Publications
2025
Tiago, J., Carvalho, M. L., & Vale, D. (2025). Challenges to inclusive mobility as a service: Findings from a stakeholder workshop in Lisbon. Journal of Urban Mobility, 8, 100169.
Abstract: Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is widely discussed as a strategy to promote more sustainable and integrated mobility systems. However, its potential to reduce socio-territorial inequalities remains uncertain. While the literature identifies structural barriers, such as governance fragmentation, digital integration challenges, and financial viability, these analyses often remain at a general level. To complement these insights, we adopted a participatory workshop as a methodology, with stakeholders from the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, including operators, service providers, municipalities, authorities, and users. The discussions revealed how different actors interpret and prioritize barriers, exposing mismatches between institutional roles, coordination difficulties, and unequal digital and operational capacities. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the implementation of inclusive MaaS through the perspectives of those directly involved. The results not only align with the literature but also add contextualized dimensions related to leadership gaps, inter-municipal cooperation, and territorial disparities. Although focused on Lisbon, the insights may inform future approaches to MaaS implementation in other metropolitan contexts.
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Orozco-fontalvo, M., Lopes, A. S., Vale, D., & Moura, F. (2025). MaaS: Which resources are enablers, and who is being excluded? Transportation Research Part D, 148.
Abstract: Access to MaaS services is restricted for some population segments due to the spatial availability and to resources like mobile data, digital literacy, or vehicle-riding skills. Moreover, these services are frequently more expensive than traditional modes of transportation, which may contribute to social exclusion. This study aims to identify the resources that enable or hinder access to MaaS. These resources were identified from the literature and then included in a survey (n = 2000) conducted in Lisbon. Our results indicate that 20 to 30 % of respondents lack the necessary re- sources to use MaaS. However, the extent of access to MaaS is contingent upon the service or services within a MaaS bundle that a particular user is enabled to use, which is significantly influenced by their profile. We identified the main resources that provide access to MaaS and addressed the importance of providing flexibility for different enablers to increase accessibility. We conclude that public authorities should play a role in deciding where and how to provide new mobility services and that operators should consider the range of resources identified in this study to ensure broader access to the various modes of transport for a wider population segment and avoid exclusion.
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Lopes, André, Filipe Moura, and David Vale (2025). The Effects of Bike-Sharing-Transit Integration on Accessibility Equity. Journal of Transport Geography 128 (May): 104344.
Abstract: Contemporary urban and transportation planning prioritizes accessibility and aims to reduce inequality in access to opportunities. Current efforts in transport integration focus on enhancing intermodal services and decreasing car usage, aligning with these objectives. However, the impact of transport integration on accessibility and social challenges remains largely unexplored. The degree to which integrating public and shared transport modes (as advocated by contemporary models such as Mobility as a Service, or MaaS) helps reduce social and territorial inequalities in accessing opportunities is still unclear. We calculated accessibility levels for nine urban oppor- tunities, considering public transportation and bike-sharing integration, and assessed inequality in these con- texts. The results indicate increased territorial accessibility, particularly in peripheral areas connected to docking stations. Population-based results mirrored territorial trends, showing minimal changes and comparable re- ductions in inequality for access to opportunities across various activity types. However, two of the nine op- portunity types exhibited increased inequality levels, underscoring the importance of transport and land-use policies for enhancing accessibility
2024
Orozco-Fontalvo, Mauricio, André Soares Lopes, David Vale & Filipe Moura, (2024). IMPReSS : A comprehensive method to classify MaaS systems. Transport Policy, 155, 234–241
Abstract: Mobility as a Service (MaaS) can improve urban mobility by reducing car ownership and promoting multimodal transport through a single mobility app that provides trip planners, booking, ticketing, and payment for different modes and bundles. However, not all existing MaaS (or potential MaaS) systems provide a fully integrated system. Several authors have proposed different methodologies to assess MaaS integration. However, these approaches have some limitations regarding the scalability or characterization of the systems, making it hard to compare them, as the current approaches are all incremental. In this work, we propose a new method called IMPReSS, a binary coding approach that assesses several dimensions of MaaS: Information, Multimodality, Payment, Reservation, Subscription, and Societal goals. It allows proper classification and comparison of different systems, using the societal goals as a cornerstone for its evaluation. Also, we propose a complementary scoring system based on the IMPReSS topology. This qualitative and quantitative methodology will allow practitioners and researchers to characterize, identify, and adequately assess transportation services and their potential to become a fully integrated MaaS system. Our results show that mature MaaS systems with public authorities involved and some often excluded from MaaS discussion systems are ranked higher, while some wrongly called MaaS apps are ranked at the bottom. In summary, it assesses systems from a different and flexible perspective.
