MaaSLab, the Social Innovation Manager of the metaCCAZE project, plays a leading role in shaping and supporting the design, implementation, and impact monitoring of sustainable mobility solutions across multiple European cities. As a research and innovation lab with over a decade of expertise in Mobility as a Service (MaaS), electric mobility, autonomous transport, and multimodal systems, MaaSLab brings deep technical know-how and data-driven insight to the forefront of the project.
MaaSLab started as a research lab in one of the top universities in London and relocated to Cyprus in 2024, MaaSLab is now strategically positioned to apply its global expertise to local and regional challenges. Within metaCCAZE, MaaSLab leads the development of innovative tools, manages mobility- and energy-related data, and provides scientific support to both Trailblazer and Follower Cities in their transition toward climate-neutral transport systems. This includes designing and coordinating social surveys to measure changes in travel patterns and user behaviour before and after implementation.
The metaInnovations that MaaSLab develops are:
- An on-demand platform consisting of
- A mobile application for citizens
- A mobile application for the bus-drivers
- A web-based system
- A Digital Twin Platform for Optimization
- An AI recommendation and incentivitation engine
- Supply-demand matching algortithms for on-demand, shared, zero emission mobility services
- An AI Data Warehouse
And are applied in the Limassol (CY) to support the implementation of the following use cases:
- An on-demand school transport service that supports after-school mobility needs,
- A Transport and Energy Integrated Platform designed to align supply and demand, promoting cleaner transport options,
These interventions are not isolated efforts. MaaSLab ensures that their design is evidence-based, leveraging cross-city data analytics to support decision-making and enable replication across Europe. Its role in leading several tasks related to the development of metaInnovation tools within Work Package 2 ensures that lessons learned from local implementations are translated into scalable and transferable models for other urban environments.
By combining research excellence with hands-on implementation, MaaSLab is not only supporting cities like Limassol in addressing transport-related challenges but also contributing to the broader mission of the European Union for climate-neutral, inclusive, and citizen-centric mobility systems.
Authors:
- Professor Maria Kamargianni, Professor of Transport Systems Innovation and Sustainability
Director, MaaSLab – Mobility as a Service Laboratory - Theodora Betsidou, Project Manager, Transport & Environment, MaaSLab – Mobility as a Service Laboratory