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Limitations to the car-substitution effect of MaaS. Findings from a Belgian pilot study

Storme, T; De Vos, J; De Paepe, L; Witlox, F; (2020) Limitations to the car-substitution effect of MaaS. Findings from a Belgian pilot study. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice , 131 pp. 196-205. 10.1016/j.tra.2019.09.032. Green open access

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Abstract

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) has received widespread attention over the past couple of years amongst scholars, businesses, policymakers and mainstream media. Most coverage is oriented towards its possible gains for traveling individuals and the travel industry, while still lacking conceptual clarity and sufficient detail about its potential acceptance by the general public. This leads to varying perspectives on what MaaS precisely is and will be in the near future. In this study, we reflect upon the relationship between MaaS use and private car ownership, based on insights gained from a MaaS pilot study organized mid-2017 in Ghent (Belgium). This exploratory pilot study targeted 100 car-owning participants (i.e., Ghent University employees) and explored how these motivated people can replace or significantly reduce car use in return for a monthly mobility budget which they could spend on MaaS services. The study reveals that most respondents were apt to explore MaaS services (especially public transport and car sharing services), but a clear reduction of private car use remained difficult in a real-life setting. Despite being highly motivated to reduce car use and being given incentives, participants faced considerable difficulties in bypassing their personal car, especially for (non-repetitive) leisure trips. By drawing parallels with a similar debate in the transport literature from a couple of decades ago, we suggest that MaaS should be regarded as a complement – rather than a substitution – of private car use in the near future. The relationship between MaaS use and car ownership might in reality be more complex than generally acknowledged. In addressing these parallels, the paper opens up new critical questions for MaaS research in the future.

Type: Article
Title: Limitations to the car-substitution effect of MaaS. Findings from a Belgian pilot study
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2019.09.032
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2019.09.032
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Mobility-as-a-Service, Car ownershi, pTravel mode shift, Mobility transition, Travel behavior, Ghent (Belgium)
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > The Bartlett School of Planning
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10083211
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