Reservations for All Modes of Transportation, Including Trains and Flights, in a Single App
Seeking Cooperation Among Transport, Platform Industries, and Research Institutes
The government is initiating public-private policy discussions to introduce an integrated mobility service (Mobility as a Service, MaaS) that will allow users to book and pay for all modes of transportation?including trains, buses, and flights?through a single application.
The Metropolitan Transport Commission under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on June 24 that it will hold the first policy forum, the "1st Integrated Mobility Service Forum," on June 25 at Vertex Korea in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The event will bring together related organizations and experts to discuss the technical and institutional challenges of implementing the service.
MaaS is a service that integrates timetables, seat availability, booking, and payment functions for various modes of transportation?such as rail, bus, and air?into a single platform. Until now, users had to install separate apps and make individual reservations for each mode of transportation. With the introduction of MaaS, these inconveniences will be significantly reduced.
To fully implement this service, the government has created a venue for experts from various fields and related organizations to discuss policy directions together. The forum will be chaired by Professor Jung Jinhyuk of Yonsei University. A total of 24 organizations will participate, including representatives from the rail, bus, shared car, and taxi industries, as well as platform companies that provide data brokerage or payment services in the transportation sector and research institutes. The forum is scheduled to convene quarterly in the future.
The first forum will feature two keynote presentations. The Korea Transportation Safety Authority will explain the need to standardize transportation information and present strategies for doing so. The Korea Expressway Corporation will introduce plans for information sharing and facility improvements to make transfers between trains, buses, and other modes more convenient. After the presentations, participants will freely exchange opinions and discuss each organization’s preparations and potential cooperation strategies.
Conceptual Diagram of Korea-type MaaS (K-MaaS) Pilot Project. Provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
To build a "Korea-type MaaS," the government and private sector are jointly conducting a pilot project. In early 2023, the pilot project was announced and operators were selected through an open call. In April of the same year, a public-private partnership agreement was signed. Based on this, a pilot service for the public began in June 2023.
The Korea Expressway Corporation has established the "Open MaaS" system, which integrates and provides data, while private operators have used this to develop and launch the integrated transportation reservation app "Supermove." Hyundai Autoever and Nol Universe plan to introduce a variety of integrated mobility services through their own platforms in the future.
Kang Heeup, Chairperson of the Metropolitan Transport Commission, stated, "Globally, the mobility sector is changing very rapidly, and user demand is becoming increasingly diverse. MaaS is a service that can revolutionize the convenience of mobility for the public." He added, "Through this forum, we aim to create a venue for cooperation and discussion among related organizations and experts in the MaaS sector, thereby further promoting the adoption of MaaS."
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