Geospatial Commission awards project to TravelSpirit and Iconic Blockchain to explore net-zero carbon logistics solutions for Canterbury and Stratford Upon Avon.

With the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating a trend towards home-working and online shopping, in excess of 2.5 billion parcels were delivered across the UK over 2020. 25% of the UK population stating that they will now continue with their new online shopping behaviour, even when things return to normal.

Therefore, e-commerce and home deliveries are set to continue to grow beyond a current 30% share of total retail expenditure. At the same time, the customer experience of delivery services can be below our expectations, and not as convenient as we thought. Some are also debating whether online shopping is a ‘greener’ choice than driving to the shops.

For this reason, the UK Government Cabinet Office Geospatial Commission has funded a research study to understand the opportunity to create an integrated local mobility hub for parcel and food deliveries in market towns, such as Whitstable, Canterbury, Stratford-upon-Avon, Leighton Buzzard and Buxton.

A proposed hub for each town would be served by a fleet of electric vans and electrically powered bicycles designed for couriers (known as e-cargo bikes) and enable a more efficient system for organising the deliveries of goods to your home. This could include goods you have ordered online, by telephone, or in-store for home delivery.

In practice this would require national parcel carrier firms to drop off their parcels at the hub, for automatic sorting and assignment to local courier delivery schedules. It is hoped that home deliveries can be arranged in a way that generates less pollution, reduced traffic and improves the experience of consumers and suppliers alike.

To achieve this, TravelSpirit and Iconic Blockchain have combined forces, under ‘Damascus Mile’ to research both the technology and real-world impact opportunities for fusing blockchain and Galileo satellite technologies together to allow the parcels to be tracked and consolidated in a secure, transparent and auditable way.

Blockchain technology and its Smart Contract capabilities is already well- established as a promising solution for governments and the supply-chain; to enable shared business processes that require high levels of trust, transparency and accountability. This includes major government backed programs by the EU, US, India and China.

The Galileo program is Europe’s initiative for a state-of-the-art global satellite navigation system (GNSS), providing a highly accurate, guaranteed global positioning service under civilian control and the first to offer authenticated navigation messages to all civilian users in the world. The program also provides higher levels of accuracy and authentication for commercial applications.

To research and validate the business and operational model for the local hub and deliveries, Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council and Canterbury City Council have lent their support to act as case-studies for the research, as part of their wider agenda’s to develop net-zero carbon plans.

Janet Godsell, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy at WMG University of Warwick is providing expert advice to the project. She said “This is an important piece of research. It has strong alignment with the government’s Green Industrial Revolution strategy and could have a widespread positive impact on many UK towns outside the larger metropolitan cities.”

Stratford and Canterbury will also be the focus of our ‘user research’, to better understand the needs and service value propositions for residents and businesses receiving the parcels, local courier drivers and retailers offering a home delivery option to their customers.

The role of E-Bikes for the Recovery from Stroke – Whitepaper 9

New and innovative approaches are needed to overcome the barriers to engaging people in physical and leisure activity after stroke. Outdoor cycling, including the use of adapted or electric bicycles, may be one approach. However, perceptions of stroke survivors on this topic have not yet been explored.

To explore a sample of stroke survivors’ perspectives, who expressed an interest in cycling, about cycling and the use of electric bicycles, data was collected from 21 stroke survivors, seven of whom were current cyclists. 

Our Whitepaper, authored by the University of Central Lancashire, and in full support of the work of our community member, Disability Cycling Charity EMpowered people, concludes that outdoor cycling may be a worthwhile approach to increasing physical and leisure activity after stroke. However, barriers still exist and need to be addressed to provide inclusive opportunities for adapted and electric cycling for stroke survivors.

EMpowered people is a registered charity and a member of the TravelSpirit community. Their aim is to enable all adults with disabilities, from all backgrounds, to improve their health and wellbeing through cycling.

This Whitepaper is the outcome of an Industrial Call for Collaborative Research, initiated by TravelSpirit’s Electric Bike Research Executive (EBRE), via the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Infrastructure (NOCRI).

Download Whitepaper 9

Read more about the Electric Bike Research Executive (EBRE)  

An Open Future for Cities – Whitepaper 8

Preparing cities for the necessary transformation and organisational changes needed for an open future

In the midst of the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, the UK’s TravelSpirit Foundation Executive team organised an Open Mobility Conference in Brussels, April 2019, to spearhead long overdue public and corporate policy developments for a new open paradigm for city transportation.

