Can MaaS Contribute to Sustainability Goals? Empirical Evidence from the UbiGo Pilot 

Abstract
Mobility as a Service is generally discussed as a way to improve transport’s ecological sustainability by e.g. reducing private car ownership/use. However, there is also concern that it may shift users from public transport to shared car modes, and from active to non-active modes. The argued (mainly positive) impacts are largely based on informed assumptions and expert opinions rather than empirical evidence as MaaS is yet to emerge on any significant scale. Even on a small, test scale, not many cases have undergone systematic, open evaluations.

There are essentially two fundamental questions to be answered: (1) Does MaaS have an impact (has it had an impact)? and (2) Will MaaS have an impact, given certain assumptions? Some MaaS practitioners find that lacking answers to these questions is hindering the acceleration of MaaS, in particular with public actors who wish to attain sustainability targets and are uncomfortable with supporting a yet-unproven concept in this regard. Thus, the purpose of this empirical analysis of the UbiGo travel diaries is to contribute to the evidence base in the discussion of these fundamental questions.

UbiGo was tested in a six-month pilot; here referring to a test during which the participants were to use the new service as part of their everyday lives, ad lib and with no particular requests attached (apart from responding to three questionnaires). This meant that participants became actual customers who paid for the service, which included a household subscription, 24/7 customer service, etc. During the trial, participants were also given the possibility to set their car aside in care of the project with some economic compensation, mainly for depreciation.

Data was collected via a mixed-methods approach, comprising questionnaires, personal/household interviews, focus groups, travel diaries, as well as use data, error reports and customer service issues. The basis for this paper is an analysis of the travel diaries (35 participants in 22 households, one week each ‘before’ and ‘during’ the pilot), which have not been systematically analyzed previously, complemented with questionnaire and interview data. The aggregate findings (in kilometers traveled and mode share) illustrate the potential for MaaS to reduce car use, and private car use in particular, as well as increase the use of bicycles and public transport. The evidence is further analyzed as tours with trip chaining as well as according to previously identified sub-groups: ‘car-shedders’, ‘car-keepers’, ‘car-accessors’, and ‘already carsharing’ (1-2). Discussions address the intimate relationship between the service design/value offering, and its use, with complementary evidence from additional MaaS pilots.

The main contribution is helping alleviate the uncertainty surrounding MaaS’ capacity to contribute to sustainability goals, as well as providing an evidence-based discussion on the importance of the service design/value offering in order to provide customers with the practical opportunity to travel more sustainably. It is perceived by MaaS practitioners that having evidence ‘in hand’ when trying to convince decision makers about MaaS can mean the shift from skepticism and questions to support and action. Thus, this work can support the acceleration of sustainable transport.