Addressing Mobility-as-a-Service Inclusive Design through the Engagement of Vulnerable Users: Future Perspectives for Italian MaaS

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) has been targeted for long for its transformative potential for enhancing accessibility and social inclusion by addressing physical, economic, spatial, and digital barriers faced by vulnerable users, including the elderly, disabled individuals, and those in marginal areas. This paper examines Italy’s MaaS4Italy initiative, funded under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan, thus revealing that initial pilots prioritized early adopters (e.g., commuters, younger users) while lacking systematic engagement with vulnerable social groups (VSGs). Drawing on literature review and empirical analysis -including Sardinia-based surveys with NGOs- the authors identify key digital accessibility requirements (WCAG compliance, universal design principles) and engagement barriers (digital divide, mistrust, consultation fatigue). A three-phase governance and deployment framework is therefore proposed: (i) public authorities setting accessibility standards; (ii) co-design via partnerships with NGOs; and (iii) centralized audits with iterative VSG involvement for monitoring. Findings underscore the need for hybrid public-private governance, integrating Artificial Intelligence for bias-mitigated user profiling and tailored services. Policy recommendations advocate tailor-made strategies to ensure equitable MaaS deployment, fostering inclusive national pilots and long-term sustainability.