Five Questions with Andy Taylor, Director, Urban Mobility, Mastercard

We caught up with Andy Taylor, Director, Urban Mobility, Mastercard to hear what’s top of mind for transit innovation as we head into Transport Ticketing Global in London this week.

1.What is the biggest challenge facing transit operators in their efforts to serve customers?

Ridership is still very low, and this has a direct impact on operational budgets. Services have been decimated and they’re struggling to rationalize the public need to provide mobility services with the need to balance the books. At this time, they are looking at ways of providing services and functions people want to use, against the cost of operation.

New solutions and services may reduce the cost of operation, but do they fulfil the public good? It’s a risk that some agencies are taking by embracing new mobility modes or new payment solutions, but others are risk-averse and will wait and see the outcomes of other agencies’ forays into these new markets.

2.What trends are shaping up to make the biggest impact to urban mobility this year?

As the desire to engage with people in person increases, ridership is slowly coming back as working from home is balanced with face-to-face and in office interactions. From a business and social perspective this drives the need to have strong, reliable mobility options.

We’re seeing a marked increase in the return to taxi services, and positively, an increase in the use of public transport by the occasional riders. This will be a slow evolution, but it’s a positive sign that the recovery in the public transport sector is coming.?

I think we’re also seeing people embracing multi-modal options more as they combine public and private mobility to get from A to B. I also see agencies and cities looking to add incremental capabilities to their existing solutions through piecemeal incremental upgrades, such as adding contactless, or mobile solutions in efforts to drive multi-modal adoption.

3.What tech is making a difference to urban transit offerings?

We’re seeing an explosion of emerging data and services. Technological advancements mean that agencies and private mobility service providers are able to share permissioned data more securely and therefore more widely, which is accelerating the ability to look, book, and pay for mobility services. Combine that with the way people are accessing the services and their desire to simplify the process of accessing urban mobility, and there is a need to arbitrate and provide simplicity and clarity to the mobility ecosystem when it comes to payments and fund transfers.?

4.What excites you about advancements in the urban mobility space?

We are beginning to see transit agencies embracing private mobility service providers to augment and grow a more flexible and resilient mobility network. Cities are now realizing the need to provide flexible options for all residents, and that some form of private mobility (scooter/bike share or demand responsive transport) are critical to providing the services needed to bring people back to public transport.

Public transport will always be the backbone of urban mobility, but this year we will see changes in how public transport can become an enabler to provide options that serve everyone’s needs, frequent and infrequent travellers well as visitors.

5.What can we expect for the future of urban mobility?

Choice! Cities and agencies will optimize the entire mobility network to deliver the maximum benefits for all, while offering sustainable solutions. In turn, this will provide better access and mobility options to the individual traveler who will have several options for getting from A to B made available to them.

Simplifying mobility, providing options to travelers, and educating the users on their options, and the larger impact it has on an urban area or region will accelerate better sustainable mobility for all.

To learn more about how Mastercard powering a frictionless future for urban mobility, connect with Andy on LinkedIn , or contact [email protected]