Mobility as a Service - Now and In the Future

Transportation Letters, 2020

Mobility-as-a-Service is an innovative concept which is anticipated to offer seamless, end-to-end mobility to customers. As MaaS market continues to grow, a better understanding of the current barriers and enablers is essential for informing policy interventions. For this purpose, this paper conducts a detailed review of the existing European regulations and policy framework, while collecting qualitative data from key stakeholders in three European metropolitan areas. Our research highlights various challenges to MaaS implementation including technical, regulatory, financial, and social issues, that lead to relevant implications for current and future transport policymaking. The paper ends with the delivery of specific recommendations to the involved MaaS actors, including public authorities and prospective MaaS operators, so as to achieve a successful MaaS implementation.

Smart Cities

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is the new approach in transportation systems that allows users to use different transport services as a single option, by using digital platforms and with integrated design. In MaaS many actors can be identified: MaaS operators, MaaS companies, MaaS users, citizens, system manager/planner. In order to be able to design the system in an integrated way, it is necessary to identify comprehensive methodologies that make it possible to reach sustainability targets in a context where the decisions to be taken are shared between several operators and affect users and citizens. In this paper, the methods to be adopted for the design of an integrated transport service system have been studied. The main aim of this paper concerns the specification of transport system models for estimating the effects of decision-makers’ actions on MaaS. The consolidated design methodologies of transport networks have been extended in the context of the MaaS. The paper reports a m...

Transportation Research Part A, 2019

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) has been argued as part of the solution to prevalent transport problems. However, progress from pilots to large-scale implementation has hitherto been slow. The aim of the research reported in this paper was to empirically and in-depth investigate how, and to what extent, different factors affect the development and implementation of MaaS. A framework was developed, with a basis in institutional theory and the postulation that formal as well informal factors on different analytical levels (macro, meso and micro) must be considered. The research was organised as a multiple case study in Finland and Sweden and a qualitative approach was chosen for data collection and analysis. A number of factors with a claimed impact on the development and implementation of MaaS was revealed. At the macro level, these factors included legislation concerning transport, innovation and public administration, and the presence (or not) of a shared vision for MaaS. At the meso level, (the lack of) appropriate business models, cultures of collaboration, and assumed roles and responsibilities within the MaaS ecosystem were identified as significant factors. At the micro level, people's attitudes and habits were recognised as important factors to be considered. However, how the 'S' in MaaS fits (or not) the transport needs of the individual/household appears to play a more important role in adoption or rejection of MaaS than what has often been acknowledged in previous papers on MaaS. The findings presented in this paper provide several implications for public and private sector actors. Law-making authorities can facilitate MaaS developments by adjusting relevant regulations and policies such as transport-related subsidies, taxation policies and the definition of public transport. Regional and local authorities could additionally contribute to creating conducive conditions for MaaS by, for example, planning urban designs and transport infrastructures to support service-based travelling. Moreover, private actors have key roles to play in future MaaS developments, as both public and private transport services are needed if MaaS is to become a viable alternative to privately owned cars. Thus, the advance of MaaS business models that benefit all involved actors is vital for the prosperity of the emerging MaaS ecosystem. Transportation Research Part A xxx (xxxx) xxx-xxx 0965-8564/

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2019

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is often cited as providing an alternative solution to car ownership and car dominated lifestyles. However, MaaS as it currently exists appears to cater mainly for a specific segment of society-those who live close enough to walk to good quality public transport for daily journeys and close enough to access car share/car rental for other trips which public transport cannot serve. By default, this is limited to large, dense urban areas. This paper considers the evolution of intermodal journey planning that incorporates carpooling with public transport in the transition towards MaaS for suburban areas. It introduces a new journey planning App (known as RideMyRoute) that allows users to discover and make connected journeys involving carpooling and public transport, presenting key aspects of its design, development and testing. Results from a trial of the RideMyRoute App in four European test sites (Canton Ticino, Brussels, Zagreb and Ljubljana) revealed that the App was able to suggest trip planning solutions which included carpool options for one in five journey planning solutions and that the majority (85%) of these were solutions that involved connection from carpool to public transport. This is a significant advance on what is currently available through existing carpool provider systems or journey planning apps/services and could potentially increase the attractiveness of MaaS options in suburban markets. However, quality of data feeding the App from external sources remained an issue, as it is with all MaaS systems, and recommendations for future practice are presented. In conclusion, the new intermodal trip planning algorithm and data structure supporting it provide a fundamental stepping stone towards incorporating carpool services within MaaS-type offerings in the future.

Travel Behaviour and Society, 2018

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a relatively recent mobility concept, which has the potential to contribute to a more sustainable transport system. The starting point for its success is to acquire a deeper understanding of the key actors' motives, expectations, perceptions and concerns. To this end, this paper applies a mixed-methods approach, using qualitative and quantitative research to collect and analyze data from key MaaS-related stakeholders and end-users. In particular, workshops with stakeholders and focus groups with end-users were conducted in two European metropolitan areas, Budapest in Hungary and Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. In addition, an on-line questionnaire survey was launched to collect quantitative data from end-users. Stakeholders' and end-users' perspectives on different MaaS-related aspects are collected and analyzed. Our analysis indicates that stakeholders are highly motivated to join a MaaS partnership for receiving better quality demand data and increasing their market shares and revenues. In addition, lack of data and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) was identified as a significant operational/technical barrier, while the strong reliance of people on their private vehicles was indicated as the strongest social barrier. A qualitative cluster analysis was conducted revealing significant variations in the stakeholders' viewpoints depending on the business domain they represented. The findings of this paper provide useful insights for the decision-making processes of policy makers, local authorities, transport operators and other MaaS actors, helping them to make informed decisions when implementing MaaS schemes in their cities.

