Public policy framework supporting “Mobility-as-a-Service” implementation

Abstract

World population forecasted growth, ageing population, rising urbanization and congestion levels carry several challenges inside urban mobility systems. The digitalization megatrend is reshaping lives worldwide while at the same time “Usership” is thriving along collaborative consumption. “Mobility-as-a-Service” (“MaaS”) emerges as a potential mobility disruption, in this new mobility ecosystem. Inspired in Finland’s “MaaS” ecosystem, this paper aims to propose a “Mobility as a Service Public Policy Framework” with a two-stage approach. First structuring the “MaaS” concept, looking for the core features, its relations, that leads to its reconceptualization and a topology proposal. Secondly, a public policy framework is proposed, considering the policy instruments, indicative group of stakeholders responsible and the different urban mobility management decision levels. The authors argue that is fundamental to understand the nature of decisions which are intimately connected with the Urban Mobility system, to design and implement a coherent and effective policy framework, where the policy tools chosen to materialize policy decisions regarding “MaaS” should first consider the identification of the founding pillars of the “MaaS” concept, guiding the process of policy design accordingly. If “MaaS” is considered a Mobility Management tool, it can constitute an opportunity to redefine public transport and its financing.