Product Strategist

2025-09-22T00:00+02:00·12 min

MaaS platforms, AI, modularity: rethinking public mobility through service

Introduction
New uses of mobility: expectations, behaviours and weak signals
Intelligent agents, connectivity and AI orchestration
A transformation method anchored in the field
Increased, responsive, accessible and localised mobility
Conclusion – Towards enhanced digital mobility

Introduction

The design of urban mobility policy is no longer based on a single approach or rigid ideal. Citizens themselves are expressing a clear desire for a flexible, balanced ecosystem that can be adapted to local realities. The results of recent surveys highlight this consensus: regardless of age, place of residence or political preferences, French people favour a sensible combination of modes of transport (public transport, cycling, private petrol or electric cars) rather than an exclusive choice.

Mobility is entering a new phase. Long thought of as a set of technical flows, it is now emerging as a comprehensive, sensitive and intelligently orchestrated experience. In this context, travellers' expectations are intensifying: speed, personalisation, consistency between channels, transparency of information and contextual accessibility.

This article offers an in-depth look at the fundamental dynamics shaping today's digital transformation of mobility. It addresses key contemporary issues such as user experience, distributed governance, service interoperability and intelligent interfaces, with a resolutely operational technological approach.

It draws on BeTomorrow's multidisciplinary expertise: artificial intelligence applied to business use cases, user-centred service design, robust and modular software architecture, API-first integration, and agile management of complex projects. Each section of the document illustrates how these technological and methodological building blocks come together to construct a truly actionable digital infrastructure, regardless of the size of the network, its level of maturity, or its territorial specificities.

New uses of mobility: expectations, behaviours and weak signals

What is changing are standards. Users expect useful, accessible information that is tailored to their transport context, regardless of the channel.

Mobility is being redefined by new behaviours. The public transport model designed as a series of operations (boarding, validating, alighting) is giving way to an enriched service experience. This transformation is already underway in many sectors. The standards established in e-commerce, banking services and content platforms are now becoming the implicit benchmark for all service environments. The field of mobility is no exception. It must adapt to these new reflexes.

Users want to know in advance, understand immediately, and receive appropriate assistance if they find themselves in an unusual situation. They expect a fluid, multi-channel, proactive relationship.

Three requirements structure this new grammar of usage:

Systemic immediacy: each request requires a clear response, in less than 3 seconds, without complexity or redundancy.
Dynamic relevance: alerts take into account the time, location, line, usual route, and offer consistent alternatives.
True omnichannel: information is accessible on all channels, in a form that is understandable and consistent with the context of use.

From the moment we wake up, mobility becomes part of our daily routines. Nearly 30% of French people consult a transport app within the first 15 minutes of their day¹. This figure highlights how digital solutions are no longer occasional aids, but organisational tools integrated into users' real-time schedules. The demand for immediacy is not based solely on response speed: it also concerns the timing of information delivery, its contextual accuracy, and its ability to provide effortless support.

This need for immediate relevance extends to the way users interact with services. 73% of users engage with multiple digital channels during a single journey, and 81% begin their interaction via a digital entry point². These figures illustrate a strong expectation: that information should be fluid, synchronised, always accessible and consistent across all available channels. In the field of mobility, this implies a profound transformation of service architectures: moving away from a siloed approach to designing truly continuous journeys, without disruption or redundancy.

Artificial intelligence reinforces this dynamic. It does not replace humans, but rather extends their intentions — making the experience more sensitive, proactive and contextualised. One-third of users have already used AI to plan a trip, and nearly half say they are willing to do so³. Furthermore, 40% of travellers say they have used an AI solution to organise a trip, an increase of 22 points in one year⁴. AI is becoming a concrete lever for engagement, assistance and intelligent orchestration of services.

These changes are converging towards a shared operational requirement: to build platforms capable of capturing, interpreting and responding to weak signals in real time, without increasing friction points. This means thinking of each point of contact not as an isolated interface, but as a possible entry point to a global, coherent and active system. Information becomes a service vector in its own right, directly linked to current needs, the user's situation and the capabilities of the network.

It is on this condition that digital mobility can move from being a functional tool to a framework of trust, comfort and understanding, in tune with uses, expectations and lifestyles.

System interoperability: a key driver for multimodal mobility

Each existing system is a potential building block in a more coherent ecosystem.

