Waverley APP- Hyperlocal MaaS Solution

Waverley APP- Hyperlocal MaaS Solution

One of the goals of Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) is to provide a seamless door-to-door travel experience for the customers. The idea was to have an innovative integrated travel companion not only for main transport routes but also for the customer’s specific needs.

Mobility-as-a-Service solution for New South Wales

In 2019, TfNSW’s Transport Digital Accelerator launched the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) Innovation Challenge. It aligns with the vision of TfNSW to offer optimal mobility solutions needed by customers as an alternative to private car ownership.

The MaaS Challenge aims to address the following transport key issues:

  • Population increase
  • Constrained capacity
  • Increasing future demand
  • Last-Mile connectivity
  • Transit options
  • Need to maximise multi-modal options including active transport

Five participants were selected to join the trials and pilot testing of the application of MaaS.  Several issues were identified during the process. These issues were included in the post-trial evaluation. The evaluation was taken into consideration when they launched the Waverley Transport Innovation Challenge in 2020.

Some challenges learned from the previous Challenge are the following:

  • Commercial sustainability of the business model for both MaaS operators and MaaS apps
  • Data sharing and privacy concerns
  • Greater awareness of the customers of the transport options and MaaS system.

Waverley Transport Innovation Challenge 2020

It focuses on the application of Mobility-as-a-Service specifically in Waverley Council’s jurisdiction. One unique approach in Waverley Transport Innovation Challenge is the inclusion of kerbside management. It is the management of pedestrian lanes and parking lanes. It aims to ease traffic congestion and at the same time ensure the welfare of road users within the Waverley Council Local Government Area (LGA).

Waverly Council

According to the census of 2019, Waverly council has a population of 74,300. It is expected to grow to 82,000 by 2021.As more people are moving into the Waverley Local Government Area, traffic congestion and parking are major concerns of the residents.

Such scenarios made the Waverley Local Government Area (LGA) recognise the emergence of new but unregulated shared modes of transportation. During the Strategic Planning and Development Committee Meeting in December 2019,  the Council and the Smart Cities Transport and Parking Initiative come up with the plan. It is to integrate and regulate the shared transport operation into public domain management. They also want to provide the provision of Pick Up Drop Off (PUDO) bays.

Their intention is to give better access to public transport and other destinations. The end-goal is to improve safety and provide convenience for the community.  The project enables the aspect of managing services while sharing data and use it on street bays. It was supported by the Waverley Council and Transport for NSW. March 2020 when the Council approved the 10 drop-offs/pick-up bays (PUDO Bays). The location was in Bondi Junction and Bondi Beach.  Among the 10 targets for PUDO bays, nine has been installed. Bondi Beach area has six PUDO bays while Bondi Junction has three.The 10th bay has been deferred until the Bondi Junction cycleway works along Bronte Road are completed. The target is to install the 10th PUDO bay on the western side of Bronte Road. It was between Spring Street and Ebley Street. Prior to the installation of PUDO Bays, Waverley Transport Innovation Challenge was launched. The system plans to use a smartphone software app to achieve efficiency, accessibility and added choices within the transport network of the Council including the provision of PUDO bays.

Waverley Transport ― Multimodal Trip Planning App

Smart Cities Transport (SCT) joined the Challenge.  We created the Waverley Transport app as a hyperlocal MaaS solution that provides multimodal journey options for customers to have a seamless travel experience. It is customised for the Waverley Council area. The main objectives are easing traffic congestion and reducing parking demand.We use the following data from TfNSW OpenData Hub and Developer Portal for configuration:

Specifically, the Waverley Transport app was developed in response to the Waverley Transport Innovation Challenge. Our solution is a customer-facing MaaS app (iOS, Android, and mobile web) that:

  • encourages the use of designated safe pick-up/drop-off zones,
  • enables multimodal trip planning that will increase transport options for customers,
  • integrates both public transport and privately owned shared transport service providers,
  • provides safe and continuous routes for prams, wheelchairs, and children on bicycles,
  • provides a range of journey options for a defined trip that includes total journey route, cost, and time,
  • calculates driving, cycling, and walking directions to the final destination including where a trip contains multiple segments and modes, and
  • provides electric vehicle (EV) charging points within a journey plan.

Improves Customer Experience:

Our solution improves the customer experience by combining data sources that are relevant for Waverley Council with an interface similar to Google’s Maps app, which customers are familiar with for trip-planning.

Innovative Software Solution

Our solution is unique as it is hyperlocal for Waverley Council and innovative as it provides journey options not available in other solutions.

Technically Feasible and Commercially Sustainable

Waverley app will be free in the Apple App Store and Google Play, and the mobile web version will be openly accessible.  A freemium model may be used in the future, to support features like turn-by-turn navigation or one-click bookings. We can also offer data intelligence services as an optional add-on.We can also white-label the solution for other Councils.The Waverley App is already available. It leverages the TripGo API and will supplement it with additional data, similar to RACV’s Arevo MaaS app.

Multiple Transport Modes

The Waverley App integrates with multiple transport modes.  The same modes as the TripGo API such as:

  • Pedestrians and Active Transport
  • Walking
  • Wheelchairs
  • Bicycles
  • Public Transport
  • Buses
  • Trains
  • Ferries
  • Light Rail
  • Taxis
  • School Buses
  • Shuttle Buses
  • Private Vehicles
  • Cars
  • Motorcycles

Hyperlocal Mobility-as-a-Service Software Solution

The Waverley app won as one of the runner ups during the Waverley Transportation Innovation Challenge. The app is continually being developed by Smart Cities Transport (SCT)  and can be customised based on the needs of both public and private sectors and also for the transport sectors and organizations. The Waverley Council are also currently working on the implementation of the MaaS system in their jurisdiction.