Investigating the unobserved heterogeneity in passenger satisfaction with Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) bundles

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a transformative approach to urban mobility that offers a convenient, sustainable, and user-centered transportation experience. Despite its recent investigations, service experience and satisfaction of MaaS remain less research attention. This study empirically investigates the effects of service quality on MaaS satisfaction. Using a sample of 459 MaaS users in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis results reveal that dimensions of service experience, including physical effort, affective effort, seamlessness, experiential value, and autonomy/competence significantly influence user satisfaction. To explore the unobserved heterogeneity among MaaS users, the finite mixture modeling (FIMIX) segmentation results reveal our latent groups: value-conscious, convenience-conscious, planning-conscious, and uncertainty-averse users. The necessary condition analysis results show that seamlessness and experience value are necessary conditions for MaaS user satisfaction. Empirical implications for a user-centered MaaS are made.