Mobility-as-a-Service and unsustainable travel behaviour: Exploring the car ownership and public transport trip replacement side-effects of the MaaS paradigm

Car-centred development adds significantly to the climate change threat our planet faces. Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is a concept looking to generate modal shift via the digital and physical integration of alternative on-demand transport services. Recent research raises concerns, however, that contrary to the hype, MaaS may result in unsustainable travel behaviour. On the one hand, future MaaS users that are now primarily drivers may not be ready to shift away from their cars, while, on the other hand, people regularly using public transport may substitute some of these journeys with MaaS-enabled car-sharing, ride-sharing and ride-hailing services. Herein, we study the effects of MaaS on intentions to own a car and to substitute public transport trips with car-centric services, via a UK-based quantitative survey. We use Principal Component Analysis and Ordinal Regression Modelling to see how MaaS-related perceptions referring to Added Value, Car Use Convenience and Enjoyment, Human Element Externalities, Trust in Functionality, Cost Incentives, Car Use Morality, Trust in Enabling Technology and Car Ownership Necessity affect usage intentions. Our results highlight some, typically less discussed, grey areas of MaaS and inform the design of policies, including car service disincentivitisation, responsible user benefits, MaaS rebranding and public transport investment prioritisation.