When mobility meets sustainability: The impact of mobility-as-a-service platform on air pollution in Beijing, China

By providing an integrated framework for travel planning, booking, payment, and ticketing, Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform provides a transformative pathway to reducing private car usage and mitigating environmental externalities. Few studies have assessed whether MaaS platforms can effectively contribute to sustainability goals, such as mitigating air pollution. This study evaluates the impact of the MaaS platform implemented on Nov 4, 2019 on air pollution in Beijing, China by employing a double-debiased machine learning model. Drawing on air quality and meteorological data from 34 environmental monitoring stations in Beijing from Jan 1, 2016 to Dec 31, 2020, this study reveals that the MaaS platform significantly reduces air pollutant concentrations, including PM_2.5, PM₁₀, CO, and NO₂ in the central urban areas, particularly on major roads. This result withstands extensive robustness tests. Moreover, the MaaS platform is more effective in mitigating air pollution under non-rainy conditions and in areas with established metro stations. However, the point trading incentive integrated into the MaaS platform does not contribute to further short-term reductions in air pollution.