Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has recently gained popularity as an opportunity to encourage a more sustainable mobility model and improve urban liveability. Today, it is still uncertain if travellers ...are willing to uptake MaaS and transform their habits. In the paper, we explore individuals’ behavioural intention based on a survey comprising 418 respondents in the metropolitan area of Randstad (The Netherlands). The application of a Structural Equation Model allows to uncover a series of explanatory (attitudinal and personality) factors relevant for MaaS acceptance. Then, a cluster analysis determines four profiles of travellers in relation to their intention to embrace this new solution: ‘Short-duration commuters’, ‘Active travellers’, ‘Traditional car-supporters’, and ‘MaaS admirers’. Overall, we identify three main barriers for the potential adoption of MaaS: low willingness to combine different modes of transport, low affinity with technology, and low reliability on the new mobility services. We also recognise that low environmental concerns seem to frustrate individuals’ innovativeness.
•The paradigms of smart and of sustainable must be strongly aligned.•The paper proposes a quantitative methodology for assessing the smartness of urban transportation systems.•The methodology offers ...a comprehensive and practical framework to benchmark cities according to the smartness of their transportation systems.•A Smart Mobility Index is created.
The development of sustainable transport networks is of particular interest in the field of smart cities, and many promising initiatives have been proposed over the years. However, there is still little agreement as to the appropriate definition of smart urban mobility. What is really meant by ‘smart’? The paper examines this question and assesses the notion of smart urban mobility as a combination of sustainability and innovation. This approach offers a comprehensive and practical framework for benchmarking cities in accordance with the smartness of their transportation systems. The methodology is based on the identification of quantitative indicators that evaluate urban mobility through a synthetic parameter known as the Smart Mobility Index. Although this Index can be applied to any city worldwide, the research focuses on the Spanish context, with a selection of six cases of different sizes and urban typologies. The results highlight the features that most influence the smartness of a city’s mobility, and can be used to design the appropriate transport policies. Finally, the cities are ranked according to the performance of their smart transportation systems.
Cities worldwide are calling for smart mobility strategies to tackle the negative externalities of their transport networks. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is expected to introduce a new mobility model ...that promotes smarter and more sustainable urban futures. Given the novelty of the concept, this paper explores the implications that might arise from the implementation of MaaS in today’s metropolises in relation to the six dimensions of smart cities: smart governance, smart economy, smart mobility, smart environment, smart people, and smart living. To this end, 42 semi-structured interviews with MaaS stakeholders were conducted in Madrid (Spain). Thematic analysis identified a set of 35 urban implications. The success of MaaS requires more than the mere deployment of technologies and must be supported by the reorganisation of institutional structures, the reform of the regulatory scenario, the stimulation of innovation-based entrepreneurship, the promotion of environmental awareness, the encouragement of cultural transition, and the consideration of the public sphere. Overall, valuable insights are identified for policymakers when designing MaaS. Assessment of multiple stakeholders’ perspectives enables a holistic understanding of these strategies and thus maximises their potential to address the limitations of our complex mobility systems in meeting urban sustainability goals.
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has recently gained popularity as an opportunity to support a more sustainable mobility model. Today, it is still uncertain if travellers are willing to adopt it and ...shift their habits. In the paper, we explore individuals’ behavioural intentions in Madrid (Spain) and Randstad (The Netherlands). First, a Structural Equation Model uncovers a set of attitudinal constructs relevant for MaaS adoption. Then, a cluster analysis determines four groups according to the disposition to use the new solution. Overall, we detect three barriers that may hinder MaaS uptake: low willingness to integrate mobility services, low technological affinity, and low reliability on new mobility services. We also note that a strong sense of ownership and low environmental concerns seem to block innovativeness. Policy makers are suggested to consider these obstacles when promoting MaaS.
•Gender, age, education level, occupation, and household structure influence the willingness to adopt MaaS.•The acceptance of MaaS is conditioned by individuals’ mobility patterns.•Private car users ...do not appear to be significantly attracted by MaaS.•Individuals engaged with public transport and shared mobility services intend to adopt MaaS.
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is expected to reorganise how we travel. To date, it is still unclear who will embrace these new mobility strategies, and how they will transform travellers’ behaviours. This study identifies the key drivers determining the adoption of MaaS in two European metropolitan areas, based on a survey taken in Madrid (Spain) and Randstad (The Netherlands). Overall, we found strong positive attitudes towards MaaS. The results highlight the role played by a set of demographic, socioeconomic, and travel-related variables, after their validation with a generalized ordered logit (gologit) model. The willingness to adopt MaaS appeared to be related to personal characteristics such as gender, age, education level, occupation, and household structure. Unexpectedly, the place of residence (city versus outskirts) was not found to be significant. The acceptance of MaaS was also influenced by individuals’ mobility patterns. We detected that private car users were not significantly attracted by MaaS, while individuals engaged with public transport and shared mobility services did intend to adopt it. Our final findings will help urban authorities and transport planners to predict the population segments with a higher (and lower) probability of using MaaS. Policy efforts could stimulate MaaS acceptability in the coming years by taking these insights into account.
Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) represents a technological innovation with the potential to revolutionise the urban mobility paradigm, triggering a societal shift towards more sustainable travel ...behaviours. Successful implementation of these novel mobility solutions will largely rely on travellers' adoption of MaaS mobile-technologies. As with any new technology, the qualitative, user-centric research approaches focusing on the individuals' point of view may be significantly beneficial for the initial stages of development.
Within this context, the paper explores which services should be offered by MaaS technologies to provide travellers with tailored mobility solutions that satisfy their daily needs. To that end, six Focus Groups were conducted in the metropolitan area of Madrid (Spain). We examined the services expected by travellers when adopting MaaS and compared them with those already identified from a comprehensive literature review. Our analysis revealed six new services that had not been recognised previously, including route optimisation and the provision of real-time information on the following five categories: passenger crowding, pollution levels, route facilities, vehicle conditions, and urban security. Overall, our results also highlighted the relevance given to the availability of information on environmental and health implications of travel behaviours.
We believe that our findings provide valuable guidelines for the development of successful MaaS mobile-technologies. The incorporation of the travellers' perspective enables a more thoughtful design of these innovations and, thus, maximises their potential for addressing the limitations of our complex mobility-systems in meeting urban sustainability goals.
•Understanding travellers' expectations is key for designing successful MaaS technologies.•MaaS technologies should provide travellers with services that satisfy their daily needs.•Six Focus Groups are conducted to explore travellers' perspective in Madrid (Spain).•Travellers demand information about the environmental and health implications of their behaviours.
•Strong positive attitudes towards MaaS are recognised in Madrid (Spain).•Four clusters of MaaS users are identified according to attitudinal and personality factors.•Low technology affinity and low ...openness to “new mobilities” are the main barriers for adopting MaaS.•MaaS-lovers seem the most likely to reduce their private car usage in favour of alternative modes.
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is expected to significantly change our mobility patterns. However, it is still not clear who will accept this new mobility paradigm and how it will affect travellers’ behaviours. In this study, we identify a set of attitudinal and personality factors relevant for MaaS adoption based on a survey comprising 1,000 respondents in the metropolitan area of Madrid (Spain). The results show strong positive attitudes towards MaaS after being validated through a structural equation model. The higher the percentage of multimodal travellers, the more they are open to “new mobilities”, the greater their technological capabilities and curiosity, and the lower their cost sensitivity, then the higher the adoption potential for MaaS. Our analysis reveals four clusters in terms of individuals’ intention to use MaaS technologies (technological car-followers, unimodal travellers, MaaS-lovers and active public-transport supporters). Motivated by a significant environmental sensibility, MaaS-lovers appear to be the most likely to reduce their private car usage in favour of alternative modes. Overall, we recognise two main barriers that can frustrate MaaS adoption: low technology affinity and low openness to sharing-mobility services. Policies that focus on these two aspects can encourage MaaS acceptance.
One of the most exciting topics in recent literature is focused on the travel behaviour of Millennials. These ‘young adults’ promote a change towards the so-called soft modes, such as cycling, what ...could become an opportunity to facilitate the transition towards a more sustainable mobility paradigm. This study addresses the case study of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain). Bicycle share in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2014 was the highest of any Spanish city, increasing from 1.4% in 2002 to 12.3% in 2014. An exploratory analysis of the city’s last mobility survey (2014) allows us to analyse how cycling is perceived. The results show differences between Millennials (18-36 years old) and the rest of generational cohorts. Significant changes are not found in the context of cycling. It seems that cities cannot expect large increase in rates of bicycle use simply due to generational changes.
The paper presents some results of the EU project KLIMATe, funded by the EIT Climate. KLIMATe explores the market potential for implementing a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) travel-assistance ...application in the metropolitan area of Madrid (Spain). This tool would allow travellers to obtain personalised multimodal recommendations on-demand for cleaner urban mobility choices. Thus, it would facilitate the transition towards more liveable, zero-carbon and resilient cities. We performed an extensive online survey of transportation choices in Madrid. The questionnaire was focused on four aspects: (i) socio-demographic characteristics, (ii) personal traits, (iii) personal attitudes and (iv) travel habits. Our findings provide researchers and practitioners with a better understanding of the users' willingness to adopt travel-planning applications, allowing to identify potential elements to be considered for the successful implementation of these technologies.
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