Sustainable Mobility as a Service Ecosystem

With this study, we advance the theoretical understanding of sustainable mobility by framing it as a service ecosystem shaped by governance and multi-actor coordination. Drawing on a systematic literature review of studies indexed in Scopus and Web of Science from 2015 onward, the analysis reveals fragmentation across technological, behavioral, institutional, and governance-oriented layers, with limited integration across these dimensions, reflecting the sociotechnical complexity of mobility transitions. Central to our approach is the service ecosystem perspective, which differs from established transition frameworks by explicating how coordination, resource integration, and institutional alignment operate across interconnected layers. While established frameworks such as the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) and Transition Management (TM) explain structural dynamics, they provide limited analytical leverage for explaining how interaction mechanisms and service co-creation occur across actors and governance levels. Rather than focusing on isolated or disparate technical solutions, we argue that sustainable mobility emerges from the dynamic alignment of governance arrangements, user behavior, environmental impact, service provision, digital mobility, and modal systems. Based on these insights, we develop a conceptual framework that organizes these dimensions into interrelated layers and explains how their interactions shape sustainable mobility outcomes. While the multilevel perspective, transition management, and the sustainable mobility paradigm primarily address structural dynamics, governance logics, and normative goals, the service ecosystem lens adds analytical leverage by revealing how transitions are realized through everyday coordination mechanisms at the micro- and meso-levels. This perspective enables a clearer understanding of how technological, behavioral, and institutional changes co-evolve across layers, thereby revealing concrete policy and implementation challenges such as institutional fragmentation, limited interoperability, and misalignment between policy objectives and service delivery. The proposed integrative framework thus serves as a tool for researchers and policymakers seeking to design more coordinated, inclusive, and resilient low-carbon mobility systems aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).