Shared mobility services as a part of a transport-efficient society?
Mobility service business models in focus
Time: Fri 2024-12-06 15.15
Location: Sahara, Teknikringen 10B, Stockholm
Video link: https://kth-se.zoom.us/j/63935950215
Language: English
Subject area: Planning and Decision Analysis, Strategies for sustainable development
Doctoral student: Erika Styre , Strategiska hållbarhetsstudier
Opponent: Dr Göran Smith, Ri.se
Supervisor: Professor Mattias Höjer, Strategiska hållbarhetsstudier; Anna H Kramers, Strategiska hållbarhetsstudier; Universitetslektor Matthias Lehner,
QC 20241114
Abstract
The transport sector plays a crucial role in society; it not only influences daily commuting but also occupies a significant place in the economic system while being one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Road passenger transport, heavily reliant upon private cars, is a particularly dominant factor in domestic emissions in Sweden. Strategies to mitigate these effects involve transitioning to more environmentally friendly technologies and promoting a transport-efficient society. This thesis focuses on the need to shift towards more energy-efficient means of transport, which entails replacing trips previously made with individual private cars with alternative mobility options such as shared mobility services.
Although still a relatively new phenomenon, shared mobility is rapidly growing and disrupting urban environments worldwide. Predominantly owned and operated by private actors, shared mobility services lie at the intersection of private ambitions and public needs to reduce private car dependency. These services present both new opportunities and challenges for society and public authorities. Therefore, this thesis aims to deepen the understanding of shared mobility services and explore how they can support the transition towards a transport-efficient society.
The thesis investigates shared mobility services by integrating insights from transport research with concepts and theories from business management, specifically business model interpretations. A key aspect of this analysis is embedding these services within an external environment such as the policy context to explore interdependencies. The qualitative research is based primarily on case studies which used semi-structured interviews and workshops to acquire rich empirical data for analysis. The multi-level perspective and actor-network theory are identified as relevant theoretical frameworks for this research.
The results are structured around research questions that (i) focus on interdependencies between business models and regulations, (ii) explore the possible contributions the sustainable business model research field could make in the creation of more sustainable shared mobility services, and (iii) showcase what is necessary for these services to contribute to a transport-efficient society. The thesis proposes that simplification and overlooking the diversity of shared mobility services hamper the development and integration of such services within the transportation system. From the transition perspective, the results show that different shared mobility services have moved from filling niche positions to entering established regimes, which leads to the disruption and transformation of different regime elements within them. While this creates destabilisation and opens up a window of opportunity, it does not result in a full transition into the new regime. There is also a chicken-and-egg problem regarding shared mobility services and the governance of these services. This means that a lack of knowledge hampers the integration of such services into the transport systems, but without experimentation and integration, new knowledge about these services cannot be gained. The dismissal of shared mobility services leads to alternative ways of operating, which do not always have the most sustainable outcomes. Finally, this licentiate thesis demonstrates that the nature of shared mobility services blurs the sharp division between established actor networks and responsibilities, which then become ill-suited to address new innovative services.