As a follow-up action to the conference, this white paper establishes TravelSpirit’s global position around openness in mobility, and the impact this could have on shaping the new mobility frontier.

In this paper, we place emphasis on drawing upon voices from diverse aspects of our city transport ecosystem, with the key purpose of encouraging further debate, and a call to action for building an open eco-system, open protocols and developing a global strategy for openness in cities.

Download Whitepaper 8

Read our online case studies on Open Mobility

TravelSpirit champions open transportation protocols for Europe

In launching TravelSpirit Europe – which will include the UK, Switzerland and other non-EU countries – TravelSpirit Foundation is calling for a new approach to the strategic interplay between transport and technology that focuses on achieving system interoperability, data portability and seamless outcomes for people and goods on the move.

With support from industry, including our strategic partnership with Europe’s Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Alliance, TravelSpirit Europe will curate an open ecosystem of cities, disruptive thinkers, tech firms and transport operators – drawn from all transport sectors.

James Gleave, Executive Director of TravelSpirit Foundation

It will act as an investment and common infrastructure platform to develop the necessary open protocols and encourage open technology development by its ecosystem, to common MaaS industry standards . This will ensure seamless handover across borders and across various modes – including automotive, airlines, public transport and sharing economy / new mobility services.

In this way, the strategic goal of TravelSpirit Europe will be to enable the faster scaling up of innovative service solutions – many of which emerging from European start-up hotspots in Helsinki, Barcelona, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin – for enabling more efficient cross border movements and trade.

Stefano Mainero, Regional Chair of TravelSpirit Europe

TravelSpirit Europe will formally launch on 11th April 2019, in Brussels at Open Mobility Conference 2019 – the world’s first open ecosystem development event for the future of mobility. This event is being supported by a range of organisations, including the International Air Transport Association (IATA), SGInnovate (Singapore), Autonomy & the Urban Mobility Summit, the City of Antwerp and Europcar Mobility Group.

Cross border movements will be a theme for one of our workshop sessions, co-facilitated by Iconic Blockchain CTO and Global Chair of TravelSpirit Foundation, Simon Herko (aka Si Ho) and Chairman of the Share & Charge Foundation, Dietrich Sümmermann.

New partnership to foster an open ecosystem for Mobility as a Service

TravelSpirit Foundation and MaaS Alliance have formed a partnership to undertake collaborative work of technologists, operators, and innovators to develop an open ecosystem for Mobility as a Service (MaaS).

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed recently, TravelSpirit and MaaS Alliance will share knowledge and best practices on enabling the development of open source technologies, including blockchain, that will underpin MaaS, and empowering the communities that deliver them.

The two organisations will also collaborate on thought leadership in this field, building upon the industry-leading work of both parties. They are also looking to empower and bring together a global community of MaaS implementers, which will be unique in its ambition.

Both organisations are already established as thought leaders in MaaS. TravelSpirit Foundation has built a global network of activists, innovators, technologists, policy makers, and mobility providers. TravelSpirit is a leading organisation in championing an Open Internet of Mobility, and advocating transformative technologies such as blockchain on transportation business models and infrastructure. Its recent publications include papers on blockchain-enabled Decentralised MaaS (with Transport Systems Catapult) and on the TSio Protocol (with Iconic Blockchain).

“TravelSpirit has stated from the start that the new world of Mobility as a Service needs to be open if it is to reach its potential.” Giles Bailey, CEO of TravelSpirit said. “Signing this partnership agreement with the MaaS Alliance is a real boost in facilitating the collaboration needed to make this happen. I look forward to working with them!”

“The MaaS Alliance will collaborate with TravelSpirit to create a well-functioning basis for the MaaS ecosystem and preconditions for fast and wide roll-out of Mobility as a Service. The partnership very much supports the goals of the MaaS Alliance, and I anticipate that this collaboration will be widely beneficial for everyone involved” said Jacob Bangsgaard, the President of the MaaS Alliance.

For more information contact:

Beate Kubitz: beate.kubitz@damascusmile.com | +44 (0) 7974 369240

Notes

The TravelSpirit Foundation was established in Manchester, UK, in 2016 to provide an open framework to ensure that new integrated mobility services are environmentally sound, socially useful and universally accessible. Our vision is underpinned by four core values of universality, open innovation, global community and local benefit.

