Multimodal transport technologies are set to change the way we plan and pay for our journey and how we get to our destination.

Change is coming to transportation and some early adopters have already been, or are currently, testing innovative technologies within the transport sector. These technologies are set to change the way we plan and pay for our journey and how we get to our destination.

The proportion of the global population living in urban areas continues to rise faster and the pressure on transport infrastructure keeps piling up. There is only so much transport infrastructure can handle. The possibilities created by information and communication technologies can help make people move easily, conveniently and efficiently.

2018 has been named the ‘Year of Multimodality’ by the European Commission to raise the importance of multimodality for the European transport system. Multimodality is the use of different modes of transport on the same journey and such a service can be provided through a single mobile application. Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is an innovative smartphone application that combines all transport modes with a single payment system offering access to a range of transport services from taxis, buses and trains to bike-share, car-share and more. Planning, ticketing and payment are all taken care of in a single app that allows users to go about their trip seamlessly and without added guesswork or unnecessary wait times.

MaaS is known to have started in Helsinki and since then has raised awareness for MaaS services across the globe and increased the appetite for further regional trials. MaaS apps can provide value for money, are convenient, provide on demand services and are transforming how people, particularly younger people, in cities commute. Proponents of MaaS believe it has the potential to make getting around via public and shared transport so convenient it will negate the need for people in and around cities to own their own car, with potentially massive benefits in relation to urban congestion, air pollution and health.

New businesses and companies offering such a service are creating new partnerships in the face of a very challenging and competitive market. Some of the players involved are communities, vehicle rentals, public transport providers, automobile companies, apps-based crowd and open data, and many more. While a seamless journey may be physically possible, providing a manageable and understandable information environment has turned into a major challenge.

Another challenge is public understanding and use of this service. This forms part of the project ‘Social influence and disruptive Low Carbon Innovations’ (SILCI) being carried out by researchers in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change at the University of East Anglia. SILCI is a four-year research project exploring disruptive low carbon innovations and how they spread through processes of social influence.

Identifying and characterising disruptive low carbon innovations across sectors and applications, SILCI is interested in how and why they are adopted, and how they spread. Information exchanged through social networks and through physical activity influences people’s behaviour. Therefore, what role does social influence play in the diffusion of disruptive low carbon innovations? Can these diffusion processes be accelerated to help reduce emissions?

Emma Cassar is a PhD researcher in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia, UK. She is a member of the SILCI team, which is supported by ERC Starting Grant #678799. More information on the project can be found at www.silci.org.

Did you know?

• The Dutch people are the most avid cyclists in Europe, with the latest Eurobarometer showing that just over 40 per cent use cycling as their preferred mode of transport.

• Flying is one of the most popular ways to reach faraway destinations and over half a million people are in the air at any one time.

• Both the horse and donkey were domesticated for transportation purposes about 4000BC.

• Air transport emissions per passenger kilometre have decreased by 70 per cent over the last 40 years.

For more trivia see: www.um.edu.mt/think

Sound bites

• We’ve all experienced ‘phantom traffic jams’ that arise without any apparent cause. Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory recently showed that there would be fewer such traffic jams if we made one small change to how we drive: no more tailgating. If drivers kept an equal distance between cars, rather than driving too closely behind the car in front, traffic would move smoother and therefore, less traffic.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171214092319.htm

• Booster seats, car seats and seat belts are equally effective at saving the lives of children, while booster seats top the others at reducing minor injuries specifically among children aged eight to 12, according to new research. The study also warned against moving children too early into booster seats and adult seat belts, since belt positioning is critical for the safety of the child, and premature graduation from a child safety seat to a booster seat or from a booster seat to a seat belt could be hazardous.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180105124030.htm

• For more interesting science news listen to Radio Mocha every Saturday at 11.05am on Radju Malta 93.7FM.

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