China has vowed to build a comprehensive, multidimensional and interconnected transport system, called Mobility as a Service, or MaaS covering the entire country. The approach is intended to offer multiple transport options to the public by integrating all means of travel into a single digital platform.

The work began in 2017 when Tencent expanded its QR code payments to include buses and intelligent travel assistance. Its service is now available on buses, subways, and ferries and is in use by more than 150 million people in more than 150 cities.

Several other tech giants are also tapping into the sector. Alipay's app now provides links to buses, subways, railways, airlines, and shared bikes.

But still, the development of the unified model is far from mature since many commuters still need to transfer between different apps depending on their mode of transport. Experts say the final problem Mobility as a Service has to solve is the ability to connect between different systems.

"For example, if we want to transfer data from the metro, from the taxi, we need to get data from different companies. If we can have access to those data, what will be the boundary to use these data? For this, we don't have clear rules or regulations to that," said Xu Huxiong, Principal of Roland Berger, a consultancy.

Work on that problem is already in motion. The State Council Information Office released a white paper on "Sustainable Development of Transport in China" last December, calling for the construction of a people-centered transport system. The people-oriented approach is also central to the concept of Mobility as a Service, so it's likely we'll be hearing more about it down the road.