On 20th and 21st March 2017, the second live meeting of the Smart Commuting project was hosted by ZHAW INE. With 20 participants from Switzerland, Finland, Austria, Czech Republic and England the potentials of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) in commuting were elaborated on intensely. How can new socio-technical innovations, such as MaaS, be effectively introduced and spread? To give answers to this question, we must not only look at the innovation (or technology) itself and its potential users, but also at the frame conditions. The first results of the research indicate important differences between the countries of our case studies. Whereas governmental structures in Finland (case Helskinki-Tampere) are very much top-down structured, the federal systems of Austria (case Korneuburg) and Switzerland (case Basel-Stadt) require many different political stakeholders to be involved. In the Swiss case, we need to consider especially the national, cantonal and municipal actors from politics and administration. However, also stakeholders from other fields, such as technology development, economy, etc. need to be considered. To develop a more comprehensive view, this issue was discussed on several agenda items during the meeting. One of our expert workshops specifically worked on best practices in governance and stakeholder involvement in supporting social innovation. It showed that one aspect is very essential for all cases: the desire for novelty and the openness to new ideas, as well as the willingness to give them a real chance. After all, personal contacts between the stakeholders are fundamental. This insight is addressed in further detail in the ongoing and next steps of the project with the specific focus on the Situation in Basel-Stadt.
