Identifying MaaS schemes that maximise economic benefits through an economic appraisal

Abstract

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is a new concept of transport mobility where various mobility services such as public transport, taxi and sometimes rideshare services are offered as a bundle with subscription payment. Many government transport agencies, industry bodies and academia have shown interest in MaaS, evidenced by the release of policy papers, trials and academic studies. The trials and studies to date presume that MaaS will benefit society, however, there is a lack of economic justification within the literature on the impacts on users, governments and communities. This paper explores multiple MaaS options through an economic appraisal framework and quantifies the economic benefits of MaaS. The economic appraisal framework monetised the MaaS impacts that were identified in past literature and compared the net benefits to society of several MaaS options developed for this paper. The appraisal demonstrated that the MaaS option that promotes public and active travel generates the largest economic benefits compared to other options that were considered. This paper demonstrates that transport policy can be developed based on the net impacts MaaS can provide to society. It also contributes to the discussion on policy issues surrounding MaaS which is important as government transport agencies and industry partners explore the justification for investment and implementation requirements.