisions about the provision of services. The post-project analysis will ultimately lead to a better public transport service for residents and visitors to the HITRANS region.
