Towards Sustainable Mobility: A Focus on MaaS Adoption in Suburbs/Rural Areas and Cities

Abstract

Mobility as a Service is an innovative mobility solution that is arguably a suitable solution for promoting sustainable travel behaviors in our societies. However, its widespread acceptance as a one-stop solution is still unclear. This paper seeks to examine the level of acceptance of MaaS whether it should be introduced especially making comparisons between rural or urban settings. Using the Biwako Valley area in Shiga and Kyoto city of Japan as case studies, data was collected via an online stated preference survey and analyzed. A censored regression model-Tobit Type II model was used for the analysis and the results reveal that there is a subtle distinction between MaaS adoption in Shiga and Kyoto respectively. The inclusion of trains and buses positively impacts MaaS adoption. However, the willingness to adopt MaaS in the suburbs and give up the use of private cars is weak. MaaS is still at its budding stage in Japan. Therefore, these insights will be useful for the implementation of MaaS in suburbs/rural areas and for the development of a sustainable community for all.