Evaluating Mobility as a Service for sustainable travel among young adults

Young adults delay obtaining their driver’s licence, make fewer trips and are more open to using different transport modes. The continuation of this trend as young adults transition from university education into the workforce is less certain. This thesis explores the potential of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) to shift university graduates away from cars and towards public transport and shared mobility services, using the metropolitan city of Birmingham, UK as a case study. MaaS is an app-based scheduling, booking and payment platform for multiple transport modes on a per trip or subscription basis. First, questionnaire survey data was analysed using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour to understand multimodal travel behaviour. Second, a discrete choice experiment was used to test the attractiveness of a MaaS subscription relative to conventional transport modes. Third, semi-structured interviews explored the underlying factors influencing graduates’ travel choices as they transition from university education to the workforce using Michie’s Capability, Opportunity and Motivation Behaviour model. The results of the quantitative studies found cost, time, accessibility, and the opinions and behaviour of significant others influence participants’ choice of transport mode. The interviews revealed how students’ negative experiences of using public transport had motivated them to learn to drive, and the transition into the workforce provided the financial means to buy a car. Information and communication technologies were found to play a role in influencing young adults’ travel choices as shown by the reliance on smartphone travel apps. The uptake of MaaS in the current market is optimistic given the relative appeal of its cost, time, and flexibility. The adoption of MaaS among young adults depends on institutional incentives, location, and ease of use. Overall, the flexible multimodal characteristics of MaaS needs strengthening if it is to reduce car-based commuting among new graduate employee