Prague has launched a Mobility-as-a-Service app

Operátor ICT, a municipal company based in Prague managing Smart City and ICT projects for municipalities, implemented the Lítačka app, operating a system for unified registration and payment for all mobility services, including bike and car-sharing, taxis, parking, and public transport.

The Mobility as a Service (MaaS) pilot aims to simplify people’s ways of moving around the city and encourage the use of public transport and shared mobility services, as explained by the Mayor of Prague, Zdeněk Hřib.

The MaaS app facilitates intermodality as well as the use of shared mobility and alternative transport modes, by connecting all transport providers in one application. The integration of all mobility services will contribute to reach the sustainable development of the city.

The main benefit from having an integrated transport system and a MaaS app will be for people to register on their mobile phone in a few minutes and, once their identity is verified, they are able to use all possible mobility services, without having to register for each one of them.

The app also integrates real-time data on transport services.

Four steps

The pilot scheme lasts 28 months and follows 4 steps. As announced by the Project Manager of Operátor ICT, Vojtěch Štěch, the first step regards the detailed processing of the system architecture, its functional and operational requirements. Developing the software for the unified registration and payment of mobility services and the following integration into the PID Lítačka app will be part of the second step. The third step is devoted to the actual testing, while the final step will be the trial operation.

Intermodality is key

In accordance with its Climate Action Plan – approved last year and targeting to reduce emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2010 levels – the city of Prague aims to increase sustainable mobility options.

In order to encourage intermodality, during August 2022 people with a public transport pass in Prague were able to rent a shared bike for two 15-minutes trips a day for free.

According to Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, Adam Scheinherr, since the launch of the pilot project in October 2021, over 23,000 people have been using the bike-sharing services and the Prague Integrated Transport (PID), making over 343,000 rentals. In particular, in the last three months a total of 191,000 rentals were registered, with a peak of 3,239 recorded on one day in June.

In addition, earlier this year, the city further extended its tram network and is currently developing a fourth metro line.

For more information on MaaS in Prague check the PID Lítačka website.