Impact assessment study of mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) on social equity through nonwork accessibility in rural Japan

People with transportation access can easily join socioeconomic activities. However, insufficient accessibility levels hinder this engagement, causing the inequitable distribution of transportation benefits. Accessibility distribution for nonwork activities has become a serious issue, especially in rural Japan's aging population. Using the National Integrated Transport Analysis System's travel survey data, this study aims to evaluate whether Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) can enhance social equity and accessibility levels, specifically for vulnerable groups in most need of aid in rural Japan. To assess accessibility distribution for nonwork activities, person- and place-based accessibility measures provided detailed observations of individual accessibility levels across social groups. The Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve measured the fairness of transportation benefits distribution for different transportation modes. Transportation was less accessible to the elderly than to young and middle-aged people, and bus accessibility was unequal. Nevertheless, the AI on-demand shuttle caused a remarkable decrease in the accessibility inequity of two out-of-home activities.