Trying Out Mobility as a Service: Experiences from a Field Trial and Implications for Understanding Demand

Abstract

The concept of mobility as a service (MaaS) has been proposed as a feasible way to achieve more sustainable transport. One example of such a service is UbiGo, a broker service for everyday urban travel developed and evaluated within the Go:Smart project in Gothenburg, Sweden. This paper presents evidence of travel behavior and related changes from a 6-month field operational test (FOT), during which 195 participants tested the new service. On the basis of the responses to participant questionnaires and interviews and the information recorded in travel diaries, change-enabling service attributes were identified. Such attributes included the transportation smorgasbord concept, simplicity, improved access and flexibility, and economy. Although not a service attribute per se, the FOT also enabled the new behaviors to be evaluated in a trial and a reevaluation of convenience. The broader implications of the findings of the FOT to obtain an understanding of travelers’ new choices and behaviors for the future design of MaaS are discussed. Service design and demand are not independent of each other, and if a mobility service is to change behavior (i.e., achieve an impact) as well as create added value, these goals need to drive design decisions and the deliberate, conscious development of service dimensions, such as customization, bundling, and the range of the offer. On the basis of the experiences gained, the authors emphasize the need for a more holistic and flexible perspective on mobility (and the design perspective on mobility services) that is focused on serving users’ needs and that involves capitalizing on synergies between public and private actors to develop the MaaS offer and better meet the urban mobility challenge ahead.