More recognition for GO-HI – the pioneering transport project for the Highlands and Islands

A second top award has been won by HITRANS, the strategic transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands, for its pioneering project to improve accessibility to transport services for residents and visitors in and around the Highlands and Islands.

The GO-HI Maas (Mobility as a Service) Project was recognised at the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) Highlands and Islands Business Excellence Awards held on 14 September at the Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness, winning the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Award for Excellence in Innovation.

Earlier in the summer, the project was judged to be the Most Innovative Transport Project of the Year at the annual Scottish Transport Awards held in Glasgow.

And there is a chance of further recognition as GO-HI has also been shortlisted in three categories at the CiTTi magazine awards which will be held in London in November.

GO-HI is an app which integrates multiple transport and travel options into a single technology platform, providing journey planning capabilities, easy access to travel information, more reliable journey planning, in-app ticketing, hotel booking and a hassle-free payment system.

Developed in partnership with market-leading MaaS technology firm FOD Mobility, it allows users to plan, book and pay for an end-to-end, multimodal journey within one application using their smartphone or desktop devices. The platform offers instant access to buses, trains, ferries, HI Bike e-bikes, taxis, car clubs, car rental, folding bikes, flights and hotels to allow users to plan bespoke door-to-door journeys with ease.

Nicola Moss, Moray Council’s Head of Environment and Commercial Services, received the SCDI award on behalf of HITRANS from Mr Alistair Dodds, Chair, HIE.

Mrs Moss said: “We are absolutely delighted with the national recognition of the project which is addressing Government ambitions to reduce carbon emissions and is also offering healthier lifestyles by making it easier to make sustainable travel choices for journeys around the region”.”

Mr Dodds said: “My congratulations go to HITRANS for delivering a project which establishes the Highlands and Islands as an international leader in Smart Mobility by supporting digital innovation and offering good practice in the application of MaaS for other similar regions.”

There have been more than 3,000 unique downloads and registrations of the app so far. The app has also been used to support the delivery of an ambitious mobility credits scheme in conjunction with leading mobility charity, Motability. The scheme will provide funded access to mobility for individuals qualifying for Motability support.

The GO-HI platform is also to be used by The Highland Council to provide alternative mobility options to their employees for commuting and business-related travel. This will simplify current processes and reduce administrative burden relating to travel.

For more information about Go-Hi visit www.gohi.app.

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Note: The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS) is the statutory regional transport partnership covering Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Orkney, Highland, Moray and most of the Argyll and Bute area. It works with Councils, the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, HIE, transport operators and other stakeholders to improve transport services and infrastructure in the north of Scotland and on routes to the Highlands and Islands.