A US-Finnish partnership has announced the launch in the USA of Switch, the world’s first Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform with integrated on-demand capabilities, which aims to simplify trip planning, payment and ticketing for both public and private transport.
Switch Mobility was formed through a joint-venture partnership between Chicago-based DemandTrans Inc. and Finnish company The Kyyti Group from Helsinki, to develop and launch their Dynamic MaaS app, Switch, to provide consumers instant access to virtually every kind of transport service available, from taxis, buses, trains, bikeshare, carshare and others. Unlike other apps that attempt to organize an array of urban mobility choices, Switch is the first to integrate real-time, micro-transit ride generation capability to ensure consumers have access to efficient on-demand services at any time and anywhere.
The partnership combines the DemandTrans market leading on-demand technology suite currently in use in Denver, Oakland, Salem, Oregon, and, soon, Nashville and Chicago, with Europe’s ‘Best Mobile Service’ Award-winning Kyyti MaaS system, which is in use in numerous cities in Finland, to create a comprehensive platform that makes the process of getting from A to B simple, quick, and convenient for both public and private transport users. Switch provides users with the freedom to travel wherever and whenever they want. An easy-to-use interface enables travelers to locate routes, schedule on-demand or recurring trips, and instantly pay, saving both time and money, while providing customers with a gateway into a new era of ‘intermodality’.
“At a time when city planners are working on integrating varied services such as Lyft and Uber to mitigate first-, middle-, and last-mile challenges, a fully flexible mobile service such as Switch helps make current and emerging transportation options more accessible, all while reducing car ownership and congestion,” explained managing partner of Switch Mobility, John E Michel.
“Switch provides consumers with unparalleled convenience and will change the way people move throughout the USA and the world. With increasing mobility choices, we believe it is more important than ever to give people the freedom to choose from a wide array of potential options and routes to enhance the end-to-end public and private transportation experience.”
Pekka Motto, managing partner of Switch Mobility Global and CEO of the Kyyti Group, added, “What truly differentiates Switch is that 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.”
