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Mobility as a Service (MaaS) could soon redefine the future of fleet management and how we think about vehicle ownership, operations, and city design. In a recent conversation with Sampo Hietanen, the creator of the MaaS concept, we explored how fleets and businesses can prepare for a future where transportation is shared, connected, and on-demand. Discover what this shift means for utilization, cost efficiency, and the role of fleets in tomorrow’s freedom economy.
Most vehicles sit idle 96% of the time, making ownership inefficient and creating major opportunities for shared and optimized mobility models.
Mobility will soon have an “operator layer” in the form of a seamless subscription-based system connecting every mode of transportation into one service.
Fleets will evolve from owning assets to managing access, using data and automation to maximize utilization and flexibility.
Cities will transition from roads to hubs, reshaping how people, goods, and fleets move through urban spaces.
Fleet leaders who adapt early through new partnerships, flexible models, and sustainability alignment will lead the next wave of mobility innovation.
Most vehicles sit idle 96% of the time, making ownership inefficient and creating major opportunities for shared and optimized mobility models.
Mobility will soon have an “operator layer” in the form of a seamless subscription-based system connecting every mode of transportation into one service.
Fleets will evolve from owning assets to managing access, using data and automation to maximize utilization and flexibility.
Cities will transition from roads to hubs, reshaping how people, goods, and fleets move through urban spaces.
Fleet leaders who adapt early through new partnerships, flexible models, and sustainability alignment will lead the next wave of mobility innovation.
Imagine a world where people and businesses enjoy freedom of mobility without owning a single vehicle. That’s the vision of Sampo Hietanen, the Finnish innovator who coined the term Mobility as a Service (MaaS).
Hietanen sees a future where getting from point A to point B is as seamless as streaming your favorite show. Where one subscription, one platform, and every mode of transportation are at your fingertips.
And while this might sound like next-generation fleet management, the implications for fleets and business leaders are already beginning to take shape.
In our podcast, The Fleet, Hietanen talks about how companies will likely soon rethink how they approach mobility, asset management, and value creation in the years ahead. Here are the highlights shaping the future of fleet management:
Here’s a stat that may stop you in your tracks: the average personal car is used only 4% of the time, yet it eats up roughly 76% of household mobility costs.
Now think about that from a fleet perspective. If your vehicles are only in motion a fraction of the time, that means your capital is sitting still too, tying up resources, parking spaces, and maintenance budgets.
Hietanen believes that, in the most efficient version of a mobility ecosystem, society would only need 3–5% of today’s vehicles. It’s a staggering number and a signal that the opportunity for optimization and productivity in mobility is massive.
For business and fleet leaders, the takeaway is that mobility efficiency is the next competitive frontier. Those who learn to maximize vehicle usage, share capacity, and integrate services across modes will win in both cost savings and sustainability.
To understand where connected mobility is headed, Hietanen points to a familiar example: the telecom industry.
He breaks it down like this:
Infrastructure is the equivalent of our roads and rails.
Devices are the vehicles we drive.
But what’s missing in mobility is the “operator layer” which is the system that connects all of these parts into one smooth, reliable experience.
Before telecom operators, you needed to pick routes, manage long-distance carriers, and track costs manually. Then, suddenly, one monthly plan gave you unlimited access.
That’s exactly what Hietanen envisions for transportation. An integrated system that lets users move anywhere, anytime, across all modes (trains, rideshare, car rentals, public transit, even bikes) under one flat-rate subscription.
For fleets, this signals a coming shift from being asset owners to mobility service providers. Companies will increasingly manage access to mobility rather than ownership of vehicles, coordinating between modes and partners to deliver the right trip at the right time.
A business model built on utilization, not ownership So, what happens to ownership in this future? In short: it changes hands.
“When automated vehicles really break through, that’s the end of individual ownership. It makes very little sense,” Hietanen explains.
He predicts that large-scale fleet operators, mobility networks, and subscription-based services will replace distributed ownership. The average driver won’t own a car any more than you own the servers that power your email. Instead, you’ll simply pay for mobility when you need it. For fleet managers, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. The role of the fleet could evolve from managing physical assets to optimizing shared capacity across business units, partners, or even industries. Imagine fleets as dynamic networks of vehicles that flex with demand, supported by data analytics, automation, and connected ecosystems. It’s not about how many vehicles you own. It’s about how efficiently you use every minute of motion.
The ripple effects of MaaS go far beyond the garage. As vehicle ownership declines, so will the need for parking lots and garages, opening new opportunities for urban space and commercial development.
Cities will evolve from corridor-based planning (designed around roads) to hub-based systems that connect people and goods through multimodal mobility hubs. Think of it as moving from traffic lanes to network nodes.
For business leaders, this shift matters because it changes how fleets operate in cities, going from delivery and logistics to employee mobility. Planning routes, depot locations, and service models around hubs could help fleets reduce congestion, emissions, and idle time while improving accessibility.
And Hietanen reminds us: this isn’t only about efficiency. “If we design cities around freedom of movement instead of parking,” he says, “we unlock value everywhere.”
The transformation toward Mobility as a Service won’t happen overnight, but the trends are clear and accelerating. Here are five ways to start preparing today:
Reevaluate ownership models. Explore leasing, sharing, and subscription-based options that improve utilization.
Build data-driven flexibility. Connect telematics, maintenance, and logistics data to understand how vehicles are really used and where excess capacity lies.
Partner with new players. Stay close to technology providers, mobility startups, and city programs exploring MaaS pilots.
Think hubs, not highways. As cities redesign for connected, shared mobility, fleets that plan around new infrastructure will move more efficiently.
Align with sustainability goals. MaaS supports sustainability by cutting emissions and maximizing shared resources, aligning perfectly with corporate social responsibility priorities.
At its heart, Hietanen’s vision for the future is about freedom. Freedom from ownership, from inefficiency, and from the constraints of traditional infrastructure.
“Mobility connects people physically,” he says. “It’s about giving people the freedom they deserve, without the shackles of ownership.”
Hietanen sees the future of fleet management as being full of opportunity. As mobility becomes a service, not a possession, organizations that adapt quickly will redefine what freedom and efficiency really mean.
After all, the next competitive advantage may not come from owning the most vehicles, but from delivering the most freedom. 1 A mobility operator is a company that connects transportation modes into a single digital service.