How Autonomy Completes the MaaS Vision

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What is MaaS, and how is it changing public transportation?

Over the past decade, cities have moved from fragmented transport systems to integrated, user-centric networks. Instead of juggling bus tickets, ride-hailing apps, and schedules, passengers can now plan, book, and pay for multimodal trips through a single digital platform. This approach, known as Mobility as a Service (MaaS), is reshaping how we think about accessibility, data, and efficiency in public transit.

According to MDPI (2025), MaaS replaces static, mode-specific operations with adaptive, data-driven systems that respond in real time to passenger demand. By aligning multiple modes on one platform, it helps cities reduce congestion and emissions while improving convenience. As this ecosystem evolves, one key question remains: how can cities ensure that autonomy strengthens, rather than fragments, this new era of connected mobility?

🚏 Expanding Reach Through Autonomy

When paired with autonomy, MaaS becomes more than a planning tool. It becomes an operational advantage. Autonomous shuttles bridge the first and last mile, linking main transit corridors with neighborhoods, business parks, and campuses that traditional buses cannot serve. This article from MDPI (2025) emphasizes that this integration enables more inclusive and efficient mobility networks.

The German city of Monheim am Rhein offers a glimpse of what an efficient MaaS system looks like in practice. Since 2020, autonomous shuttles have been part of Monheim’s public transport system, running a fixed route through the pedestrian-only old town. A 2024 case study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) found that the service improved access for older residents and people with limited mobility by connecting residential areas to key destinations such as shops, medical centers, and the central bus interchange. Passenger data also showed that many users combined the shuttle with Monheim’s main bus lines rather than using it as a replacement, leading to a measurable increase in overall public transport ridership.

What began as an experiment is now a regular part of the network, showing how small autonomous vehicles can extend coverage and strengthen multimodal connectivity.

⚙️ From Pilots to Real Transit

While progress is visible, scaling up remains difficult. For example, this 2025 MDPI study identified persistent barriers such as safety validation, regulatory uncertainty, and operational reliability. Riders must trust autonomous systems before they become mainstream, and agencies need long-term data to justify investment.

The Sustainable Bus (2024) industry overview reported more than 150 autonomous shuttle pilots worldwide, yet most still operate on short, low-speed routes. Many are limited not by technology but by regulation, funding, and business-case maturity. Still, momentum is building. Hamburg’s “ALIKE” project, for example, aims to deploy up to 10,000 autonomous shuttles by 2030, integrating them directly into the public network.

🌱 Beyond Convenience: Rethinking MaaS

While the Monheim example showed what is possible when MaaS and autonomy are designed to strengthen, not replace, public transport, most systems around the world have struggled to achieve the same results.

MaaS is often viewed as the key to cleaner and more sustainable cities, but new research suggests that convenience alone does not guarantee environmental benefits. A Frontiers in Sustainable Cities (2025) systematic review of 85 studies found that while users appreciate MaaS for its simplicity and affordability, it often replaces bus or bike trips rather than reducing car use. When car-based services are included, total driving can even increase, since many users turn to MaaS-based car services because they are easier to book.

That is why design matters. For MaaS to deliver real environmental benefits, it must guide users toward low-emission options through integrated pricing, accessibility, and smart planning.

This is also where autonomy makes a real difference. Autonomous shuttles and buses can fill the gaps in public transport by serving areas where regular buses do not go, operating during off-peak hours, and connecting neighborhoods to major routes. By making shared mobility more flexible and reliable, autonomy turns MaaS from a convenient app into a system that truly supports sustainable, connected transportation.

🧭 The Path Forward: Integration That Works

To deliver on the promise of MaaS and autonomy, cities and operators must move beyond experimentation and design systems that truly work together. Technology alone is not enough. Without clear governance, even the most advanced platforms risk adding traffic instead of reducing it.

According to World Economic Forum (2024) policy framework, innovation must be guided by policy. Cities should establish data-sharing standards, align private operations with public goals, and ensure that autonomous shuttles complement rather than compete with existing transit.

In practice, this requires long-term collaboration between mobility providers, municipalities, and technology developers, all working toward a single goal: creating integrated networks that are efficient, equitable, and sustainable.

🚍 Imagry: Powering Real-World Integration

At Imagry Autonomous Buses, we believe that autonomy should not exist in isolation. It should serve as the connective tissue of modern mobility systems, linking buses, shuttles, and city infrastructure into one responsive network.

Our HD-mapless, camera-based AI interprets the road in real time, allowing vehicles to adapt instantly to changes without relying on costly pre-mapped data or external connectivity. This flexibility makes true integration possible, whether in a dense urban center or a dynamic suburban environment.

By removing the dependence on maps, servers, and constant updates, Imagry | Autonomous Driving technology reduces the operational barriers that have slowed down many autonomous and MaaS deployments. It enables cities to scale services faster, operate more efficiently, and deliver consistent reliability across fleets.

The result is autonomy designed not just for controlled pilots, but for real-world, everyday mobility — the kind that complements public transport, expands access, and helps cities move toward the connected, sustainable future MaaS was always meant to achieve.

Autonomous Mobility Video Spotlight

Watch this video to see how Imagry software is promoting autonomous bus projects in mixed traffic on public roads.

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If that sounds like you, we’d love to meet you.

See our open positions here.

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