How close is Europe to the dream of seamless travel? Is a multi-modal connected trip any closer than it was a decade ago? What obstacles stand in the way?
Experts in the field gathered in Barcelona last week at Phocuswright Europe 2023 to address those questions and more.
The panel discussion, moderated by Lorraine Sileo, a senior analyst and founder of Phocuswright research, brought together Björn Bender, president and CEO of Rail Europe, Thomas Doering, CEO of Distribusion Technologies; and Adrien Tahon, vice president for Western Europe at BlaBlaCar.
They spoke about seamless mobility and the challenges of connecting travelers on the “last mile” of their journey, often between an airport and hotel. They assessed the potential for a super app in Europe that could unite different modes of transportation. And they discussed the likelihood that travelers will be getting around by air taxis soon.
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Another point of discussion was France’s recent move to officially enact a ban on short domestic flights in places where a train could provide transport in 2.5 hours or less. Sileo asked the panelists if they thought other markets would pass something similar.
“I guess other countries will follow,” Bender said, adding, “but I don’t know that we need it.”
Many exceptions in the decree make it merely symbolic, Doering said.
“If you look at the true impact of what it does, it’s purely symbolic,” he said. “Do we like to see it? Yes, we like to see it because it points out which direction governments want to go, and it points in the right direction.
“Is it the way we want it to be done? No,” he continued. “We don’t want the governments to tell us what mode of transport to take or tell our consumers which mode of transport to take. We’re in the industry to make it convenient, and we see the role of the government [as] basically unleashing competition on the routes, building tracks that are fast enough to really build competitive services. That’s their role. If they fulfill that role, then we’re going to offer better services, and that’s what we want, and not just tell people what to do.”
Asked how far off travel by air taxis might be, Bender said, “Not far, but very far for a transport mode for everyone,” seeing a difference between what was possible and what was practical.
“From a technical perspective, it’s very, very close,” he said. “But [to] substitute any kind of transport mode we are used to, no.”
Doering was equally skeptical of a super app gaining traction in Europe.
“Europe is hugely heterogenous,” he said. “In some parts of the world, super apps have been able to gather huge momentum and potentially have the chance to monopolize or be one of two players dominating the market. We don’t think it’s that easy in Europe. We believe there’s space for a lot of players to make their mark and serve their customers the way they want.”
Watch the full discussion below:
Executive Panel: Getting Around - Easier Said Than Done - Phocuswright Europe 2023