Investigating Maturity Requirements to Operate Mobility as a Service: The Rome Case

The maturity of a city to operate a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) ecosystem has been often analyzed in the literature. This and the consideration that MaaS is mostly found in areas with long-enforced transit-oriented policies and efficient multimodal supply raise the research question of whether it would be possible to operate MaaS in urban areas where mobility management is addressed according, on the contrary, to a conservative approach. A field study developed in Rome as a case in point, aimed at analyzing the actual feasibility of local MaaS operations, indicates that limitations are due to the citizens’ low willingness to pay. This is originated by a general underestimation of transit costs and made harsher by the inveterate use of passenger cars as the prevailing modal choice. The paper analyzes the results achieved, collected via a questionnaire, and highlights additional barriers to implement MaaS strictly related to its social acceptance, rather than to its technical viability, as to which the city, instead, is mature. The lesson learnt is that MaaS might be operationally (or technically) feasible even in challenging contexts, like Rome’s, but the prerequisite is to create supporting policies, for which a number of actions are outlined and elaborated, with the research goal to advance knowledge in this field, especially for decision-makers and potential stakeholders who might perceive MaaS as a too-demanding option for the context they operate in.