Stuck in the driving seat: Results from a semi-urban living lab experiment with mobility services

The urgency of the climate crisis necessitates new forms of mitigation, and within the transport sector, a key measure is to reduce car use. This study presents empirical findings from a 10-month living lab experiment in which participants residing in a semi-urban area were challenged to halve their car trips while gaining access to new mobility and accessibility services. The results indicate that car trips were not significantly reduced despite high levels of motivation among participants, and the offered services were not integrated into participants' everyday life. These findings underscore two key points. First, reducing car dependency and transitioning to sustainable mobility in semi-urban areas requires more than the introduction of new technologies or services. Successful integration of new mobility and accessibility services demands a comprehensive understanding of local everyday practices and their associated mobility practices. Second, it is essential to acknowledge the established role of the car in everyday life in semi-urban contexts and to promote a willingness to adapt planning and infrastructure in ways that prioritise sustainable modes of transport, and restrict car access and use. We argue that without addressing these issues, efforts to reduce car use through adding new mobility services are likely to fall short, limiting their effectiveness in achieving sustainable mobility goals.