Interoperability, pricing, data: the challenges of French-style MaaS

Opening up to competition, the multiplication of operators, the rise of soft mobility... The French mobility landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. Formerly centralized around major national networks, it is now fragmented into a mosaic of regional and local players, each with its own systems, data and digital tools.

It was against this backdrop that La Gazette des communes organized the webinar "How can we better guide passengers?" on October 14. The aim was to understand how local authorities can coordinate a growing diversity of stakeholders and solutions, while guaranteeing citizens legible, fluid and efficient mobility.

Coordinating fragmented mobility

Since the passing of the SRU law, public-private partnerships have played a key role in linking territories around mobility. In Normandy, Atoumod is a concrete example of this: born to remove the seams between networks, this public establishment brings together 19 organizing authorities (from the region to urban areas) to offer a clearer intermodality.

"Our mission is to work on the link between modes of transport: how can we offer a simplified experience despite the fact that we change modes of transport and operators? Users don't necessarily know all this, and they don't necessarily need to know it. It's up to us to provide these easy solutions". Cédric Morel, Director of Atoumod.

With the opening up of rail transport to competition, the fragmentation of the landscape is accelerating. Where once a single national system was sufficient, each region is now building its own digital and fare ecosystem. In this context, the challenge is twofold: to guarantee the coherence of public service and to maintain a fluid passenger experience, whatever the territory or mode of transport.

"If we look ahead to 2032, we'll have 12 regions, each with its own distribution system with different operators. We're moving from a single system to a multitude of systems", Julia Mason, Director of Strategy and Transformation.

The technical and fare challenges of fragmented mobility

Partial standardization, multiplicity of players, diversity of modes: technical complexity is one of the main obstacles to interoperability today. As Julia Mason sums up, " each supplier speaks its own language ". Local authorities, for their part, often choose their own tools and suppliers, adding another layer of diversity.

"As an urban transport operator, our mission is entrusted by the local authorities: to get as many people as possible on public transport. To do that, we need to know our customers well. At Keolis, one of our major challenges is to turn occasional users into regulars. However, with the multiplication of players and ticket distributors, it's more difficult to have a valuable knowledge of our passengers", David O'Neill, Keolis Group Marketing and Prospects Director.

Added to this is the fare war: each territory defines its own discounts, age criteria or family offers. From one system to another, the differences accumulate, and digital solutions have to adapt one by one.

For mobility organisation authorities, the challenge is as much technical as it is one of identity: how to strengthen their brand and make it visible in an ecosystem where national and international platforms coexist?

Tesmo, technology at the service of mobility

Tesmo, the SNCF Connect & Tech brand dedicated to digital solutions for mobility, was created to meet these challenges.

Tesmo's teams develop tailored software to support public authorities in their MaaS, interoperability and regional distribution projects. In the PACA region, for example, Tesmo is helping to set up the first regional opening of rail distribution, a bold project combining ticketing, passenger information and integrated payment.

This approach illustrates SNCF Connect & Tech's mission: to provide robust, scalable and interoperable digital solutions to connect local and regional mobility in a single, fluid and legible experience.

To (re)watch
Watch the replay of the entire "How to better guide passengers" webinar on the SNCF Connect & Tech youtube page. A concentration of expertise on the challenges of MaaS, territorial cooperation and the innovations that will drive tomorrow's mobility.