Mobility as a service, platform uses and social innovation: lessons from South America

ABSTRACT Platforms are becoming integral elements of urban transport systems, and more recently, platform technology has dominated the debate in implementing Mobility as a Service (MaaS) structures. However, for all the arguments on the impact of platforms on the future of work, and the deterministic technological nature of MaaS discourse, little attention is paid to social engagement and how people use these technologies. This research focuses on how entrepreneurial communities using platforms can challenge preconceptions around what constitutes MaaS and introduce a narrative for achieving mobility justice goals. This paper seeks to broaden the discussion around designing a MaaS policy to include consideration of how urban and regional residents incorporate platforms into everyday mobility practices, and what this might mean for mobility justice. People’s everyday engagement with a range of mobility options and platforms provides insight into how MaaS policy may foster equitable transport outcomes for groups that may be overlooked, marginalised or unrecognised in wider debates. This research from South America which utilises a human-centred approach has significance for other contexts such as Australia, to inform future policy directions which aim to promote mobility justice values.