Institute of Transportation, MOTC

• Date：2024-01-18
• Update：2024-02-02
• Department：Transportation Technology and Information Division

       The Institute of Transportation, MOTC (IoT) hosted the APEC Conference on Exploring the New Age for Mobility Integration (second international forum) at the Grand Hi-Lai Hotel in Kaohsiung on January 18 and 19. The forum was proposed by the IoT, which represents Taiwan in the Intermodal and Intelligent Transportation Systems Experts Group, (IIEG) of the APEC Transportation Working Group (TPTWG). APEC members including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam were among those invited. In addition, the Women in Transport Taskforce (WIT), ERTICO-ITS, The Center for Disabilities Research and Capacity Development (DRD), Shared Mobility Center, ITS Taiwan, EasyCard Corporation, and other domestic and foreign Mobility as a Service (MAAS) related governmental agencies, experts, scholars, and industrial representatives attended the conference to discuss challenges and visions for promoting cross-domain cooperation in MaaS and providing inclusive services. This forum was conducted via virtual and physical integration. Following the pandemic, 36 (including online) foreign and 25 domestic industry-government-university-academic experts and representatives from Taiwan held in-depth exchanges and discussions. The American Institute in Taiwan, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office, the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei, the Thailand Trade and Economic Office, and other offices in Taipei all participated in the grand undertaking.

       Mobility as a Service (MaaS) refers to the integration of a variety of transportation services through a single platform to provide mobility convenience. To promote post-pandemic cross-border mobility within the APEC region, the first day of the forum featured a discussion of “MaaS cross-domain cooperation-people-oriented services and industrial value”. The sharing session discussed the current situations, challenges, and best practices for establishing a MaaS ecological system by the European Union and APEC members. This was to gain insight into how to use user-friendly services and core industrial value to determine the best cross-domain cooperation model. The second day of the forum focused on “The importance and challenges of MaaS inclusiveness services,” which included the inclusive service potential challenges, and focuses of providing MaaS to women, residents from remote towns, people with physical disabilities, and other disadvantaged groups. Furthermore, the forum provided an opportunity for foreign guests to visit the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit Control Center (smart transportation center), Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal, and Kaohsiung Public Library, as well as engaged in technological and cultural visits. In addition to understanding Taiwan’s outstanding results in the application of smart transportation technology to improve passenger service quality, they also experienced seamless transportation services, such as e-buses, light rail, and YouBike, and the convenience they could provide.

        According to the IoT, the forum gathered APEC members as well as domestic and foreign industry-government-university-academia expertise to enjoy experience from the field of Mobility as a Service (MaaS). It is hoped that they will inject novel creativity and motivation into the development of the MaaS ecological system in the APEC region, cross-border linkage, and the use of MaaS to provide high-quality inclusive services.

Photo 1      Secretary-general Chen Chi-Hua The APEC Transportation Working Group (TPTWG) HOD in a group photo with guests

Photo 2    Photograph of the meeting in session