Sharing insights of using blockchain and decentralized tech in mobility; a year in review | MaaS-programma | DMI

As the technology matures, more use cases can be found in the world of mobility showing the potential value of this technology. As such, in June 2021  the Mobility in Blockchain Week was organized in which a number of organizations presented their views and solutions of how mobility can be made easier and seamless for its users through decentralized tech. The aim was to show different stakeholders in the Dutch mobility sector, ranging from mobility providers, MaaS providers to IT companies providing innovative mobility solutions, what these type of technologies can offer and to foresee for which issues at present those type of technologies are a potential fit. Based on the interest and received feedback during the week, a further collaboration was envisaged to gain a better understanding of the possibilities of using decentralized technologies in the context of Mobility-as-a-Service and what that could look like in practice. This potential use should foster the idea of mobility as an ecosystem and support the idea of safeguarding a certain level-playing field. In that light, a collaboration was set up between the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Watermanagement, the Dutch Blockchain Coalition and the team of bloXmove to explore, but most of all learn what can be achieved when applying decentralized elements in the reality of Mobility-as-a-Service in the Netherlands. A Proof-of-Concept was set up which focused on showcasing:

These initial results were shared with the larger community on November 26th 2021  showcasing the possible implementation strategies, integration possibilities in this case with the TOMP-API for example, the use of a mobility blockchain platform like offered by bloXmove and its decentralized features. Subsequently, given the importance to have a better understanding of the technology and to see how this truly fits the current mobility ecosystem, a technical review was set out to understand and inform members of the mobility community in the Netherlands on how to potentially continue or support decentralized components and decide on potential next steps. The most important insights were:

For a more detailed understanding of the learnings and how those insights could benefit you, the technical review can be found attached. For the full scope of the review and bloXmove’s contribution, you can read their documentation here.  The level of cooperation and contribution received from the bloXmove team allowed a thorough review, which we greatly thank them for. 

The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Watermanagement thanks the bloXmove team for their effort and time put in to share their knowledge. The cooperation in this project increased not only our understanding and knowledge of the possibilities of using and maturing decentralized technologies or components such as DIDs within the Mobility Ecosystem but also that of the larger mobility community. In the coming years, mobility faces a number of complex challenges to make it more sustainable whilst ensuring mobility being available and accessible for all. At the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, we are continuously looking for ways how new technology and data can help us solve these challenges and how through more likewise type of collaborations necessary insights can be gained to help mature the mobility ecosystem.