Mobility as a service and autonomous vehicles: a perspective on the future of mobility

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Cohen and Kietzmann (2014) have noticed how the relationship between the service providers 
(agents) and the local governments (principals), are important to achieve the common objective 
of a sustainable mobility. In figure 1.1, they show, through the shared mobility agency matrix, 
how the integration between shared mobility operators and cities has the potential to minimize 
agency conflicts and increase the sustainability of the business models.  
 
Figure 1.1 Shared Mobility Agency Matrix. Source: Cohen and Kietzmann (2014) 
 
On the y axis it is located the level of interest of the agent on the service. In this case, the goal 
of a private service provider is to maximize the value for every paying customer. On the x axis 
it is represented the interest of the principal, which is to create a better environment for the 
citizens and to reduce pollution. On the graph it is possible to see that the best solution (when 
the value for the customers is the highest and, at the same time, the transport system in the city 
is optimized) is achieved with the Merit business model for sustainability (BMfS). The research 
by Cohen and Kietzmann (2014) refers to Merit as a hybrid for-profit model with tangible 
government support. In fact, to allow individuals with low income level to have access to 
transportation, many transport systems are subsidized by the government.  
The research analyzes also the business model of bike-sharing and ridesharing. Ridesharing 
consists of carpooling, flexible carpooling, vanpooling, and P2P ridesharing (Chan and 
Shaheen, 2012). Also in this case, the carpooling can be done for profit or non-profit purposes: 
P2P carpooling, thanks to the power of social networks and new technologies such as mobile 
geolocation, enables real-time ridesharing among network members (Kietzmann et al., 2011). 
The flexible carpooling involves the use of designated meeting places, instead of prearranged 
door-to-door services. The P2P rideshare companies have primarily avoided collaborations 
with cities and public transports agents; for this reason, even if they are able to offer a disruptive