10 Spearheading mobility innovation By Lena Mårtensson, Senior Marketing & Communication Officer, Luxinnovation GIE Luxembourg is determined to promote the use of innovative and sustainable mobility solutions for the society of today and tomorrow. This commitment, combined with massive infrastructure and public transport investment as well as R&D and business partnership opportunities, make the country an excellent testbed for mobility innovation for the European market. The ability to move freely from one place to another – and at an affordable price – is essential. However, this everyday activity is often fraught with difficulties: endless queues on the motorway, buses that do not arrive on time, difficulties to find parking, pollution, noise … As a booming regional economic hotspot with a fast-growing population, over 200,000 cross-border workers and the concentrated activities of a lively logistics hub, Luxembourg faces various challenges with regards to mobility issues. “We are very conscious of the role and importance of mobility in daily work and life,” confirms Jean Schiltz, Head of Smart Mobility at the Ministry of the Economy. “There is a strong interest in Luxembourg in integrating new mobility concepts. Because of the special situation that we are facing, everyone is concerned by the topic and different stakeholders are willing to work together.” Unique mobility mix In order to free up road capacity and offer sustainable transport alternatives, the country is investing extensively in public transport, notably rail infrastructure and decarbonised bus fleets, and in facilitating multimodality. Luxembourg also made the international headlines in 2020 when it became the first country in the world to make all public transport free of charge. However, many Europeans live outside dense urban areas, or have other constraints that make the use of privately owned cars unavoidable. “Our focus is on developing an integrated travel experience from first to last mile, but our approach is quite unique,” underlines Joost Ortjens, Head of International Business Development – Smart Mobility at national innovation agency Luxinnovation. “Many regions are trying to replace car ownership by ‘mobility as a service’ solutions. What makes Luxembourg special is that we do not ignore the advantages of car ownership and usage. Instead, we facilitate a hybrid model that allows people to smartly combine their cars with public transportation and other mobility services. Building modern and safe car parks next to mobility hubs is one way of encouraging people to take the train or bus for part of the journey rather than driving all the way. Image: © Luxinnovation/Quattro Creative Image: © Luxinnovation/Quattro Creative
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