Overview
Trekking around town could soon be made a whole lot easier, if Melbourne City Council opts for a new plan that would give locals the opportunity to pay for all types of transport within the city via a monthly subscription fee.
As reported by The Age, a transport strategy discussion paper released this week suggests the city switches to a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) scheme, similar to those currently being tested in Finland, the Netherlands and the UK.
The plan would see public transport combined with ride and bike share services, to be accessed and paid for within the one app. It's a move that could help speed up travel times and ease congestion for many across the city.
Chair of Melbourne City Council's transport portfolio Nicolas Frances Gilley said the scheme would make daily life a whole lot easier for locals. "It is saying, what is the choice I will make today, given the traffic, the weather, the cheapest option," he said. "It provides a streamlined path for you to get to work and taking stuff you see on the Uber app or Tramtracker all in one place."
He suggested the RACV are already looking into this kind of offering, and that it might not be too long before it's a reality. If it was to go ahead, it would make using Melbourne's many bike sharing services much more accessible and might encourage more people to use them in conjunction with public transport.
Via The Age.