Highlights The economic, environmental and social issues with car dependency are reviewed. Mobility-as-a-Service is a potential solution: Clear principles for sustainable MaaS are set out. Recent literature is used to help determine the principles and the paper is set in the context of a novel MaaS trial encompassing both urban and rural areas. Recommendations for policy makers and practitioners are made.
Abstract Many societies across the world have become dependent on the private car. Despite the benefits which come with having access to a car and the freedom which it has brought so many, car dependency is unsustainable. The emergence of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), a concept which promises to provide integrated multi-modal mobility with potential to rival the use of a private car, is hailed by some as a solution to the problems which currently exist within a car-centric culture. This paper begins by exploring why car dependency is unsustainable, highlighting serious social and economic concerns in addition to the environmental concerns often cited by those pushing for modal shift. A brief introduction to MaaS then follows, where it is noted that uptake of MaaS won’t necessarily contribute to a more sustainable society or solve the problems of car dependency. In the context of a forthcoming large-scale MaaS trial in a car-dependent region of the UK, and building on existing literature, this paper proposes five principles for ’sustainable MaaS’. The principles take into account the need to move away from dependence on the private car, the need for access to employment and amenities, the need to minimise the impact on the environment and the need to be viable in the long-term for all stakeholders. The paper asserts that sticking to these principles could enable MaaS to support a shift towards a more equitable and sustainable non-car-dependent society, and makes recommendations for key stakeholders including governments and mobility providers.
MaaS to pull us out of a car-centric orbit: Principles for sustainable Mobility-as-a-Service in the context of unsustainable car dependency
2022-08-08
11 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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