How can European cities deliver truly seamless mobility experiences for people and goods? This was the central question explored during ERTICO’s Thematic Partnership Webinar, 'Smart Mobility in Seamless Cities', held on 29 May 2026.
Bringing together representatives from the European Commission, regional authorities, industry and ERTICO experts, the discussion highlighted both the opportunities and challenges of creating integrated urban mobility systems that connect transport modes, operators, services and regions. The webinar was moderated by Rita Bhandari, Senior Manager, Programme and Knowledge Integration at ERTICO.
What does a seamless city mean?
The webinar opened with an interactive poll which revealed that that there is no single definition of a “seamless city”. Participants associate seamless cities primarily with being connected, integrated, accessible and easy to navigate. For others, it is about convenience, accessibility, integrated ticketing, safety or sustainability.
John Paddington, Head of Green and Urban Mobility at ERTICO, emphasised that seamlessness must be viewed through the lens of users’ needs and experiences. He highlighted several ERTICO-led research projects addressing barriers to mobility, including accessibility challenges, transport equity, safety, resilience and the growing need to connect urban centres with suburban and rural areas.
Projects such as CulturalRoad, InclusiveSpaces, PeriASTY and metaCCAZE demonstrate how cities can adopt more human-centred approaches while balancing complex trade-offs between efficiency, accessibility and sustainability.
Urban mobility as a European priority
Providing a European policy perspective, Dr Axel Volkery, Head of Unit for Innovation and Urban Mobility at European Commission DG MOVE, underlined that urban mobility is increasingly embedded across a wide range of European initiatives, from the TEN-T network and urban nodes to data spaces, connected and automated mobility, and multimodal ticketing.
He stressed the importance of moving beyond isolated pilot projects towards large-scale deployment. The 431 urban nodes identified under the revised TEN-T Regulation offer a unique opportunity to create a connected European mobility network and accelerate the implementation of innovative mobility solutions.
Dr Volkery also highlighted ongoing work on urban mobility indicators, Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), multimodal hubs and the recently proposed passenger mobility package aimed at making cross-border and multimodal journeys easier to plan and book.
A key message was that mobility planning should increasingly be based on actual travel flows rather than administrative boundaries, ensuring better integration between cities and their surrounding regions.
Citizens prioritise accessibility and integration
Audience polling offered valuable insights into what mobility stakeholders see as the most important ingredients of a seamless urban experience. When asked which smart city feature would most improve their daily lives, respondents overwhelmingly selected accessible public transport (50%), followed by integrated ticketing systems (33%). Real-time traffic updates, smart parking solutions and bike-sharing systems received significantly fewer votes.
These results reinforce a key message that emerged repeatedly during the discussion: while digital technologies are essential enablers, seamless mobility ultimately depends on making mobility services easier, more accessible and better integrated for users.
The poll findings also echoed several speakers’ observations that citizens often experience mobility as a complete journey rather than as separate transport modes. From trip planning and ticketing to first- and last-mile connections, integration remains a critical success factor.
Data and partnerships as enablers
From the industry perspective, Stephanie Leonard, Global Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs at TomTom, demonstrated how location technologies, traffic intelligence and data-driven insights can support more efficient and resilient mobility systems.
TomTom’s growing use of open data, artificial intelligence and real-time traffic analytics enables cities and transport authorities to better understand congestion patterns, improve safety and optimise transport networks.
Ms Leonard stressed that partnerships are essential to successful deployment. Through collaboration with local technology partners, public authorities and mobility providers, cities can access the expertise needed to implement advanced mobility solutions while addressing local requirements and regulations.
The discussion also highlighted the growing role of AI in mobility management, from predictive traffic analytics to future safety applications.
Another audience poll highlighted what participants see as the biggest challenge facing seamless mobility initiatives. Nearly half (48%) identified coordination among stakeholders as the primary barrier, followed by funding and resources (39%). Regulatory constraints received 9% of responses, while technological limitations were not considered a major obstacle.
The results align closely with the speakers’ conclusions. Throughout the webinar, participants emphasised that the technologies needed to support seamless mobility largely exist today. The real challenge lies in aligning governance structures, business models, regulations and public-private partnerships to deploy solutions at scale.
From policy to implementation
Edwin Mermans, Strategic Advisor for Smart and Sustainable Mobility at the Province of North Brabant, shared practical lessons from one of Europe’s fastest-growing innovation regions by discussing seamless mobility in a polycentric city.
The Eindhoven metropolitan area is expected to grow from 800,000 to one million residents within the next decade, driven largely by the expansion of the high-tech sector. Managing this growth without increasing car dependency has become a central objective for local authorities.
To achieve this, cities and regions are investing in integrated public transport, cycling infrastructure, shared mobility services and innovative first- and last-mile solutions. Long-term partnerships with mobility providers are being used to create more stable business models and improve service quality.
Mr Mermans highlighted that fragmentation remains one of the biggest obstacles to deployment. Different regulations, procurement frameworks and approval processes across Europe continue to make it difficult for innovative mobility providers to scale their services.
The future of seamless mobility
Throughout the discussion, speakers agreed that achieving seamless mobility requires more than technology alone. Success depends on effective collaboration between public authorities, industry, mobility operators and citizens.
Key themes emerging from the webinar included:
• Greater interoperability between mobility services and transport providers.
• Better use of data to support real-time decision-making and multimodal travel.
• Stronger coordination across administrative boundaries.
• New governance and procurement approaches that enable innovation at scale.
• Wider deployment of connected, shared and automated mobility solutions.
The conversation also highlighted the growing importance of freight and urban logistics as part of the seamless mobility ecosystem, ensuring that cities remain both accessible and economically vibrant.
In his closing remarks, Joost Vantomme, CEO of ERTICO, reflected on the discussion and highlighted the need to move beyond isolated mobility solutions towards connected, interoperable systems. He emphasised that seamless mobility means different things to different users and cities, but that data sharing, large-scale deployment of innovations, and stronger collaboration across the mobility ecosystem will be essential to transform successful pilots into scalable solutions that deliver tangible benefits for citizens.
Looking ahead
The webinar demonstrated that while significant challenges remain, Europe is building the foundations for more integrated, user-centric and sustainable urban mobility systems. By combining policy support, technological innovation, collaborative governance and large-scale deployment, cities can move closer to delivering the seamless mobility experiences that citizens increasingly expect.
As several speakers noted, the next step is clear: moving from successful pilots to widespread implementation and scaling solutions that work across Europe’s diverse urban environments.
Curious about our European foothold and initiatives? As ERTICO celebrates 35 years of collaboration and innovation in intelligent mobility this year, take a closer look at the ERTICO Partnership video and download our Partnership Brochure to learn more about the opportunities, offers and benefits of being part of the Partnership.