Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and beyond to Mobility as a Feature (MaaF)

Speakers: Professor David Hensher AM and Dr Peter Scarth

Professor David A. Hensher AM PhD FASSA is a distinguished transport economist and the Founding Director of the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS) at the University of Sydney. Internationally recognised for pioneering contributions to discrete choice modelling, stated preference methods, economic valuation, and travel behaviour analysis, his work has profoundly influenced transport policy and infrastructure planning. With over 82,000 citations and 755 publications, Professor Hensher ranks among the most cited economists globally. His leadership has elevated ITLS to ERA Level 5 status, “well above world standard.” In 2023, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to transport research. Recipient of numerous awards including the 2009 IATBR (International Association of Travel Behaviour Research) Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition for his long-standing and exceptional contribution to IATBR as well as to the wider travel behaviour community. David in 2025 is ranked #1 globally for scientists in transport and logistics and #1 in 2025 in Public Transport. He was an early pioneer of MaaS and developer of MaaF.

Dr Peter Scarth is a spatial scientist who pioneered the application of AI and spatial data in land management. With a PhD and an Adjunct Associate Professorship at The University of Queensland, Peter blended his academic work with hands-on experience as a former jackaroo and timber harvester. This unique background helped him develop the fractional cover model, a vital tool for land condition monitoring nationally. As a co-founder and Director of Cibo Labs, he translates decades of research into practical models that provide farmers with intelligence on forage availability and land health, supporting sustainable and profitable practices. He is also a Director at Ozius, where he leads AI and Big Data efforts to create rigorous models that map dynamic changes in global vegetation structure and condition. Peter is focused on the future: integrating AI and predictive analytics to solve the "wicked problems" of land management and revolutionise the ag-tech industry globally.

Description:

This talk explains what the initial Mobility as a Service (MaaS) idea was and how we have progressed with trying to find a way forward that aligns with a business model and how it might change travel behaviour to achieve a range of sustainability goals. Disappointingly the ecosystem focussed on multi-modalism has to date failed to deliver and we have looked for new ways of seeing is there is ecosystem that may make a rebadged MaaS a worthwhile activity - which we call Mobility as a Feature (MaaF) with embedded multi-service and non-mobility service providers. We sketch out the next generation plan.

When: 11 November 2025

Time: 6:30 – 7:30 pm AEST   Please note the 6:30 pm start

           7:30 – 8:30 pm AEDT 

Location: Zoom Only

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This event may be recorded. If you have any questions, please email us at info@rgsq.org.au