The potential of mobility as a service to deliver sustainable value and implications for business models

Abstract

Mobility is one of the greatest environmental challenges we face today. Therefore, there is increasing pressure to transition to a more sustainable urban mobility system, giving rise to Mobility-as-a-Service as a potential solution to reverse private car ownership. It consists of a digital interface that integrates existing transport modes and offers users the possibility to plan, book, and pay for upcoming trips. However, the complexity of this concept imposes several questions regarding its potential to deliver what it promises to. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to understand the potential of this service to deliver sustainable value and the implication this has on its business models. The approach applied was qualitative exploratory research by conducting semi-structured interviews with industry experts. The findings reveal that the sustainability of Mobility-as-a-Service depends on (1) its ability to capture the segment of private car users to be profitable in the long run, (2) the extension of the public transport network with other forms of collective mobility to achieve social inclusion, and (3) the innovation of existing business models from vehicle suppliers and manufacturers to integrate environmentally sustainable objectives. Achieving these three goals requires stakeholders to engage in a reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationship. This research contributes to a holistic understanding of the ecosystem business model by considering the needs of key stakeholders.

Date of Award	24 Jan 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	René Bohnsack (Supervisor)