2022

The mobility solutions that currently dominate the mobility market have raised global challenges. Specifically, mass car ownership has led to traffic congestion, shortage of parking spaces, and sustainability issues. Recently, mobility solutions driven by technological advancements have emerged to address these issues via more efficient and sustainable use of resources. However, the wide range of mobility offerings has led to a scattered mobility market, and oversight is hard to grasp for travelers. Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platforms aim to address this issue by integrating mobility services into a single platform. However, MaaS providers (operators) struggle to find sustainable business models. Additionally, research on shared mobility business models is limited, and there is little oversight in the scattered business model landscape. This report addresses this issue by summarizing the dominant business models in the mobility market through a systematic review of current initiatives and literature. It provides an overview of active MaaS business models and challenges and opportunities to integrate mobility services into MaaS. The types of mobility services reviewed in this study include bike-sharing, scooter-sharing, car-sharing, e-hailing, and MaaS platform providers. For each mobility service, the dominant operating mode and the main business model actors are identified and represented using the Service-Dominant Business Model Radar (SDBM/R). Furthermore, the value exchanges between the actors are mapped in Value Capture Diagrams. The report concludes with a discussion on the challenges and opportunities related to synthesizing shared mobility modes into MaaS and the expectations for its future.

2019

The idea of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is gaining momentum internationally. Transport researchers, policy makers, transport service providers, developers and others are all eager to get involved. In this study, MaaS is defined as a transport concept involving the use of a single digital platform to find, book and pay for trips offered by various transport service providers. The platform not only integrates the transport providers, but also the various transport modes. Such integration makes it easier to compare transport modes according to their trip times, costs, comfort levels, environmental impact and other aspects. To extend this definition, MaaS users are also those who have successfully used the MaaS app on multiple occasions to arrange trips via a variety of transport providers and modalities. Commentators describe how MaaS could support a decrease in the negative externalities caused by transport, and, more generally, could be an efficient travel demand management tool with environmentally and socially desirable outcomes. However, these outcomes will be highly dependent on the people willing and able to use MaaS. Acquiring a better picture of the most promising groups within the population is a necessary part of MaaS research, as this allows for the impacts of this new concept to be further quantified. Against this background, this study, conducted on behalf of the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management’s MaaS team, aimed at answering the following research question: Which groups within the Dutch population are relatively most likely to use MaaS? Since MaaS is still a nascent concept, surveying the Dutch population directly on this topic would be complex. To determine how more or less likely people would be to make use of MaaS, 1,547 people were surveyed via a series of 25 statements and questions. The subsequent findings were expressed as a set of four indicators, called the MaaS Potential Index (MPI). A Lasso regression analysis was then used to link the four indicators to the respondents’ most relevant personal characteristics. Furthermore, since the respondents had previously participated in the Netherlands Mobility Panel, substantial amounts of their personal background information were available. This study did not focus on estimating the absolute number of MaaS users in the Netherlands, or the total demand. Rather, the focal point was the relative comparative positions of the various population groups, whereby one group is more likely to use MaaS than another. The early adopters of the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform will be people with hypermobile lifestyles. Healthy and active young people who use public transport, own folding bikes and are concerned about the environment will use MaaS before older people of limited mobility, in poorer health and with lower income and education levels. It is highly likely that the profile of early adopters will differ from that of the majority or laggards. The idea that the personal characteristics of early adopters and laggards differ from one another is also supported by the findings of marketing and innovation literature. This insight has far-reaching implications for MaaS’s potential impacts on the transport system. The behaviour of the initial users cannot be extrapolated to the entire population. It may well be that the initial users start using public transport less, precisely because one of MaaS’s most promising groups consists of people who already frequently use public transport. If the use of MaaS results in the early adopters using public transport less frequently, this does not necessarily mean that public transport use will further decrease when more people adopt MaaS.

World Electric Vehicle Journal

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a concept that aligns with both current and future mobility demands of users, namely intermodal, personalized, on-demand and seamless. Although the number of shared mobility, electric mobility and multimodal passenger transport users is rapidly growing, until now, the list of MaaS and electric Mobility as Service (eMaaS) providers is quite short. This could partly be explained by the lack of a common architecture that facilitates the complex integration of all actors involved in the (e)MaaS ecosystem. The goal of this publication is to give an overview of the state of the art regarding (e)MaaS’ ecosystems and architectures. Moreover, it aims to support the further development of eMaaS by proposing a definition and a novel system architecture for eMaaS. Firstly, the state of the art of the MaaS ecosystem is reviewed. Secondly, the eMaaS ecosystem that builds upon our definition of eMaaS is described and the MaaS system- and technical- architectures fou...

2021

European Transport Research Review, 2020

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a new transport concept which integrates, manages, and distributes private and public mobility alternatives by using intelligent digital technologies. Recently, research and implementations have been widely conducted. In order to reveal future implications, it is crucial to analyze the available MaaS services by using systematic methodology. Cluster analysis was applied to create typical groups of MaaS services and to define the common features of the systems, which may highlight future trends. In order to identify the most relevant MaaS initiatives, the typical parameters of the services were taken into account and a dataset was developed. More than 30 MaaS services from 14 countries were investigated, and the features and the functionalities of these services were analyzed. The findings demonstrate that there is potential for the development of the applications in terms of their payment features, their personalization, and the provision of all attai...