Sustainable Urban Mobility Practices

The case of the implementation of mobility as a service in Amsterdam

The continuous growth of cities puts strain on the urban mobility system. The current mobility system also has adverse environmental effects, most importantly its contribution to climate change that results from the continuing dependence on fossil fuels. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a technological innovation that can potentially address these problems of the urban mobility system by integrating mobility and thereby increasing its efficiency. However, the extent to which MaaS can realise this potential is dependent on how it is provisioned and which practices are induced by the implementation of MaaS. This thesis thus assesses the contribution of the implementation of MaaS to the formation of sustainable urban mobility practices. It adopts the case of Amsterdam, where the implementation of MaaS is actively pursued by a wide variety of actors. Interviews with representatives of these actors involved in the implementation of MaaS are used to analyse the way in which MaaS is provisioned. This shows that MaaS affects a new and interdisciplinary way of working, focused on learning-by-doing, with new partnerships between private and public parties. It also shows that the implementation of MaaS is dependent on a change in practices based on a shift towards urban lifestyles, making car use redundant, and a rising awareness of negative effects of car use. These changes in how mobility is provisioned due to MaaS are compared to the changes that are required for achieving sustainable urban mobility. This comparison illustrates that the changes induced by MaaS have much overlap with those that might lead to a shift towards sustainable urban mobility. However, what is still lacking in Amsterdam is a clear and shared vision that includes implementing MaaS with the explicit goal of achieving sustainability. The regulatory structures and organisational settings and the role division between the different actors should be formed in such a way that it supports the shared vision of sustainability. This research thus concludes that while MaaS increases the efficiency of the mobility system, it does not by itself contribute to the formation of sustainable urban mobility practices. This increased efficiency combined with a modal shift means that practices that adopt making the best possible use of the technology MaaS offers are more sustainable than conventional mobility practices centred around car use. However, this change in practices does not necessarily disrupt them in such a way that sustainable urban mobility practices are formed. This can only be achieved by steering the implementation of MaaS to contribute to the formation of sustainable urban mobility practices.