Search

Mobility as a service (MaaS) – Going somewhere or nowhere?

Hensher, David A. / Mulley, Corinne / Nelson, John D.

Abstract Noting the continuing lack of agreement as to how the concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) should be defined, this short topical issues paper offers an evaluation of the extent to which MaaS faces a very uncertain future. While MaaS remains a compelling concept, without evidence of MaaS contributing to sustainability goals, the multimodal future may be one of contactless deep linked customer-oriented Apps offering potential customer convenience but with no provision for bundling mobility services. The latter has been shown in the Sydney MaaS trial to be the source of positive societal outcomes such a reduced car use and emissions. A MaaS Champion with a proactive approach, led by government, seems essential for any future positive outcomes.

Highlights • This topical issues paper questions whether Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is going somewhere or nowhere. • We present a benchmarked definition for MaaS and discuss whether MaaS in practice can achieve the definitional aspiration. • MaaS might have overestimated what passengers really want and a journey planner with deep linking is more than enough. • MaaS is conceptually appealing if delivered with sustainability aspects of the definition, there is much still to be done.