Strategic Planning Capacities in a Time of Platformisation

The influx of digital platforms into the mobility sector has created a myriad of new forms of mobility services in urban transport. The proliferation of digital platforms raises questions regarding public actors’ strategic planning capacities in times of platformisation. In this paper, focus is directed towards Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) as an example of platformisation taking place in a setting where public actors have (in theory) had an opportunity to influence platform developments in relation to urban and mobility planning. Based on qualitative research into a pilot project for MaaS in the Stockholm region, the aim of this paper is to provide insights into the relationship between platformisation and strategic planning. More specifically, we discuss how local and regional organisations with responsibilities for urban transport and land-use planning navigate and respond to the ongoing platformisation of urban mobility, from a strategic planning perspective. The analysis shows that local and regional planning actors generally frame the MaaS platform as beyond their sphere of responsibility. Consequently, there is a risk that public actors do not respond to the central governance and planning dilemmas that platformisation poses. Our findings also suggest that working with platforms through the lens of a pilot project forefronts practical questions of implementation over long-term strategic planning questions.