MaaS Stakeholders Must Focus Efforts on the End-User Not Tech-Centric Development
Strategy Analytics – Success in Mobility as a Service (MaaS) requires smart investments on many fronts: UX-centric research on target users, clear understanding of how consumers move from A to B and expertise in both app development and 24-hour customer service. Those companies that offer MaaS must delicately balance usage, satisfaction, and profitability, which at present is garnering mixed results from consumers. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to adversely affect the plans of mobility service providers but there is room for optimism – relative to ride-hailing and public transport, investment in car-sharing is rebounding.
A new report from the Strategy Analytics’ In-Vehicle UX (IVX) service, “In 2020, MaaS Usage and Satisfaction Still Do Not Align”, surveyed current and former MaaS users in China, the US, and Western Europe regarding their usage and satisfaction with ride-hailing, car-sharing and scooter/bike sharing app-based mobility services. While usage for many services is modest to robust, consumer satisfaction was moderate to weak, which continues to indicate a disconnect between target segments and the desirable transport UX wanted.
Commented Derek Viita, report author and Senior Analyst IVX, “In Western Europe in particular, satisfaction with most services notably weakened from 2019 to 2020. But even worldwide, no one mobility service surveyed exhibited a strong satisfaction score. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has thrown an additional spanner in the works, as travelers are hesitant to return to any form of shared transport.”
Continued Viita, “But in some corners of the MaaS space, there are reasons for optimism. Relative to ride-hailing and public transport, car-sharing investment is rebounding. Though ideal use cases remain somewhat narrow, consumers may find car-sharing or car clubs more convenient and useful for travel during the pandemic, given easier methods for access than traditional car rental services.”
Added Chris Schreiner, Director, IVX , “With expansions, mergers, and contractions in the MaaS space, combined with the ongoing pandemic, services that ignore key UX-centric factors affecting transport choice will likely struggle. MaaS stakeholders must focus efforts away from tech-centric development, back towards the end-users of these services – the travelers.”
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