How Mobility-as-a-service affects Energy and Environment

The environmental impact of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) and related business models depends on how the services are offered, and the incentives of the operator [1]. For example, if ride hailing is incentivized over public transit and bike-shares, there would be fewer environmental benefits [2]. Additionally, private operated mobility services are generally focused on maximizing revenue, while public transport operators may focus more on public benefits including reduced environmental impact [3]. A study assessing welfare impacts of MaaS found that MaaS schemes with shared mobility have the potential to substantially reduce energy consumption, and even greater reductions were possible with improved cost transparency for use of cars and inclusion of externalities such as greenhouse gas emissions in the generalized cost [4].

References

  1. L. Butler, T. Yigitcanlar, and A. Paz, “Barriers and risks of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) adoption in cities: A systematic review of the literature,” Cities, vol. 109, p. 103036, Feb. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2020.103036.

  2. A. Tirachini, “Ride-hailing, travel behaviour and sustainable mobility: an international review,” Transportation, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 2011–2047, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1007/s11116-019-10070-2.

  3. T. Surakka, F. Härri, T. Haahtela, A. Horila, and T. Michl, “Regulation and governance supporting systemic MaaS innovations,” Res. Transp. Bus. Manag., vol. 27, pp. 56–66, Jun. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.rtbm.2018.12.001.

  4. H. Becker, M. Balac, F. Ciari, and K. W. Axhausen, “Assessing the welfare impacts of Shared Mobility and Mobility as a Service (MaaS),” Transp. Res. Part Policy Pract., vol. 131, pp. 228–243, Jan. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.tra.2019.09.027.

Related Literature Reviews

See Literature Reviews on Mobility-as-a-service

See Literature Reviews on Energy and Environment

Note: Mobility COE research partners conducted this literature review in Spring of 2024 based on research available at the time. Unless otherwise noted, this content has not been updated to reflect newer research.