Today's transport networks have a fragmented digital ecosystem that is nonetheless rich in potential: passenger information systems, ticketing infrastructure, operational control tools and real-time databases. Together, these components form a powerful infrastructure. Interconnecting them within an orchestrated architecture creates new value: an integrated experience.

The ‘Backend for Frontend’ (BFF) approach optimises this interconnection by creating API layers specific to each user interface, thereby simplifying integration and improving the performance of front-end applications. Each channel (mobile application, website, widget, messaging, voice assistant) then benefits from an optimised structure, directly linked to network data.

The multimodal platform acts as a nerve centre. It ensures the aggregation, coordination and intelligent distribution of services via these adapted BFFs. This architecture enables unified governance of user journeys, without disruption or additional complexity, while facilitating the independent evolution of different user interfaces. It becomes a high-availability orchestration interface, capable of handling high volumes while maintaining the responsiveness essential for real-time information or sensitive interactions with users.

A useful platform structure:

Interactions: each request (timetable, route, ticket, tracking, alert) is captured, qualified and processed in context.
Data flows: real-time traffic, bike or parking availability, operating status.
Channels: mobile app, web interface, chatbot, messaging (WhatsApp, Messenger), interactive terminal, voice assistant.

Essential capabilities

API-first interoperability: each service is accessible via a standardised, documented, secure connector.
On demand modularity: components can be activated according to the needs of a specific territory, operator or situation.
Real-time management: the platform centralises interactions, measures performance and feeds decision-making tools.

The two MaaS cases developed by BeTomorrow:

TBM Mobilités in Bordeaux: a level 3 MaaS platform, integrating multimodal route calculation, ticket purchase and top-up, bike rental via mobile, with over 212 million API requests/month, 99.98% incident-free sessions, and a 4.5/5 rating on app stores.

BeTomorrow - Keolis Bordeaux Métropole - TBM — TBM ap for Keolis Bordeaux - Level 3 MaaS

Ilevia: gradual rollout of a Level 3 MaaS in the Lille metropolitan area, integrating a mobile application, real-time data, third-party services (parking, bicycles, P+R), smart mapping and contextualised services.

Ilevia - Keolis Lille — Ilevia - Level 3 MaaS for the Lille metropole

Intelligent agents, connectivity and AI orchestration

Conversational AI is becoming an operational interface for networks: it orchestrates systems and streamlines relations with passengers. Integrated into an open, API-first architecture, it ensures dynamic coordination between user needs and network capabilities, without dependence on any particular protocol.

Three structural pillars

Specialised agents: designed to respond to specific topics (traffic information, itineraries, complaint management, special timetables, event impact)
Contextualised interfaces: adapted to the channel (mobile, web, terminal, messaging), user profile (PRM, tourist, subscriber) and time (peak, night, weekend)
Deep connections: via API and MCP connectors, to access internal data (CRM, supervisor, real-time timetables, fare simulator)

A new generation of specialised solutions

Innovation in mobility is no longer just about visible interfaces: more user-friendly apps or smoother websites, but about the intelligence that drives interaction.

This is precisely ALLY's mission. As the first AI SaaS platform designed for mobility, ALLY is ushering in a generation of solutions that go beyond traditional calculators and interfaces to offer intelligent agents capable of understanding, contextualising and responding to the needs of both travellers and operators.

With ALLY, essential information such as route searches, disruptions, upcoming departures, fares and tomorrow's payments becomes accessible in natural language, in real time, across all digital channels.

An AI platform in service

ALLY is a comprehensive toolkit that can be activated immediately:

An API platform that transforms transport data (GTFS, SAE, CRM, ticketing, MaaS) into contextualised and secure responses.
Add-on modules based on specialised language models (LLMs) to enrich the experience (rephrasing, accessibility, voice, translation).
A mobility knowledge base, optimised for real-world use cases and industry business rules.

Simple and flexible implementation

ALLY has been designed to integrate quickly and easily, without any technical complications, thanks to concrete and complementary integration modes:

WebComponent: a lightweight, plug-and-play chatbot module for existing websites or apps.
ALLY mobile application: a white-label, turnkey and customisable app.
Instant messaging: WhatsApp, Messenger, etc. to reach users in their everyday lives.
Callbot: passenger information available by telephone, enhancing the accessibility and efficiency of customer service centres.
Integrated API: to add an AI overlay directly into existing systems (apps, websites, CRM).

