Milan, the Italian capital of smart mobility

Thanks to smart mobility it has never been so easy to get about in Milan: using car, scooter and bike sharing is a green choice which gives a nod to the principle of energy resources and to wallets too, and which, why not?, reveals all the attractive aspects of getting about in the city.
 
We change tomorrow by starting today, and Milan in this respect is a pioneer since it has always been very aware of innovation and the issue of protecting the environment. The Italian capital of smart mobility actively encourages alternative transport solutions and new forms of mobility that promote the concept of sharing and a sustainable lifestyle.

When talking about the sharing economy reference is always made to those goods and services which are shared or dispensed between individuals using sharing platforms. In particular, in relation to mobility, mention is made of the possibility of hiring vehicles in ways that increasingly meet the needs of the individual. In this sense, the new forms of shared mobility revolutionize the very concept of how to use a means of transport.
 
Smart mobility is defined as intelligent and sustainable transport, made possible by digital technology: in fact, thanks to the development and introduction of on-line platforms, the possibilities for alternative transport increase greatly. All you need to do is download an APP and subscribe to the service, providing your personal details, and that is all: a vehicle can be geo-located, collected and the hire lasts for only as long as the distance that is to be covered.
 
In the case of station-based services, the identified vehicle can be collected and then parked only in dedicated areas, while in the free-floating option the vehicle can be left (and therefore found by the next user) anywhere in the city, clearly in the usual parking spaces allowed by the traffic regulations. So it can be flexible, rapid and economical.
 
Car, scooter and bike-sharing, but also shared travelling through carpooling are the new leaders of change in Milan’s switch to green, in the light of the #milanocambiaaria (Milan is changing the air campaign) launched by ATM to sensitize the use of public means.

Up to a short time ago the only alternative to private and public transport was the taxi, and it was not always easy to find one, but today people are used to alternative solutions and shared mobility services are the most frequently used of these. In Milan, Italy’s smartest city, the introduction of car-sharing services a little more than five years ago was an immediate success as it changed the face of everyday mobility.
 
With car sharing, moving around the city is comfortable for the individual; traffic is reduced and the environmental impact and the consumer no longer needs to think of the expense of running a car. And not only: by hiring a car using platforms such as Car2Go, Enjoy and DriveNow, you can enter Area C and park free, even within blue lines.
 
Tariffs and any service subscription fees vary on the basis of the company and the time the vehicle is used for; sometimes there are promotional packages or discounts and special offers in some time slots. Share'ngo is the small two-seater electric car, bright yellow, that does not pollute, and offers women a special rate for use from 1 to 5 am; Ubeeqo, offers not only car sharing, but also the option of a car with a driver and van hire.

The dream of a traffic-free Milan, easier to get about, has never been so close. Thanks to scooter sharing companies Mimoto, Ecooltra and Zig Zag, the city air is cleaner. 
 
Bike sharing has already been brightening up the streets for a longer time. In fact 2019 sees the tenth anniversary of the BikeMi service, i.e. the bike sharing service run by the Milan Council Authority, which was the first to set aside many squares and important streets in the city for station based hire.
 
In the last two years the Italian capital of smart mobility has also welcomed Ofo (not at present operating) and Mobike, which provides easy-to-handle e-bikes, with free-flow power-assisted pedals. It is fair to say that the affordable price and the chance of finding a bike practically anywhere in Milan really stimulate the desire to pedal.
 
Small steps can make all the difference and thanks to the new additions to the smart mobility on two wheels family, i.e. the skateboard-sharing operations of Helbiz, Lime, Bird and Hive, moving has never been so much fun. Not only are skateboards becoming more popular, but there are progressively more segways and hoverboards getting around and about: could this be the next stage of Milan’s “return to the future”?
 
It is perfectly fair to say that following the rapid spread of new forms of mobility that are revolutionising transport in the city, Milan will soon have to make changes to transport in the city to make sharing mobility services evermore safe and versatile. New cycle routes, more areas closed to traffic in Milan? We await with interest the evolution and future innovations in the smartest city in Italy.