Guillaume Fournier – Urban mobility governance in the age of the smartphone. The reshaping of stakeholder dynamics and the platformisation of organisation.

As the digital revolution and the widespread adoption of smartphones take hold in cities, they are leading to the creation of new mobility offerings and services. These are provided by new entrants whose business model is primarily based on that of online platforms. This phenomenon is disrupting the French model of mobility governance and management, which is organised through concessions and structured primarily around the partnership between Mobility Organising Authorities (AOMs) and public transport operators.

This research examines the effects of these disruptions on mobility governance in French cities, with a particular focus on how the role of established mobility operators has evolved. Conducted within a consultancy firm, a subsidiary of a major urban public transport group, this thesis draws on empirical data and employs approaches from political science and management science to shed light on the trajectories of traditional stakeholders and the reconfiguration of their interactions within an urban public service undergoing rapid change.

The findings of this research show that, despite the disruptions caused by the digital revolution and the widespread adoption of smartphones, the French model of urban mobility governance and management – organised through concessions – is becoming increasingly entrenched around the partnership between AOMs and public transport operators. However, this development is bringing about changes in the governance of urban public services, whose management model is becoming hybridised, combining established contractual practices with new approaches to platformisation.

Composition du jury

• François-Mathieu Poupeau, Research Director, CNRS, Thesis Supervisor
• Hélène Reigner, University Professor, Aix-Marseille Institute of Urban Planning and Regional Development, External Examiner
• Maxime Huré, Senior Lecturer (HDR), University of Perpignan, External Examiner
• Antoine Courmont, Senior Lecturer, Gustave Eiffel University, Examiner
• Gilles Pinson, University Professor, Sciences Po Bordeaux, Chair
• Virginie Boutueil, Senior Research Fellow, École nationale des ponts et chaussées, Examiner
• Doriane Raly, Senior Manager, Kisio, Guest