Table 3 The assessment framework with the four theoretical dimensions, value descriptions and literature references

Service

This dimension refers to the direct impact available mobility services have on the mobility behaviour of citizens. The values involved can be categorized as specific to the mobility sector and therefore as substantive, service-oriented values.

 Freedom of movement

The availability of different transport modalities and their spatial proximity. In relation to a digital mobility platform, freedom of movement refers to a platform that combines transportation services and offers door-to-door trip planning through different modes of transportation.

Cass et al. (2003); IJsselsteijn et al. (2006); Lucas (2006); Lucas (2012); Sheller (2016); Ferreira et al. (2017); Kool et al. (2017); Martens (2017); Plantin et al. (2018)

 Freedom of choice

The possibility for mobility service users to make their own informed decisions about how they want to travel: in terms of mode, route and time. Users have access to information about available travel modes and routes, as well as expected travel time.

IJsselsteijn et al. (2006); Lamont et al. (2013); Spahn (2013); Kool et al. (2017)

 Accessibility

The possibility for people, regardless of their age, literacy and physical abilities, to use mobility services and thereby participate actively in society. In relation to digital mobility platforms, this refers to accessibility for all levels of digital literacy by, e.g., providing non-digital support and service personnel.

Cass et al. (2003); Hoffman et al. (2005); Goggin et al. (2017); Martens (2017); Rodriguez-Sanchez and Martinez-Romo (2017); Jin et al. (2018); Melis et al. (2018); Sourbati and Behrendt (2020)

 Affordability

The financial means required for an individual to access transportation. On the public level, it refers to the sustainable finance model for the arrangement, whether through a private, public or private-public financial agreement. A digital platform can support dynamic pricing, creating the possibility to change prices depending on time, place and user specificities, but needs to safeguard affordability nonetheless.

Kamargianni and Matyas (2017); Martens (2017); Sarasini et al. (2017); Pangbourne et al. (2018); Wen et al. (2018); Van Dijck et al. (2018)

 Reliability

The availability of specific mobility services if needed and as promised. This refers to punctuality and the offer of an alternative travel mode in case of delay, among other things.

De Bruijn and Dicke (2006); Veeneman et al. (2020)

Climate impact

This dimension refers to the long-term impact our mobility practices have on the environment. The values involved can be categorized as substantive, socially oriented values.

 Sustainable energy

Having minimal or no CO₂ emissions can contribute to the limitation of climate change. For this value, modalities that use human or renewable energy (walking, biking, electrical vehicles) are important, as are collective transport (bus, train). In relation to digital mobility platforms, this refers to the pricing and promoting of different sustainable or less sustainable mobility options.

Kenworthy (2003); Sochor et al. (2015a); Pangbourne et al. (2018); Szell (2018); Haglund et al. (2019); Jokinen et al. (2019)

 Proximity richness

The local availability of facilities and the density of the built environment related to it, with the goal to reduce the need to travel, especially the need for motorized modes of transportation. In relation to digital mobility platforms this refers to the possibility to encourage short-distance transport and discourage long-distance travel.

Jacobs (1992); Gehl (2010); Ferreira et al. (2017); Genre-Grandpierre et al. (2018)

Well-being

This dimension refers to the short-term impact mobility practices have on the well-being of citizens. The values involved can be categorized as substantive, socially oriented values.

 Health

The physical and mental health of citizens (individual health and public health). In relation to digital mobility platforms, this value refers to the availability and promotion of healthy travel options.

Saelens et al. (2003); Woodcock et al. (2009); De Hartog et al. (2010); Pucher et al. (2010); Oja et al. (2011); Van Wee et al. (2013);

Lupton (2014); Reinhard et al. (2018)

 Social interaction

The potential for social interaction in city space by being able to see, hear and talk to each other because of safe and walkable spaces and a lack of noise. In relation to digital mobility platforms, social interaction potential refers to the possibility for users to communicate online by sharing information, collaborating or engaging in collective action.

Leyden (2003); Gehl (2010); Spagnoletti et al. (2015)

Democratic control

This dimension refers to the democratic norms to which actors have to comply when it comes to safeguarding values. The values involved concern these norms and processes and can be categorized as procedural values.

 Privacy

The right of users and other actors to decide how their data is used and who can access it, and the guarantee that data is collected, stored and processed in a secure way. In relation to digital mobility platforms, this value refers to confidentiality, safety of the collection and storage of data (or minimization of collection and storage), sharing certain data only with authorized entities or users in the network and by using personal data according to the law (e.g. GDPR).

Shokri et al. (2014); Nieto and Lopez (2014); Belletti and Bayen (2017); Perentis et al. (2017); Jin et al. (2018); Callegati et al. (2018); Zuboff (2019); Cottrill (2020)

 Accountability

The presence and level of meaningful human control over the processes and outcomes of the mobility platform, in order to prevent the emergence of a responsibility gap. In relation to digital mobility platforms, this value refers to the implementation of a tracking condition (system responds to moral reasoning and contextual changes) and a tracing condition (system is designed to grant the possibility to retrace outcomes to humans or organizations in the chain of action).

Kool et al. (2017); Santoni de Sio and Van den Hoven (2018); Robbins (2019)

 Adaptability

The flexibility to change policy measures after analysis and monitoring have determined that the effectiveness of the policy action is compromised and intentions and outcomes are not aligned. In relation to digital mobility platforms, this value refers to the implementation of analysis and monitoring mechanisms through an independent body, in order to adapt the digital platform environment as well as the structuring algorithm if needed.

Banister (2008)

 Legitimacy

A clear and understandable explanation of the rules that apply on a platform and a justification of how power is exercised in an equal and consistent manner. It refers to what actions are legitimate and which are not. In relation to digital mobility platforms, this includes a justification of the use of (personal) data and an explanation about the decision-making process and the power balance between parties involved.

Jørgensen and Bozeman (2007); Bannister and Connolly (2014); Suzor (2018); Hofmann et al. (2019)

 Transparency

The availability of and access to information on costs, agreements and performance of mobility services. Transparency ensures clarity for users on which public values are safeguarded or harmed in order to make an informed decision about which services to use and, eventually, trust. In relation to digital mobility platforms this refers to transparency about the functioning of the technological system.

De Bruijn and Dicke (2006); Reynaers (2014); Hofmann et al. (2019)

 Ownership

The way in which diverse groups of citizens are represented in the planning, design and evaluation of a city, including its infrastructure.

In relation to digital mobility platforms, ownership refers to the ability of users to have a say in the outlook of a platform (e.g. by providing feedback, or to have access to the data that is collected on the platform.

Jacobs (1992); De Lange and De Waal (2013); Szell (2018); Van Dijck et al. (2018)