Business Model Blueprints for the Shared Mobility Hub Network

Abstract

Shared (electric) mobility is still facing challenges in terms of reaching its potential as a sustainable mobility solution. Low physical and digital integration with public transport, a lack of charging infrastructure, the regulatory barriers, and the public nuisance are hindering the uptake and organization of shared mobility services. This study examines the case of the shared mobility hub, a location where shared mobility is concentrated, as a solution to overcome these challenges. To find ideas informing how a network of shared mobility hubs can contribute to sustainable urban mobility and to overcome the aforementioned challenges, a business model innovation approach was adopted. Focus groups, consisting of public and private stakeholders, collaboratively designed five business model (BM) blueprints, reaching a consensus about the value creation, delivery, and capture mechanisms of the network. The blueprints, defined as first-/last-mile, clustered, point-of-interest (POI), hybrid, and closed mobility hub networks, provide alternative solutions to integrate sustainable transportation modes into a coherent network, enabling multi- and intermodal travel behaviour, and supporting interoperability, sustainable land use, and ensured access to shared (electric) travel modes. However, which kind of network the local key stakeholders need to commit to depends on the local policy goals and regulatory context.

Mobility Hubs: Review and Future Research Direction

“…Additionally, suitability of infrastructure is a considerable challenge. Even if the land is available there is no guarantee that the optimum conditions for MH creation exist; these can include charging infrastructure, bike lanes, or even safe pedestrianized access ( 1 ). Consideration should be given to the suitability of the land for electrification, and not only is this a factor in the SUMC guidance, it is one of the criteria in Plymouth City Council’s location strategy for MHs ( 9 , 25 ).…”

“…Climate change is currently a focus of international and national policy and, consequently, there has been a growing recognition of the need to address the impact of urban transport. National governments, regions, and cities are focusing more attention on this and other environmental and social issues relating to urban transport such as congestion and air pollution, and their impact on health ( 1 ). Therefore, the idea of mobility hubs (MHs) or mobihubs has evolved over the course of the last 20 years as one solution and has been integrated into the transport plans of many cities.…”

An analysis of the mobility hub concept in the Netherlands: Historical lessons for its implementation

“…Collaboration between public and private parties is essential for organising service supplies at a hub and delivering an integrated travel product to users. In their study on shared mobility hub business models in the North-Western European eHUBS project, (Coenegrachts et al, 2021) conclude that adverse effects may occur, as integration could entail substitution rather than complementarity, possibly eroding publicly-funded transport services. Furthermore, the interview findings suggest that a positive financial return becomes more realistic as area density increases.…”

“…Utrecht, Bremen, Vienna) and rural areas (e.g. Flanders, Groningen-Drenthe, Karlsruhe), which regularly link to research programmes, exemplified by recent reports of eHUBS (Bösehans et al, 2021;Coenegrachts et al, 2021), SmartHubs (Geurs and Münzel, 2022) or SMiLES (Kask et al, 2021). Moreover, for its latest trans-European transport network (TEN-T) regulation, the European Commission proposes that by 2030 "in urban nodes, in order to ensure the effective functioning of the entire network without bottlenecks, Member States shall ensure […] the development of multimodal passenger hubs to facilitate first and last mile connections" (European Commission and Directorate General for Mobility and Transport, 2021, p. 62).…”

“…Thus, the concept of a mobility hub remains ambiguous, with a lack of consensus on its definition. Within the recent literature, mobility hubs are described as clusters of either new, shared, or electric mobility services available at designated locations where travel demand is high, which can be integrated into conventional public transport services (Anderson et al, 2017;Bell, 2019;Bösehans et al, 2021;Coenegrachts et al, 2021;Frank et al, 2021;Miramontes et al, 2017). Although specific elaborations of the concept vary among authors, the core characteristics of mobility hubs are their provision of multimodal transfers and their frequent interactions with surrounding land uses according to their locations.…”