Innovactory (now Gaiyo) has won the tender for the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) pilot in Utrecht. This makes Goedopweg in Leidsche Rijn, Vleuten and De Meern the first in the Netherlands to start a MaaS pilot. The app being developed by Innovactory is called TRIPPS and should encourage alternatives to the car, make travel easier and improve accessibility. The pilot in Utrecht is one of seven national MaaS pilots organized by the Ministry of I&W in cooperation with regional governments.

Arne Schaddelee, mobility commissioner for the province of Utrecht: “The province of Utrecht is taking stock of the bottlenecks on through roads and through cores and tackling them to improve safety, livability and traffic flow. Innovation plays an important role in this. To improve the connection of different forms of transport and encourage travelers to use bicycles and public transport more often, we are focusing on technological developments and influencing behavior and are increasing our efforts in the Smart Mobility program. This new system fits seamlessly into this!”

TRIPPS: one app for all your trips

With TRIPPS, travelers have information on all transportation options and can plan, book and pay for them through the app. This encourages alternatives to the car, makes travel easier and improves accessibility. With TRIPPS, travelers choose how to travel from door to door and receive information on all possible means of transportation: (shared) cars, public transportation, (shared) bikes and cabs. The app gives travelers current and personalized travel advice and updates on delays, traffic jams and alternative routes.

Lucien Groenhuijzen, CEO of Innovactory: “We are delighted with the launch of TRIPPS in Utrecht. With TRIPPS we offer travelers in the region one app for all their trips, planned or spontaneous. It should be your personal travel assistant, with convenience, simplicity and reliability at the forefront, so that you as a traveler can travel seamlessly from one place to another. TRIPPS then gives you personal advice, offers you access to all transportation and payment is completely automatic.”

TRIPPS is expected to be launched in early 2020 for all residents of Leidsche Rijn, Vleuten and De Meern, with availability for the rest of Utrecht soon to follow. Because TRIPPS can be used to travel throughout the Netherlands, the app is also available to people from outside Utrecht. This fall, the app is already being tested by a hundred residents from Leidsche Rijn, Vleuten and De Meern. With their findings, TRIPPS will be improved. The MaaS pilot is expected to run until the end of 2021.

Livability and accessibility of Leidsche Rijn, Vleuten and De Meern

The Utrecht region is starting the MaaS pilot in Leidsche Rijn, Vleuten and de Meern because this area is growing rapidly and car ownership and use is relatively high here. Up to 105,000 inhabitants will be added until 2030. TRIPPS can help encourage alternatives to the car. And that is essential for a healthy and livable city district.

“Utrecht must be an attractive and accessible city for residents and visitors,” said Lot van Hooijdonk, alderman for mobility. “We are working toward a future in which not possession, but use is central. On a trip, you might start on your own bike, but then switch to the train and then grab a shared bike. With the app, you can quickly see the fastest way to get to your destination. I’m very curious to see how the app will be used.”

Part of seven national pilots

Six more national MaaS pilots will start in the near future. These focus on the areas: Amsterdam-South Axis, Eindhoven, Groningen-Drenthe, Limburg, Rotterdam-The Hague and Twente. Among other things, the pilots will test what does and does not work in terms of travel behavior, business case and policy impact. With the privacy-proof obtained data, the Ministry of I&W, regional governments, MaaS providers and transporters will learn together how the total mobility system can be optimized. This can contribute to solutions for CO2 targets, congestion problems and public transport congestion.

Goedopweg

The Utrecht region has joined the national developments in the field of MaaS through Goedopweg. In Goedopweg, the province of Utrecht, the municipalities of Utrecht and Amersfoort, Rijkswaterstaat, the Ministry of Infrastructure & Waterways are working together to create an attractive and easily accessible Utrecht region.