Technology, Innovation
Innovations for Better Rural Mobility
Research Report, Policy Insights,
16 December 2021
- Formulate a countrywide accessibility policy and implement Sustainable Regional Mobility Plans (SRMP).
- Adopt a whole-of-government approach for rural public services and the local economy.
- Make regulations more flexible to allow for the development of innovative, cost-effective mobility solutions.
- Combine public mobility budgets to achieve cost savings.
- Fund pilot schemes to test innovative mobility concepts.
- Prioritise financial support for innovative services according to higher impact levels rather than use of high tech.
- Use innovative financing approaches to increase funding pools and viability of individual transport services.
- Increase central government funding for shared and active travel in rural areas.
- Provide technical assistance for rural mobility at the national or regional level.
- Promote mobility hubs to connect local services to the core network.
- Support the development of national or regional Mobility as a Service (MaaS).
Developing Innovative Mobility Solutions in the Brussels-Capital Region
Case-Specific Policy Analysis, Policy Insights,
12 December 2021
- Regulate mobility operators and MaaS providers separately.
- Adopt an explicitly pro-competitive approach to MaaS in policy and legislation.
- Clearly establish the status of MaaS providers via a licensing scheme.
- Review conditions for mobility operator licences to ensure they do not include barriers to developing MaaS.
- Add mandatory minimum data-sharing requirements relating to informational and operational data to licences for mobility operators.
- Build mandatory consumer data portability, subject to user consent, into the conditions of all mobility operator and MaaS provider licences.
- Adopt competition safeguards as part of the MaaS provider licensing framework.
- Ensure public transport operators have the freedom to negotiate the terms of public transport ticket resale with MaaS providers who, in turn, should be free to determine the pricing of services to consumers.
- Apply OECD and EU best practice principles on regulatory policy and governance to inform approaches to regulating MaaS.
- Make data reporting requirements to public authorities specific and directly related to regulatory tasks.
- The Good Move policy package should remain the key vehicle for implementing sustainable urban mobility policies.
Integrating Public Transport into Mobility as a Service
Roundtable Report, Policy Insights,
17 October 2021
- Adopt a light and flexible regulatory approach that allows Mobility as a Service to evolve.
- Integrate the governance of Mobility as a Service into broader sustainable mobility policies.
- Allow public transport operators the freedom to negotiate with Mobility as a Service providers.
- Create data-sharing frameworks that are as open as possible, as constrained as necessary.
- Define common building blocks for sharing data within a Mobility as a Service eco-system.
Developing Innovative Mobility Solutions in the Brussels-Capital Region
Promotional Publication,
7 September 2021
Micromobility, Equity and Sustainability
Roundtable Report, Policy Insights,
5 September 2021
- Base regulation on sustainable urban mobility policy objectives.
- Consult micromobility companies on public policy issues early and often to avoid distorting regulations.
- Apply outcome-based regulations linked to specific performance criteria.
- Ensure limits on market access allow competition; avoid static caps on shared micromobility vehicle fleets.
- Limit data-reporting requirements to information used for mobility planning.
- Set regulatory fees in light of the potential value of micromobility for sustainable mobility and the uncertain viability of business models.
- Support equitable and affordable micromobility services.
- Follow the principle of mode-neutrality when developping an urban transport system.
- Reallocate road and parking space to micromobility users, cyclists and pedestrians.
- Address motor vehicle speeds when regulating micromobility speed.
- Apply coherent regulation that treats micromobility operators equally.
- Adopt a permissive and adaptive regulatory approach to micromobility.
Cleaner Vehicles: Achieving a Resilient Technology Transition
Case-Specific Policy Analysis, Policy Insights,
20 July 2021
- Support the adoption of clean vehicles with targeted policy action and by increasing transparency of their carbon footprint.
- Prioritise a transition to direct electrification of vehicles and renewable energy.
- Address challenges in resource efficiency and sustainable supply chains.
- Prepare for a transition from fuel duties by seizing opportunities arising from increased connectivity and accelerating enabling regulatory actions.
- Include infrastructure for easy access to clean energy and digital connectivity of road transport in Covid‑19 recovery packages.
