"Mobility as a Service" on the smartphone

The timetable change has brought some innovations. Eastern Switzerland is one of the beneficiaries of new train connections. The SOB, which has strong roots in this region, is not stingy with new ideas in other areas either, such as the "Abilio" app.

Mr. Küchler, what is the vision of Abilio?
Thomas Küchler: The vision is "Mobility as a Service." The idea behind it: To virtually combine today's numerous mobility providers in such a way that the customer receives the best solution from all modes of transport for his travel planning. And that's not all: other services from tourism, gastronomy, cinemas, indoor swimming pools, events, etc. will be gradually added. In short, Abilio is a digital marketplace that combines and optimizes mobility services with other services virtually on the mobile phone.

Who is the app aimed at?
Mobility follows three parameters, namely the change in values in society, the change in the service sector in the light of digitalisation and the change in transport itself. Interest in Abilio will therefore be greatest in urban areas. Abilio is convenient and easy to use.

And where did the idea come from?
The whole thing has its own development story. Firstly, we noticed that customers are increasingly moving into digital channels, but we ourselves do not yet have them. Simply creating a digital ticket was not enough for us. So we came up with the idea of a digital travel companion. The contactless ticket "Easy Rider" was a second approach in talks with the SBB. However, they did not want to pursue this further and launched the Swiss Pass instead. And, thirdly, three years ago we had a discussion with representatives of Siemens. We offered ourselves as a development platform. Siemens soon made us the proposal to combine the philosophy "Be in, be out" with a ticket. That's when it clicked for the strategy "Push into digital channels as a travel companion, using Big and Smart Data technology". The "Mobility as a Service" strategy was born. In the project tender, Siemens was able to prevail over two other providers.

The SOB as a door opener?
Yes, the SOB took the first step. The whole thing was an intellectually driven process, always accompanied by an assessment of the economic possibilities and, above all, the interests of other areas. The telecoms industry and the IT industry have a great affinity with the subject. The opening was threefold: on the level of our customers, on the level of our partners with their services, and on the level of the group that wants to use the platform data to serve its customers. The first major success has been achieved: TCS Switzerland has jumped on board and offers not only public transport services, but also taxis, parking spaces, etc. This is in our interests. That is in our interest. We are also in contact with insurance companies and partners in the tourism sector, etc.

What is the division of labor between SOB and Siemens?
The project creates a win-win situation for both SOB and Siemens. Siemens made the upfront investment. The SOB buys the service from the Siemens platform and designs the branding, web shop and appearance of the app. We take care of the business part, are responsible for partner management, for setting up the service with the customers, for customer service, and so on. Siemens is responsible for the technical development and operation. That's what we charge Siemens for. Siemens is one of the few suppliers of an integrated overall system for mobility. This is arousing international interest, for example from the Hamburg Transport Association.

What is the role of the other partners involved?
The joining partners always move on two levels. There are partners who bring their own services directly into the system, and those who also want to make the service available to their customers. Our concept is designed as a digital marketplace where the connected partners can handle their business independently. The partners have to negotiate the conditions among themselves. The rights to use the platform are therefore open to all. This is completely different from today's booking platforms, because we do not dictate how the partners should run their business. The advantage: even smaller partners remain self-determined.

What triggered Abilio in terms of processes at SOB?
As a railway company, we operate at a high level in terms of processes and digitally "by design". Something else was triggered. We realized that Abilio could not be implemented in the existing organizational structure, because this kind of thinking is not compatible with day-to-day business. That's why the project group was given a lot of room to maneuver and reported directly to the CEO. The strategic level is also covered by an SOB/Siemens steering committee.

What is the project status?
The app is live. It delivers public transport tickets throughout the Swiss network. The web shop itself is also available. Since the beginning of 2018, a new partner, TCS Switzerland, has been integrated with its own app. This brings new impetus. A multimodal router will be integrated, not just covering walking and public transport, but also connections by car, bike and air. And more new partners are just around the corner.

How's that for privacy?
The data protection concept is designed completely differently to our competitors. We do not share customer data, we only use it for technical purposes. When the account is deleted, we are obliged to delete all data. We only use anonymous transaction data analytically. For example, our solution works for "be in, be out" between the vehicle used and the mobile phone. Other solutions, however, use GPS data. In this case, anonymity is not guaranteed.

Are there similar projects elsewhere?
As I said, "Mobility as a Service" is getting attention in Europe. The city of Vienna took up the topic very early. MAAS Helsinki is also very far advanced in its development. One thing is certain: mobility as a business model is attractive. We've even received inquiries from Finland. Siemens has also been awarded a contract by the Hamburg Transport Authority to introduce "Be in, be out". The SOB is moving forward very consistently as a company and is also implementing the topic in business terms. Remarkably, even start-ups, spin-offs and others recognize our platform as a catalyst for their ideas. This is inspiring.

Is Abilio changing the SOB in any way?
Sure. At the strategic level, this project has taken us far beyond the rail business. From now on, we see ourselves more and more as a mobility company that provides rail services at its core, but also other types of mobility services - either produced by ourselves or made available to customers as a service in conjunction with third parties. We will also reflect this in our organisation. We are moving our company in the direction of mobility, regardless of where this mobility takes place, whether in public or private transport. Abilio gives us the drive to realign SOB as a company.