Lessons Learned on Mobility as a Service (MaaS): Exploring Opportunities and Barriers for the U.S. Context

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) packages can increase the popularity of alternatives to owning (and using) a personal vehicle, through the integration of multiple transportation services and options on the same platform. Several MaaS solutions have been proposed in Europe and other regions of the world. However, there is a dearth of research on MaaS in the US context. This study will be a starting point to fill that gap. In this study, the researchers will review MaaS experience from abroad and investigate the lessons learned on the way MaaS works, the various levels of integration possible on the MaaS platform, the type of transportation services that are offered, and the way (bundle) payments and fare integration are handled. The study will then build US-specific knowledge on the potential attractiveness of MaaS-type mobility packages through hosting focus group discussions with groups of travelers, to identify their potential openness to adopt MaaS services, the perceived benefits that would be derived from their use, and the characteristics that MaaS solutions should have to (eventually) be attractive among selected groups of US travelers. The findings from this study will help understand what realistic paths may exist to integrate public transit and shared mobility solutions to expand travel options in the US, and how effectively these options might encourage travelers to increase travel multimodality and reduce their reliance on the use of private vehicles. This study will serve as a starting point for developing future larger studies on MaaS in the US context.

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