- Prepare for the impact of the sustainable mobility transition on jobs, required skill sets and social equity.
- Accelerate the development of other low-carbon technologies.
The Innovative Mobility Landscape: The Case of Mobility as a Service
Case-Specific Policy Analysis, Policy Insights,
5 July 2021
- Anchor the governance of Mobility as a Service in a strategic vision, applied to the whole functional urban area and informed by effective digital monitoring
- Seek greater understanding of how Mobility as a Service can add value for the user
- Guide Mobility as a Service where necessary to achieve agreed societal outcomes
- Adopt a flexible and light-handed regulatory approach towards Mobility as a Service platforms
- Adopt a predictable regulatory approach and allow for evolution
- Enhance public transport authorities’ and operators’ ability to negotiate terms of sale and re-use of tickets with Mobility as a Service providers
- Base data-sharing frameworks on the principle of “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”
- Build data portability into the MaaS ecosystem by default
- Consider common building blocks for sharing data
- Establish data-reporting requirements that are proportionate and targeted to outcomes
- Adopt complementary policies in other areas to ensure that the Mobility as a Service ecosystem contributes to desired policy outcomes
- Invest in the built environment and interchange facilities
- Skill sets will need to evolve to improve the public authority’s capacity to regulate and assess digital markets
Waste-derived Alternative Energy for the Transport Sector
Presentation, slides, speech,
12 April 2021
Life-cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Algal Biofuels: Effect of Different CO2 Supply Options
Presentation, slides, speech,
12 April 2021
Lignocellulosic Ethanol: Life-cycle Assessment based Technology and Policy Evaluation
Presentation, slides, speech,
12 April 2021
Shared Mobility Simulations for Dublin
Case-Specific Policy Analysis, Policy Insights,
9 October 2018
- Consider integrating Shared Mobility services into the Greater Dublin Area transport system.
- Shared mobility services should be provided on a large-enough scale to reap full benefits.
- Use shared services as a feeder service for high-capacity public transport and the existing bus network.
- Use alternative fuels for shared mobility fleet to reduce emissions further.
- Target potential early adopters for Shared Mobility services in order to achieve scale of service.
- Set the regulatory framework for shared mobility services to generate maximum societal benefit.
Potential of Intelligent Transport Systems to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Road Freight Transport
Presentation, slides, speech,
28 June 2018
Blockchain and Beyond: Encoding 21st Century Transport
Corporate Partnership Board Report, Policy Insights,
16 May 2018
- Public authorities must prepare for a much more networked and meshed world.
- Take into account changes in data science and technology when developing Mobility as a Service.
- Look beyond initial cryptocurrency applications of distributed ledger technologies.
- Governments should help deploy the building blocks that enable wider uptake of distributed ledgers.
- Apply blockchain technology now for slow and (relatively) small transport use cases; anticipate next generation distributed ledger technologies for “big and fast” applications to be deployed later.
- Governments should develop algorithmic code-based regulation to accompany the uptake of distributed ledger technologies.
Cooperative Mobility Systems and Automated Driving
Roundtable Report, Policy Insights,
2 May 2018
- Shared mobility is still a relatively new field but is progressing rapidly. With business models and preferred technologies still in flux, policy makers need to prepare considered responses to these developments without delay.
- Service concepts and technology currently and on the brink of being explored need to consider a range of design domain restrictions, dependencies on infrastructure, operating principles and user interfaces.
- Specific service concepts should be matched to specific operational environments, on a detailed local level as well as across continents and cultures.
- Government action will affect how automated vehicles will impact society. Existing approaches will not be appropriate for long. Their understanding and input will help to balance the debate on whether AVs can indeed alleviate a series of stubborn problems.
Integrating Urban Public Transport Systems and Cycling
Roundtable Report, Policy Insights,
25 April 2018
- Design interchange stations to provide secure, uncongested conditions for transfer by the shortest routes possible.
- Provide adequate bike parking areas at stations and stops.
- Integrate ticketing and information systems as well as the physical transport infrastructure.
- Establish integrated urban transport plans in consultation with stakeholders and the public.