Service providers can offer one-stop billing for all mobility

One-Stop Billing for All Transport Services:

The transport industry today sees leasing, parking, insurance and tolling as independent markets. This will change: rapidly in some countries, more slowly in others. Given a single metering service, it makes sense to have a single service provider sending a single transport bill. This provider would collect all payments, and then distribute the fees collected as appropriate to:

• owners of parking, roads and vehicles
• underwriters of accident or repairs insurance
• the environmental agency

Mobility Service Providers (MSPs):

Some people call this single service entity a 'Mobility Service Provider' since transport offers people mobility. Its responsibilities are:

• marketing their transport payment service
• distribution of in-car meters (to activate the metering service)
• billing and collecting payment
• providing customer service
• marketing "guest passes" to roamers to the network

The Mobility Service Provider interfaces with a metering service (such as Skymeter) and an enforcement service. The enforcement service may be purchased as a service from a specialist enforcement firm, or integrated by the MSP.

Many Potential Winners In The Market:

This MSP market is a new market, just like the ISP (Internet Service Provider) market used to be. Many firms are well positioned to enter this market. In the immediate future, entrants may be limited to firms that understand transportation deeply. As the market mainstreams, other major players may enter this business:

• existing transport firms - such as leasing or tolling operators - that expand their services
• major integrators that prepare a turnkey service
• telcos, who have all of the necessary skills to enter this market
• government bodies that already offer transport services
• new entrants, taking advantage of inaction by other parties