Adopting Mobility-as-a-Service : An empirical analysis of end-users’ experiences

Despite widespread interest, empirical research on how end-users perceive and use Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is scarce. To address this knowledge gap, this article analyzes the end-user process of adopting a MaaS service entitled EC2B, which was launched in Gothenburg, Sweden, in the spring of 2019. The contribution to the MaaS literature is three-fold. Firstly, the article provides insight into potential end-users by describing the characteristics and motives of the studied group of adopters. Secondly, it improves the understanding of the potential effects of MaaS by outlining how the EC2B service was used and how it influenced travel behavior. Thirdly, the article informs strategies for facilitating MaaS adoption by outlining what types of drivers and barriers the end-users faced during different stages of the adoption process. The reported findings underscore previous assertions that MaaS is much more than just an app and a subscription plan and highlight a mutually reinforcing relationship between the introduction of MaaS and the implementation of policies aimed at reducing car use.Region Västra Götaland and K2 – The Swedish Knowledge Centre for Public Transport funded the reported study. Additionally, the revision of the article was supported by the Swedish Energy Agency through the SEAMLESS project. The study was made possible by helpful representatives at Riksbyggen, EC2B AB, Västtrafik AB, Sunfleet AB and GoRide AB.