NPR TaaS

As traffic density continues to increase, particularly in metropolitan areas, the implementation of new mobility concepts making use of digitalization, automated transport and soft mobility technologies is a matter of urgent necessity.

Transport as a Service, or TaaS, a concept that encompasses the transport of people (to, from, or within a given area), the transport of cargo (food or package deliveries), and public services (road cleaning, waste collection), offers the required levels of flexibility, efficiency and security. The combination of smart digital infrastructure, automated vehicles and fleet management tools is a promising approach to mobility, especially for business parks; however, an implementation framework with well-coordinated phases is necessary to guarantee optimal performance.

The goal of project TaaS is to develop a digital twin for TaaS and smart ecosystem implementations in business parks. In the project’s first phase, the requirements will be collected from partners and various other sources and tested on models with the help of digital twins. These models will then provide a decision-making basis for the development or customization of smart business parks. In the last phase, a legal and economic study will be carried out to complete the digital twin, which will enable the implementation of TaaS on a large scale.

The AEROPOLE 2 campus in Payerne will provide a practical use case for the approach. A detailed roadmap will be created for the implementation of efficient and sustainable mobility solutions in the campus’s business park. These solutions will be coherent with the rhythm of development and construction of the site. The ability to respond to growing and constantly-evolving mobility needs is an important feature that will attract companies to the business park.

Two elements make the TaaS project unique and pioneering at the European level. The first is its multidisciplinary and intercantonal consortium, composed of 14 companies from various sectors as well as an academic team from four Universities of Applied Sciences with wide-ranging expertise in engineering, economics and law. The second unique element is the project’s use of a multi-dimensional analytical framework that will study mobility in all its aspects, including transport between buildings, transport inside buildings, energy efficiency, and functionality within a broader infrastructure. The combination of these two axes and the interdisciplinary approach will lead to a holistic understanding of the mobility of tomorrow. Though the project focuses on business parks in particular, it will be possible to apply the results to other use cases, such as hospitals, retirement homes, and industrial zones. In this way, our partners will acquire vital expertise and become more competitive in an innovative sector with a high growth potential. 

This project is conducted together with die HEIG-VD, co-leader of the Project Romuald Mosqueron. 

Project's poster