2023
Vale, David & André Soares Lopes (2023) Accessibility inequality across Europe: a comparison of 15-minute pedestrian accessibility in cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants. npj Urban Sustainaibility, 3.
Abstract: Active accessibility is a paramount objective of sustainable urban development policies. Recently, the 15-minute city concept emphasized this framework by stressing proximity as a key urban feature. In this paper, we use two accessibility indicators —cumulative opportunities (total destinations) and Variety (number of different types of opportunities)—to evaluate pedestrian accessibility, using a 15-minute threshold, in a sample of European cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants, and measure within-city and between-city inequality, by calculating pseudo-Gini coefficients. Our results show not only that European cities are not 15-minute cities yet but also that there is significant inequality within them, although less so in cities with high Variety. Our cross-city comparison found diminishing returns between total destinations and population density and between Variety and density. Our findings suggest that European cities can increase pedestrian accessibility and reduce internal inequality by increasing the Variety of opportunities accessible by foot, along with improvements to pedestrian infrastructure.
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Lopes, André Soares, Maurício Orozco-Fontalvo, Filipe Moura & David Vale, (2023) Mobility as a service and socio-territorial inequalities?: A systematic literature review. Journal of Transport and Land Use, 16, 215–240.
Abstract: Mobility as a service is a potential solution to mobility problems; however, it raises concerns about its relationship with socio-territorial inequalities (STIs). This paper contains a systematic literature review of real-world MaaS applications and their effects on STIs. From the principle of distributive justice, we adopted the Resources, Opportunities, Outcomes, and Wellbeing (ROOW) approach to assess cases. From 2009 papers on MaaS, we identified 20 real-world applications that considered equity impacts. Most studies were undertaken in Europe and Asia, neglecting countries in South America, Africa, and other low-income countries. They did not quantify the societal advantages of MaaS, while only a handful investigated the influence of MaaS over STIs. Results indicate that MaaS schemes contain at least three factors that may drive inequality: the lack of basic resources to enter the system, the systems’ limited geographic coverage, or MaaS users may not gain from the system’s intended accessibility benefits. In conclusion, MaaS could improve trip planning and access to new modes and low-density areas, but it is still perceived as expensive and only accessible to digitally literate people. This should be considered when defining MaaS governance, which remains (to date) underdeveloped, hindering private-public collaboration.
Related publications
2023
Filipe Moura, Gabriel Valença, Rosa Félix & David S. Vale (2023) The impact of public bike-sharing systems on mobility patterns: Generating or replacing trips? International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 1-18
2022
Orozco-Fontalvo, M., Llerena, L., & Cantillo, V. (2022). Dockless electric scooters: A review of a growing micromobility mode. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 1-17.
2021
Vale, DS (2021) Active accessibility and transit-oriented development: Connecting two sides of the same coin. Urban Form and Accessibility, 123-140
2020
Vale, DS (2020) Effective accessibility: Using effective speed to measure accessibility by cost. Transportation research part D: transport and environment 80, e102263-e102263
Lopes AS, Cavalcante CB, Vale DS, Loureiro CFG (2020) Convergence of planning practices towards LUT integration: Seeking evidences in a developing country. Land Use Policy 99, 104842
Cambra, P., & Moura, F. (2020). How does walkability change relate to walking behavior change? Effects of a
street improvement in pedestrian volumes and walking experience. Journal of Transport & Health, 16(November
2019), 100797.
2019
Lopes, A. S., Loureiro, C. F. G., & Van Wee, B. (2019). LUTI operational models review based on the proposition of an a priori ALUTI conceptual model. Transport reviews, 39(2), 204-225.
2018
Vale, D. S., Pereira, M., & Viana, C. M. (2018). Different destination, different commuting pattern? Analyzing the influence of the campus location on commuting. Journal of Transport and Land Use, 11(1), 1-18.
2017
Vale, D. S., Ascensão, F., Raposo, N., & Figueiredo, A. P. (2017). Comparing access for all: disability-induced accessibility disparity in Lisbon. Journal of Geographical Systems, 19(1), 43–54.
Vale, D. S., & Pereira, M. (2017). The influence of the impedance function on gravity-based pedestrian accessibility measures: A comparative analysis. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 44(4), 740–763.
Moura, F., Cambra, P., Gonçalves, A.B., 2017. Measuring walkability for distinct pedestrian groups with a participatory assessment method: a case study in Lisbon. Landscape and Urban Planning. 157, 282–296.
2016
Vale, D. S., & Pereira, M. (2016). Influence on pedestrian commuting behavior of the built environment surrounding destinations: A structural equations modeling approach. International Journal of Sustainable
Transportation, 10(8), 730–741.
2014
Pritchard, J. P., Moura, F., Silva, J. de A. e, & Martinez, L. M. (2014). Spatial Analysis of Transportation-related Social Exclusion in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 111, 440–449.