Abstract
Having been widely acknowledged as enabling access to education, employment, leisure and social activities, transport choices are also the cause of many challenges cities face. Recognising that change is needed, planners and policymakers are considering alternative methods of planning and delivering transport. Mobility as a Service (or MaaS) is one such idea that has gained traction with academics and professionals alike. Hailed as the answer to integrating complex transport systems, MaaS has yet to be implemented at scale in urban transport systems due in part to the lack of an agreed conceptual definition, the top-down approach to implementing what is meant to be a more personalised method of accessing transport, and the lack of local promoters (in comparison to global corporations and lobbyists). This article reflects on the current barriers to defining MaaS, considers how a novel public engagement approach could be used to create local definitions that support citizen engagement, and suggests a route forward for future research.
Highlights
Finger, Bert, and Kupfer [39] imagine that the key Mobility as a Service (MaaS) offer should be the overall integration of the transport system
Urban planning is typically a practice undertaken by experts, with the outputs being outside a democratic process or citizens’ control [75]
When paired with the pressure on planners to consider problems relating to ongoing urban sprawl, ageing infrastructure challenges, and the potential for densification, using urban planning as a method to set parameters on a transport ‘imagined future’ would ensure that any developments are routed in city policies and goals and that co-design outputs do not reverse urban planning successes already achieved to date
Summary
It is widely acknowledged that mobility has helped shape urban design and development, and wider urban policies and planning have shaped transport infrastructure and service investment [1–6]. Advanced technology and better use of technical systems have presented an opportunity in urban areas, namely allowing efficient networks to emerge that can positively utilise new innovations and create a newer, resource-light economy, while maintaining and expanding access to transport products and services [32]. These new networks will enable cities to improve their overall resilience to disruption, offering greater operational reliability for cities and their residents and visitors [33]. Mobility as a Service or ‘MaaS’ is a term that has recently gained traction amongst transport planners, operators, automotive manufacturers, and technology developers, as a potential mechanism to reduce or remove the challenges currently faced by urban areas [7]
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