Exploring the possibilities for MaaS in the everyday mobility - A qualitative study of pilot projects in different phases

Abstract

The objective of this research is to identify how MaaS solutions can be designed to have a greater impact on everyday mobility. This research contributes by identifying existing barriers for present projects in all of their phases as well as expressing possible solutions moving beyond them, based on state-of-art business model theory. The data was collected through a systematic literature reviews followed by semi-structured interviews with actors within five different MaaS projects. The research identified a lack of applicable business models and that the pilots had deviated from true market conditions making it hard to gain a proof of concept. To successfully implement a commercial service post the pilot phase higher fidelity could be required. The study indicates that the services needs to be fully integrated to achieve high variety, flexibility, accessibility and an ease of use which is identified to be crucial for the end-user. Identified low incentives in an early phase is connected to the network effect, implying that the platform provides little value at a small scale for both the segments. Due to these low incentives it is hard to grow a platform organically and instead directly or indirectly gaining access to large customer segment can be a lucrative. Integrating the service within the public existing public transportation or having a B2B/G focus was identified as possible solutions. This research points towards the fact that complimentary services could be incorporated to achieve a commercial business model where incentives for both the end-users and the mobility service providers are sufficiently attractive.