The Open Internet of Mobility (IoM) is a framework for enabling MaaS integration for all mobility service providers and users anywhere in the world, opening the mobility service marketplace, democratising access between users and service providers, and integrating new mobility services with existing transport infrastructure. The IoM framework will help realise the full social and economic benefits of transport-technology, such as MaaS Apps, Autonomous Vehicles, 5G connectivity and Blockchain.

Oral Evidence: UK Transport Committee Inquiry into Mobility as a Service

Click here for full transcript and to watch the session on video.

This was a 2 hour engaging dialogue between the Transport Committee and expert panel members, Paul Campion, Chief Executive, Transport Systems Catapult, Si Ho, Global Chair of the TravelSpirit Foundation, Professor Maria Kamargianni, Head of Urban and Energy Lab, UCL Energy Institute and TravelSpirit UK Board member, and Piia Karjalainen, Senior Manager, MaaS Alliance. The session was chaired by Lilian Greenwood MP for Nottingham, supported by commitee members Paul Girvan MP for County Antrim, Graham Morris MP for Easington, Luke Pollard MP for Plymouth, Graham Stringer MP for Greater Manchester and Iain Stewart MP for Milton Keynes.

The oral evidence covered definitions of MaaS, comparisons with the activities of tech companies such as Uber and Google, what economic and environmental benefits it could bring to the UK, barriers to implementation and the differences between a open and closed MaaS system, what role central government could/should play and to what extent MaaS was relevant outside the London capital and the potential for unintended consequences, including exclusion of vulnerable groups. TravelSpirit championed the role of government to leading on a new “Open Mobility” framework that focussed on interoperability and customer data portability and to consider on the positive benefits MaaS could bring to young people and air quality issues in the UK regions outside of London.

Transport Blockchain Protocol Announces Information Event

Transport blockchain protocol, TSio Protocol, will launch its white paper at an information event held by London based solicitors, Mills and Reeve, on 28 February, 1200-1500.

The event will outline the TSio Protocol approach to blockchain-enabled secure, transparent and efficient integration of multiple transport operators, and the opportunities this will provide.

The TSio Protocol will provide fair and open market access with smart contract mechanisms in order to enforce agreements between the travelling consumer and transport provider.

Si Ho (Founder of TSio Protocol and Chair of TravelSpirit Foundation)

The event will showcase the framework set up by the partners in the project and invite participation and support from the wider transport community.

Blockchain, the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence technologies are now stepping towards a level of maturity ready to offer the transport industry, in combination with existing Web technologies, a universal, secure and scalable platform.

Sir Nic Cary  (Chair of TravelSpirit UK)

TSio Community members include early adopters MyDex, an identity and consent management platform, MyLoop, a wearable technology for public transit and GoMetro, a private shuttle service and public transit planning platform.

Without efficient, secure and convenient universal interoperability, that can provide transport consumers a single mobility account, we believe the integrated transport market opportunity is unlikely to reach what should be its full potential.

Justin Coetzee (CEO – GoMetro)

Register Now!

For more information about TSio Protocol visit TSio

Whitepaper 6: TSio Protocol: The Internet of Mobility

Integrated, seamless, secure and roaming mobility infrastructure for connected people and cars.

This Paper anticipates an emerging trend for integration of transport services, representing a $1 trillion per annum market concept called Mobility as a Service (MaaS). Rather than having to locate, book, and pay for each mode of transportation separately, MaaS will enable seamless planning, booking and itinerary management of door-to-door trips, wherever in the world you are.

It argues that services will remain constrained and delivered in silos, without a common rule set and governing framework. This framework will be implemented in a common machine-readable schema, with accompanying behavioural guidance, to govern interoperability between transport modes and across regional and international borders – the Internet of Mobility. It then proposes such a framework and advocates the development of TSio Protocol as a first step, by delivering seamless, secure and roaming global mobility account infrastructure for consumers and vehicles, using Blockchain & IoT technologies.

Continue reading “Whitepaper 6: TSio Protocol: The Internet of Mobility”

Whitepaper 3: Autonomy: The role of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in Public Transportation and Urban Mobility for Cities

A range of autonomous vehicles (AVs), enabled by Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI), are necessary for the evolution of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) as a global resource.

This white paper sets out our initial position and frames the debate around developments in autonomous mobility and how it can shape the new mobility frontier. It identifies concerns about autonomous transport solutions being developed by technologists, without a broader public policy framework. We highlight the risks that this direction of business development poses and how technology-driven innovation may present a serious threat to the vitality of our society.

Continue reading “Whitepaper 3: Autonomy: The role of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in Public Transportation and Urban Mobility for Cities”