On Wednesday 19th October, Belgian eHUBS partners Mobipunt vzw, together with Autodelen.net and Mpact, organised a masterclass for the Dublin region, hosted at the ESB head office. During a four-hour session they shared their experience on the creation of eHUBS in Flanders, Belgium. Mobipunt vzw shared some of the do’s and don'ts when designing eHUBS and what a network of mobility hubs can look like.
Since one of the project’s goals is to convince people to step out of their private cars, the alternative has to be diverse and accessible. eHUBS can be a means to reach that goal, as they are the physical places where a complete offer can come together. Flanders is moving ahead and pilot cities such as Leuven and Amsterdam (NL) are paving the way and inspiring other cities and municipalities.
In this process towards sustainable mobility, we want and need shared mobility to grow and be widely accepted. Bram Seeuws (Autodelen.net), emphasized the importance of cooperation between local authorities and operators. All of them have their role to play: from regulatory frameworks to profitable business cases. And last but not least, you need strong communication campaigns to increase success and uptake amongst end users.
Furthermore, information at eHUBS has to be accessible and every transport mode should be easy to use. Data integration is an essential component in this story. Tjalle Groen (Mpact), spoke about the work that has been done on the TOMP-API standard and the CDS-M framework to enhance data exchange between all actors. He also demonstrated the physical elaboration on the dashboard and kiosk applied to eHUBS in Belgium.
All participants had their own perspectives, ambitions and plans, coming from public transport to infrastructure operators. They were inspired by the presentations and acknowledged that there is a potential for meaningful collaborations between their organisations and local authorities. ESB made a first step with the creation of eBike hubs for commuters to Dublin. Is the capital of Ireland starting to move towards a modal shift?
If you are curious on how to implement eHUBS or shared mobility in your city or organisation, you can register for Mobipunt’s international newsletter and receive updates on international webinars and masterclasses.
