Research

Shifting from ownership to access and the future for MaaS : Insights from car sharing practices in Copenhagen

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Abstract

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is seen as a sustainable alternative to private car ownership in cities. It builds on the idea of a seamless and integrated system providing access to multimodal mobility options, including shared mobility services like car sharing. However, studies of user experiences with MaaS are still few, and a better understanding of how such integrated, multimodal systems will fit with the everyday life of citizens is needed. This paper applies social practice theories in an empirical study of how shared mobility, like in car sharing, is integrated within the complexity of everyday practices of citizens. The analysis is based on qualitative in-depth interviews with families using a Copenhagen car sharing scheme, where the members of the scheme can rent a car for shorter or longer periods of time. The interview findings are related to a review of how the use of MaaS is represented in existing MaaS schemes. The empirical analysis shows how the embodied routinization of everyday mobility, and its entanglement with other everyday practices, contrast with current MaaS schemes being anchored in an understanding of everyday mobility as flexible and based on rational, informed and choice-making decisions. It is argued that future MaaS designs should take into account the embodied routinization and entanglement of everyday mobility practices. The paper recommends three ways forward to promote MaaS as an alternative to private cars: MaaS designs and strategies should recognise the importance of the interrelations between mobility and other everyday practices, strategically highlight positive benefits of MaaS that challenge the conventional ideas of freedom associated with individual car ownership, and combine MaaS with broader policies to limit private car traffic through initiatives like road-pricing.