Employees should be provided with individual mobility cards that could be used to access all forms of travel, fed from an app that could plan and charge costs accordingly, says ACFO.

This will help Mobility as a Service (MaaS) to become the norm with corporate mobility managers analysing the total cost of journeys employees make, says the organisation for fleet decision-makers.

ACFO has expressed the views in its submission to the House of Commons' Transport Committee inquiry into MaaS.

The organisation says the mobility cards would enable employees to select the most appropriate mode of travel and pay for journey to meet personal and business circumstances.

The submission follows the organisation's recently published Vision for the Future, which stated that managers should measure the cost of each mile travelled and let technology dictate how that journey is actually made.

The organisation believes that a new breed of mobility manager would have that role truly enhanced with the wider adoption of a fully integrated MaaS operation.

In its submission, ACFO said: “This could be crucial in the provision of general ground transportation for employees on company business. MaaS should be at the forefront of how businesses should be looking at travel to ensure they are using the best options for the journey, for environment, cost, safety and employee reasons.”

The organisation said it had seen numerous apps, for journey planning and ticket holding, from various business travel agents, as well as apps for recording and the submitting of expenses. But the ability of a company to join them together was “fairly rare”, it added.

As a result, ACFO said: “The support of Government towards a more integrated system will help businesses adapt and manage their mobility needs more effectively.

"Businesses are starting to understand the power and advantages that integrated technology can supply.

"But we feel that they cannot see the whole new world this could bring. This support and encouragement should have a marked environmental impact on journeys being made. The choices and range of services that these systems can provide should be embraced as the advantage for the country and communities as a whole will be dramatic.”

In its submission, ACFO highlighted that taxation was an issue that MPs also needed to consider if MaaS was to be adopted within the corporate sector.

 

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