Multimodal Transportation Plans: Empirical Evidence on Uptake, Usage and Behavioural Implications from the Augsburg MaaS Trial

Abstract

The integration of shared mobility modes with public transportation to provide ‘mobility as a service’ (MaaS) in a sustainable way has received substantial attention from transportation scholars, practitioners and policymakers. In fully integrated systems, customers are offered a choice between ‘pay-as-you-go’ and monthly subscription plans. While there has been considerable research into the configuration, willingness to pay and resulting market potential of such plans using stated preference methods, only few trials have been conducted to validate previous results and evaluate their potential to foster sustainable travel behavior. To this end, we report on the first MaaS trial in Germany. Between November 2018 and June 2020, 341 customers bought bundles including monthly public transportation, carsharing and bikesharing allowances. While uptake has been substantial, first indications of market saturation suggest that the (currently offered) MaaS bundles including these modes might be more of a niche product than a ‘game changer’ in urban mobility. Analyzing longitudinal panel data on bundle uptake and carsharing usage, we find that a substantial number of customers underutilize their carsharing allowances. Still, consumer gain is substantially higher than producer gain due to bundle discounts, dampening providers’ hopes of a new business model. We further find that carsharing allowances in bundles increase carsharing usage of subscribers.