Rural Mobility as a Service (MaaS)
Mobility as a service (MaaS) is a model for supplying a wide range of passenger transport services through a single, digital customer interface. In its most ambitious form, it integrates different transport, information and payment services into a smooth and reliable customer experience. It includes traditional public transport, newer mobility services and booking demand-responsive modes, allowing door-to-door travel using a single interface or point of contact. In rural settings, MaaS can require innovative funding and business solutions as the system may not benefit from the same benefits of scale as an urban MaaS system could expect.
Public transport systems often serve as the backbone of MaaS. The viability of fixed-route services is often challenged in rural settings and adequate last-mile on-demand services could help address this. It is important to note that because rural areas often have insufficient public transport, they require alternatives such as adopting demand-responsive transport and opening up statutory (school, social and health service) transport to all. Inadequate public transport services also mean that other solutions, such as ridesharing (for people and goods) and peer-to-peer car rental, can serve as viable options. Combining public mobility budgets – such as those providing public transport, student transport or accessible mobility supports – can help to use the limited funding available more efficiently.
Many MaaS services remain in the pilot phase in both rural and urban areas. Most examples are from the Nordic countries. Denmark’s pilot of a rural MaaS app (MinRejseplan) was built off the existing nationwide public transport journey planner. Some aspects of MaaS, such as joint trip planning or integrated ticketing, can be enabled even before a full MaaS program is implemented and already exist in many places. If MaaS is to move beyond pilot schemes and scale to the point that it becomes the transport ecosystem for a city or region, it will likely require the integration of public and private agencies and operators.
The implementation and future role of MaaS, however, is still being researched. In order to progress, the implementing authorities will need to ensure appropriate legislation and governance exists to enable MaaS to operate, including considering aspects of competition. At the very least, this will require identifying the most appropriate operating model, defining the governance framework, and conducting long-term financial planning, as well as planning how ticketing and payment systems can be integrated and how data can be managed. Rural areas may not be able to offer viable services without public subsidies. Often, the only transport services that exist in such areas are statutory (school, social and health service transport). Thus, there might be no competition at all. These aspects are the subjects of ongoing research into the successful implementation of MaaS systems.
The reduction in CO2 due to MaaS is expected to result primarily from mode shift, i.e. from private car to more-sustainable modes of travel. The requirement for MaaS fleets to be low- or zero-emissions could further reduce the emissions associated with a trip.
The UbiGo MaaS trial in Gothenburg (an urban application) found that the net effect was reduced environmental impacts. Larger trials are needed to determine the true effect on the environment and number of vehicle-kilometres travelled.
CO2 reduction (based on pilots) depends on country characteristics and the type/extent of MaaS services offered. In the Nordic countries, assuming 10% choose MaaS for commuting trips, the cumulative potential of the five countries is approximately 1 227 ktCO2e/year. This is largely based on urban implementation. So while successful MaaS options can reduce CO2, whether MaaS will be successful in rural areas remains a challenge.
Since rural areas often do not have local trains and sufficient public transport, reducing driven kilometres would result in lower emissions. Kilometres could be reduced by travellers using, for example, ridesharing, carsharing, or on-demand transport instead of a private car. The opening and combining of statutory and other transport organized by the public sector could also provide an alternative. A pilot in Finnish rural areas showed that combining rides on statutory transport services has the potential to reduce driven kilometres and emissions.
Although methods for successfully implementing MaaS are still under discussion, it is evident that sources of costs can include:
- Development and maintenance of the MaaS platform – the user interface and back-end platform that will enable MaaS – as well as integrating ticketing and payment systems (once a system is developed, its maintenance also calls for dedicated resources)
- Potential start-up and organisational costs in developing legislation and governance frameworks, as well as any necessary organisations or teams with the appropriate skills and remit
- Potential subsidies for public service provision
- Digitalisation and updating of transport data. In the Open Arctic MaaS project (https://www.arcticmaas.fi/p/in-english.html), local stakeholders digitalised their transport data, which entailed a considerable effort as they lacked previous experience. When it comes to small actors, digitalising data is a big task, and updating data when changes occur (e.g. in timetables or routes) also requires time and resources.
- Social benefits of improving accessibility to transport for residents of rural areas as well as for tourists and other actors like businesses and service providers.
- Higher utilisation of vehicles can help speed up fleet turnover, thereby facilitating the penetration of new and more-sustainable technologies.
- Reduction of air pollutants from private car use.
- Areas with sparse populations and long distances could still improve efficiency by providing last-mile services and by integrating different types of transport. For example, MaaS operators could combine passenger transport with last-mile delivery of parcels, post, pharmacy deliveries, food deliveries etc. There is also potential for collaboration with the health care sector to help provide access to medical appointments (which often exists as a separate service), or on-demand travel/para-transit.
- Close coordination is needed between all service providers and the digital platform provider.
- Rural MaaS should be planned in the context of a wider rural mobility strategy.
- Government regulation is needed to ensure coordination and cooperation among the parties involved.
- Pilot projects have not yet demonstrated significant cost savings to users.
- The cost of cars is often thought of as a sunk cost. Individuals may consider fuel costs when comparing with other options such as public transport, but the actual cost of car ownership is underestimated, making it more challenging to compete with car ownership.
- Older adults may not be as well-versed in digital technology, so there will be challenges to implementation in rural areas with older populations.
- In the UbiGo trial, some users changed their mobility habits to more car usage than before (taxi, carpool). More pilots and trials are needed to determine whether this is a likely outcome of MaaS.
- A qualitative focus group study in Denmark with participants from rural and urban areas stressed the importance of the flexibility and autonomy provided by private cars, especially when journeys involve multiple trip chains. This is especially true of families. There was significant scepticism amongst participants that the larger distances in rural travel would be well served by MaaS.
ITF (2021) Transport Climate Action Directory – Rural mobility as a Service (MaaS)
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