Translating innovation into everyday practices – organizational action and adaptations in the development of MaaS

Research Project, 2023 – 2024

In the public transport sector, actors have embraced the idea of combined and integrated mobility or MaaS. Despite attempts to implement MaaS, often via 'pilots' aiming to introduce an app, the hopes for a seamless mobility have not been fulfilled. This does not
mean that MaaS has failed or that the actors involved remain the same after the initiatives.On the contrary, a pilot does something with the system it is part of, both in terms of services offered, and in terms of organizational innovation capacity. This project explores
how innovation work is practiced, beyond the construction of apps or specific services. In contrast to previous research, we examine how Maas is translated into practice and the processes of change they entail, but we also examine the organizational and institutional
context these processes are part of. We also put a particular emphasis on the inclusion of the users. Two questions guide the study; How is MaaS translated and adapted locally? How are user preferences included in these processes? The study starts off in the innovation
practices of Skåne and Västra Götaland (Sweden), but analyzes these practices in relation to the wider 'ecosystem' around Maas. We map and interview key actors, important events and documents to understand the local initiatives and their surroundings. We also analyze
four international MaaS cases, chosen for their connections to the public sector as well as their particular user focus.