The Negative Effects of Institutional Logic Multiplicity on Service Platforms in Intermodal Mobility Ecosystems

Abstract

Digitalization is changing the mobility sector. Companies have developed entirely new mobility services, and mobility services with pre-digital roots, such as ride-sharing and public transport, have leveraged digitalization to become more convenient to use. Nevertheless, private car use remains the dominant mode of transport in most developed countries, leading to problems such as delays due to traffic congestion, insufficient parking spaces, as well as noise and air pollution. Emerging intermodal mobility ecosystems take advantage of digital advances in mobility services by providing individual, dynamic and context-aware combinations of different mobility services to simplify door-to-door mobility and contribute to the reduction of private car use. However, the service platforms are limited in terms of functional range, for example they may lack integrated ticketing and rely on static data, which makes intermodal mobility inconvenient. This article adopts the service-dominant logic perspective to analyze service ecosystems for intermodal mobility and their service provision. Drawing on traditional institutional literature, the authors question the assumption that service logic is dominant for all actors of a service ecosystem. By applying activity theory, the article illustrates how an institutional logic multiplicity among actors can negatively affect the functional range of service platforms. The results of a qualitative study in Germany show that, in particular, the state logic of some actors, which is characterized by the obligation to provide mobility, impairs the quality of service platforms in supporting citizens in intermodal mobility.