In recent years, there has been a growing prevalence of new mobility services such as Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) and multimodal digital mobility platforms (MDM). Such services include, for example, e-scooter or bike-sharing, on-demand ride-pooling and ride-hailing. On the one hand, these services are said to have positive effects on the sustainability, inclusivity and resilience of the transport system. On the other hand, however, they are also said to pose certain risks, such as rebound effects caused by traffic induction, the cannibalisation of public transport, or the exclusion of social groups with less digital literacy. Against this backdrop, the report analyses the operational and business models of digital mobility platforms and outlines challenges and potential solutions regarding data exchange between such platforms.

The study shows that three structurally distinct types of platform can be identified in the German market for digital mobility platforms, each with significantly varying potential for socio-ecological impact. The integrative research approach enables the identification of a wide range of potential for adaptation in environmental and social terms, from which key recommendations for action are ultimately derived. These address structural framework conditions as well as the social and environmental design of the platform offerings.