Why integration matters more than new mobility services alone

Over the past few years, cities have quietly added new mobility options. More bike lanes. Shared bikes and scooters becoming familiar. New services promising cleaner and more flexible ways to get around. From the outside, it can look like a clear step forward.

In everyday life, it is often less clear. For many people, getting around the city still feels fragmented. Switching between modes takes effort. Services do not always connect with public transport in a way that makes sense. What is available does not always add up to a journey that feels simple or reliable. This gap between what exists and what actually works is where integration becomes unavoidable.

Integration is felt in how people move through the city, not just in the services available.

More services are not the same as better mobility

Adding new services is usually the most visible part of change. Vehicles appear, pilots start, apps are launched. These steps matter, but they do not automatically improve daily mobility.

When services are introduced without being connected to each other, they can create more complexity instead of less. People end up navigating different systems, rules and expectations.

A shared bike that does not fit naturally into a public transport trip, or a scooter service that ignores how people already move through the city, often remains something occasional rather than part of everyday routines.

Mobility works better when services feel coherent. When they support each other and follow the logic of daily life.

Integration shows up in small, everyday moments

Integration is often discussed as a technical challenge, but its effects are felt in ordinary situations.

People move through cities balancing time, cost, comfort and habit. Plans change with the weather, with schedules, with life. From this perspective, integration is less about designing a perfect system and more about removing friction where it matters. Tools like Mobility as a Service are only useful when they reflect how people actually travel, not how journeys look in theory.

Learning from what happens on the ground

Across projects supported by the UEMI, integration is explored through practice. The focus is not on introducing services in isolation, but on understanding how shared mobility, active travel and public transport interact in real urban contexts.

In projects such as GEMINI, this work happens alongside cities. Travel patterns are observed. Constraints are acknowledged. Workshops, pilots and Living Labs create space to test ideas, adjust services and learn from how people actually use them. Progress is often gradual. The value lies in what these processes reveal over time.

Why integration takes time

Integration depends on coordination between many actors, existing systems and ongoing dialogue with users. It rarely follows a straight line. Small adjustments often have more impact than large announcements.

Pilots, workshops and incremental changes are not side activities. They are where understanding is built. Taken together, they show how integration slowly becomes part of the system. They also give cities time to address acceptance, environmental impact and long-term viability while there is still room to adapt.

Integration is not about adding one more service. It is about helping what already exists work better together. It requires attention, continuity and a willingness to adjust along the way.

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