La Fabrique des Mobilités Québec collaborates with ARTM (Autorité régionale des transports métropolitains), the transport regulatory body for the Greater Montreal region, as part of the Montréal en commun project. This collaboration aimed to innovate in mobility by focusing on the real needs of users, a crucial challenge for improving urban quality of life.
An Open Innovation Approach to Mobility
Our project was part of an open innovation approach, where the main goal was to contribute to the design and ideation of the development of an effective MaaS (mobility as a service) platform, tailored to real-life issues experienced by users in the field. To achieve this, we conducted a series of in-depth interviews with various user groups: remote workers, students, and other regular public transport users. These profiles are likely to adopt an innovation most readily. The idea was to delve into their daily lives to understand their travel habits and expectations towards mobility services, particularly their use of active and collective transport. For example, we discussed the issue of multimodality (using multiple modes of transport from the starting point to the destination), its challenges, benefits, and potential improvements in the territory.
Useful and Concrete Results
These interviews were a goldmine of information. For instance, they revealed that workers primarily highlighted operational issues in their commutes (delays and disruptions, frequency, reliability, etc.), while students were more sensitive to social aspects than other profiles interviewed (high traffic, feelings of insecurity, incivilities). Regardless of the profile, variations were also observed in the importance of a problem depending on the user’s residential area (A, B, or C). These nuances provided support for ARTM to adjust and customize the offerings of the future MaaS platform.
In a second phase, we used the same approach to highlight specific issues for cyclists in Montreal. The results of this study have been published and a report is available for download on our website.
A Replicable Experimentation Model
This collaboration between FabMob and ARTM demonstrates how a user-centered approach can lead to more suitable and effective mobility solutions. By focusing on the real needs of citizens, we contributed to shaping a vision of urban mobility that is more sustainable and inclusive for Montreal.
If you are a transport operator or a stakeholder looking to explore a mobility issue to develop innovative solutions in this field, contact us. We would be delighted to discuss how we can work together to develop innovative mobility solutions tailored to the specific needs of your community.