The determinant conditions and causal mechanisms that explain the use of micromobility services

Abstract

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is presented as a possible solution to the sustainability challenges posed by the concentration of population in cities. Despite the wide range of services that it incorporates and the fact that its adoption is associated with numerous benefits, its rate of use remains low. Therefore, the aim of our research is to identify the factors which explain the use of micromobility services. Since the adoption of mobility is a complex phenomenon whose explanation involves conditions at different levels, a model based on a multilevel perspective is applied to a sample of 48 cities in different parts of the world. The application of Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Necessary Conditions Analysis shows that there are no necessary conditions in kind for the use of micromobility services, although there are necessary conditions in degree. Likewise, the different combinations of conditions that explain the use, and denial, of the micromobility services are identified. The role played by satisfaction with public transport and the perception that traffic congestion is not a problem stand out in explaining the use, or denial, of micromobility services. There is a causal mechanism that shows how certain conditions trigger the use of micromobility services. MaaS operators should take advantage of existing synergies with different services in the mobility regime to try to encourage the adoption of their applications.