Sustainable mobility for whom? Tradeoffs and consumer segments on Mobility-as-a-Service platforms

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platforms are promoted as solutions to reduce car dependence and support sustainable urban mobility. However, uptake remains limited, and these systems risk reinforcing inequalities if design choices neglect diverse user needs. This article examines how travelers evaluate tradeoffs between service attributes – such as cost, travel time, environmental impact, convenience, and data privacy – when considering MaaS for work and leisure travel. Drawing on Q-methodology and survey data collected in the Netherlands, we identify seven user segments. Most respondents favor convenience and affordability over sustainability or privacy, though some context-specific preferences emerge, particularly among ecologically motivated leisure travelers. Importantly, privacy and environmental concerns often act as disqualifiers but lose weight when other benefits are salient. These findings question assumptions of linear behavioral change and stress the role of platform design in shaping sustainability outcomes. We find that contextual factors (e.g., travel purpose, transport-mode familiarity) matter more than sociodemographic characteristics in shaping preferences. These findings highlight that efforts to mainstream MaaS adoption must address diverse user logics, minimize rebound effects, and embed sustainability and equity goals in service design. We argue that MaaS segmentation should not only inform market-targeting strategies but also serve as a diagnostic tool for enabling more just and inclusive mobility systems.