The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS) has added NorthLink Ferries to its mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) app, Go-Hi.
NorthLink’s ferries to Orkney and Shetland can now be booked through the travel app, making it the first MaaS platform in the UK to fully integrate ferry services.
This addition allows passengers travelling to Orkney and Shetland to plan and book travel by air, ferry, rail and bus all within the same app.
HITRANS Director, Ranald Robertson, said:We are delighted to welcome NorthLink as one of our valued partners, and for Go-Hi to be the first MaaS platform in the UK that includes a fully integrated ferry offering. NorthLink provides a lifeline service to Orkney and Shetland, so making it more straightforward to link their services with others via Go-Hi will help to improve access to mobility in this rural area.
Go-Hi launched in June 2021 with support from the Scottish government’s MaaS Investment Fund. This fund was established to test the concept of MaaS in Scotland and help deliver on the Scottish government’s aspiration to encourage modal shift.
The app offers residents and visitors in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland improved access to a wide range of transport in one place in order to save them time and money and make public and shared transport more attractive.
Transport Minister, Jenny Gilruth said:We want to help Scotland to become an international leader in Smart Mobility, and our MaaS Investment Fund projects are helping to unlock this potential for innovation. Go-Hi aims to tackle mobility challenges for communities throughout rural Scotland, so it’s great to see NorthLink’s ferry services - a vital lifeline for island residents, and link for tourism and local businesses in the Northern Isles – now being made available on the Go-Hi app.
MaaS has the potential to transform the way we use transport by making public and shared transport options like bus and train as desirable as using our car, all of which helps to create a healthier, more sustainable Scotland. It’s only through testing and widespread use that we can see how effective this technology is, so I’d encourage everyone to download the Go-Hi app and try it out.
Additional services are planned for Go-Hi in the coming weeks, including Scottish Citylink’s coach network and HITRANS’ new demand-responsive transport (DRT) service, Moove Flexi.
