For years Sydney had earned a reputation as an anti-cycling city. Long-running disagreements between the City of Sydney council and the NSW government slowed cycleway construction, and in 2015 the separated bike path along College Street in the city centre was ripped up. But now attitudes are changing and the pace of building has rapidly increased, hastened by the Covid lockdown in 2020. 

A DfT commissioned study titled the Future of Transport has found that Mobility as a Service led businesses stand to gain big as the generations pass, all the while influencing significant transport modal shift changes.
The young, app savvy generations are overwhelmingly more in touch with Mobility as a Service products, including the likes of Uber’s transportation, Lime’s bike and electric scooter businesses and other such services that rely on usership rather than ownership.
According to the NatCen Social research, MaaS uptake among survey respondents in England has been found to be higher for men (43% vs women 29%), younger adults (57% aged 16 to 24 vs 9% aged 65+), people living in urban areas (33% vs 28% rural) and Uber users (60% vs 27% non-Uber users). Those living with a disability were found to be more likely to use demand responsive transport apps, in particular those with vehicles suited to their needs.

COVID-19 has forced the government to intervene in most spheres of life: locking down the nation, a multi-billion-pound furlough scheme, cancelling exams and closing theatres. From employment to health, education, sport, culture, and public transport, our lives have been regulated in a way we would have found unbelievable a year ago.