These modules can be combined and activated on demand. A network can start with a lightweight channel (WebComponent) and then gradually expand with WhatsApp, a callbot or a complete application. This flexibility allows it to adapt to both networks that are already well equipped and those looking for a turnkey, ready-to-use solution.

The forefront of enhanced mobility

ALLY embodies an AI platform in service, designed to support the emergence of intelligent agents in mobility:

Agents capable of processing payments in the future,
Offering contextualised multimodal itineraries,
Explaining disruptions in plain language,
Adapting responses to the specific needs of travellers.

Value will no longer be created solely through interfaces, but through the ability to orchestrate services and data using intelligence. ALLY offers networks a ready-to-use, flexible and specialised foundation, paving the way for mobility that is more accessible, more fluid and better integrated into everyday digital uses.

A transformation method anchored in the field

The success of a digital mobility project depends not only on the technologies chosen, but also on the ability to align vision, usage and operational reality. The most effective approaches share three common traits:

They are cross-functional, mobilising all the necessary expertise.
They are fast, generating tangible results from the very first stages.
They are contextual, taking into account local specificities and existing constraints.

A successful transformation is based on a series of progressive phases, each aimed at maximising short-term value while preparing for long-term scalability:

Strategic alignment and business immersion

Understand political ambitions and operational constraints, analyse existing systems and identify major irritants on the user side. This step is all the more effective when carried out in collaboration with field teams and local stakeholders.

Exploration of use cases and service design

Model existing and target journeys, prioritise high-impact use cases that can be activated quickly, and design fluid and useful experiences adapted to real-world contexts.

Technical structuring and software architecture

Establish a robust, interoperable and modular foundation capable of seamlessly integrating with existing tools (CRM, GTFS-RT, calculators, ticketing, supervision, etc.). The goal: to activate a platform logic without necessarily rebuilding what already exists.

Iterative deployment and shared management

Test on a pilot scale, measure effectiveness, make rapid adjustments and continuously improve based on feedback from users and operators.

Generalisation, transmission and scalability

Gradually extend the service to the entire network or to several territories, train and equip internal teams, document processes and anticipate future developments.

This approach, which prioritises proof through use and concrete impact, is one that BeTomorrow has been applying for years in its digital transformation projects, including in the field of mobility. It is equally suited to organising authorities, operators and inter-territorial groupings.

Increased, responsive, accessible and localised mobility

Every interaction becomes an opportunity to create clarity, engagement and value.

Digital tools enable the development of a detailed service relationship. Local data, travel habits and user profiles become levers for continuous improvement of the experience.

Accessibility and inclusion: a structural priority

Thinking about enhanced mobility means designing services that cater to the real diversity of users. This involves moving away from a single approach to embrace a variety of situations, journeys, and physical, cognitive, technological, and linguistic abilities. Inclusion cannot be treated as an afterthought: it becomes a structural imperative of design and architecture.

In concrete terms, this means integrating accessibility standards from the very first sprints, designing smooth journeys for people with disabilities, making interfaces readable for audiences who are digitally excluded, and offering alternative modes of interaction (voice, touch, text, physical). It also means taking into account mobile usage in areas with poor coverage, the need for machine translation, and formats adapted for simplified reading (FALC).

By making passenger information understandable to everyone, regardless of their level of familiarity or the channel used, networks are strengthening their role as a public service. This work paves the way for a more sensitive, fairer and more effective relationship with users — one that is capable of supporting, explaining and guiding without ever excluding anyone.

Conclusion – Towards enhanced digital mobility

Enabling enhanced digital mobility means embarking on a fundamental shift:

transforming technical infrastructure into a lever for public service,
making digital technology accessible, human and anchored in local communities,
choosing modularity, inclusion and adaptability.

This means viewing technology not as an end in itself, but as an accelerator of what really matters: enabling everyone to get around more easily, understand their options, decide freely and participate in a society on the move.

This vision involves forging strong alliances: with business teams, users and local authorities. It is a collective, iterative effort that results in concrete, actionable solutions that can evolve over time.

The future of mobility will be played out at the intersection of data, usage and territory. It will require open infrastructure, interconnected systems, accessible interfaces and the ability to make bold decisions. More than a tool, it is a dynamic that needs to be driven forward: transforming constraints into opportunities, ideas into uses, and needs on the ground into services ready for deployment.

This dynamic is already at work, and it can only be a collective one. C’est dans cet esprit que BeTomorrow accompagne les acteurs publics et privés, en conjuguant expertise technique, design centré usager et culture du résultat.