Since the beginning of 2019, The district Brf Viva in Gothenburg has been testing EC2B, a full-scale mobility-as-a-service solution for residents encompassing a variety of mobility services, including public transport, all packaged into a single app. The evaluation following the first year shows that the solution works. Brf Viva residents travel more sustainably than before and more sustainably than the average Gothenburg resident.
The first full-scale test of the MaaS solution
The EC2B concept includes personal consultations, support and promotions to help residents to establish new, sustainable mobility habits. The EC2B concept has been developed by Trivector with funding from, among others, the EU’s climate innovation network Climate-KIC, the Swedish government’s innovation agency Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency. The trial at Brf Viva is the first full-scale test of the solution, conducted under the aegis of the Horizon 2020 project IRIS.
Riksbyggen’s Brf Viva is a unique pilot project in that it takes a holistic approach to residents’ mobility with a focus on reduced parking (there are no parking spaces at all for private cars), a larger range of mobility services (car sharing, bike sharing and public transport in the same app) and extensive communication activities. The project is being followed closely, and over the past year, this has included interviews, questionnaires and a digital travel habits survey using the travel survey app TravelVu.
Satisfied residents
Now, one year after the residents moved in, the initial conclusions from the initiative have been compiled. The combination of good access to mobility services and intense information activities seems to have left residents feeling satisfied with their mobility situation despite the complete lack of residential parking at Brf Viva. Both the car-sharing and the bike-sharing services are appreciated and frequently used.
The measures have not resulted in the dramatic drop in car ownership expected by many before the project was launched. However, the fact that those who still own cars must park some distance from their homes has led to a sharp fall in-car use. Brf Viva residents travel more sustainably than they did before – and more sustainably than the average Gothenburg resident. The data also show that it is not only Brf Viva residents who have benefited from the mobility services, as the car-sharing is also frequently used by other local residents.
A holistic approach
One important conclusion at a more overarching level is that mobility as a service is not simply a case of offering more services. What truly adds value are coordination, packaging and a holistic approach. These are not, however, givens.
“Since mobility as a service is new to everyone – residents and users, property managers, municipalities, mobility service providers, technology providers and so on – no one can fall back on how these things are ‘usually’ done. New solutions are a process of trial and error,” says Emma Lund, project manager, IRIS.
“It’s clear that the city plays an important role as an enabler to realise the great potential mobility as a service offers within housing,” says Björn Wendle, CEO of EC2B Mobility AB. “Depending on how they formulate their parking guidelines, they can lay the foundation for this type of housing and mobility.”
Read more about Brf Viva here.
