Mobility as a Service: promises, pilot evidence and governance lessons

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) integrates fragmented transport modes into a single digital interface for planning, booking and payment, and is widely presented as a route toward less car-dependent cities. The concept rests on a ladder of integration that few operational schemes fully climb, and its sustainability claims remain partly speculative. Pilot evidence shows high satisfaction and modest reductions in private car use among self-selected early adopters, with substitution patterns that do not always favor public or active modes. Governance lessons point to a redefinition of the public role from operator to orchestrator, to contested control over trip data, and to equity outcomes that depend on deliberate inclusive design. MaaS is therefore best understood as a governance project rather than a purely technological fix.