What is an ideal (Utopian) mobility as a service (MaaS) framework? A communication note

Abstract

There is a substantial and growing literature on Mobility as a Service (MaaS), defined concisely as a type of service that, through a joint digital channel, enables users to plan, book and pay for multiple types of mobility service. While we might question the extent to which much of the literature and commentary is really about MaaS, this note sets out what we think MaaS supporters (dare we say disciples!) would like to see (or dream of) in place as a MaaS framework, that benefits users and providers in a sustainable way. The proposed framework involves a tendering authority that is responsible for a common access platform into which competitive tendered MaaS consortium bids are assessed with multiple ‘winners’ selected to ensure coverage of all multi-modal and multi-service products across the successful bid. Such an approach serves to give users choices and ensure a competitive MaaS market. The tendering authority will be responsible for defining a suite of societal linked key performance indicators (KPIs) that are connected to financial and non-financial rewards available to each MaaS consortium and their subscribers, when they show through the common access framework the changes in travel behaviour that align with the agreed societal KPIs. This communication note explains this process.