Daniel Štraub

Making Public Transport Free AND Fair: Lessons from Global Research

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 05:36:27 +0000

In newly published paper I’ve been writing with Dr Daniel Baldwin Hess, we investigated 146 studies on fare-free public transport across 300+ cities. What shocked us? Only 25% of research actually examines how these programs affect vulnerable populations.

Making Public Transport Free AND Fair: Lessons from Global Research

Imagine a world where anyone can hop on a bus or train without worrying about the fare. That’s the promise of fare-free public transport (FFPT) – and it’s already happening in over 300 cities worldwide. But new research reveals a troubling gap: while these programs aim to help everyone, they often overlook the people who need them most.

The Hidden Inequality in “Free for All”

A comprehensive review of 146 studies on FFPT programs found that only 25% actually considered how these initiatives affect vulnerable populations – including low-income communities, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, racial minorities, and non-native language speakers. This oversight matters because transportation isn’t just about getting from A to B. It’s about accessing jobs, education, healthcare, and community.

Real-World Successes (and Failures)

Some cities are getting it right. In India, four states now offer fare-free public transport specifically for women and transgender individuals, successfully increasing women’s workforce participation. Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, runs one of the world’s largest FFPT programs, which has particularly benefited Russian-speaking minorities and elderly residents.

But challenges persist. In India, some bus drivers refuse to stop for women passengers, despite the free-fare policy. In Brisbane, Australia, research revealed shocking discrimination: white passengers were twice as likely as Black passengers to receive free rides when unable to pay.

Building Better Free Transport

For policymakers and transport advocates, success requires going beyond simply eliminating fares. Start by collecting and actually using demographic data – track how different groups use your services and whether they’re truly benefiting. Think intersectionally, recognizing that people often face multiple barriers. A low-income elderly woman who speaks limited English faces different challenges than each factor alone would suggest. While FFPT should be universal, actively monitor whether vulnerable groups are accessing services and ensure routes connect affordable housing to essential services and job centers.

Community members also play a crucial role in creating equitable transport. Document and share how transport access affects your daily life with local officials. Connect with others who rely on public transport to advocate for inclusive design, and participate in public meetings to ensure diverse voices shape transport planning. When communities organize and speak up, they can transform fare-free transport from a well-intentioned policy into a tool for equity.

The Path Forward

Free public transport holds immense promise for creating more equitable cities. But “free” doesn’t automatically mean “fair.” As cities worldwide expand FFPT programs, they must intentionally design systems that truly serve everyone – especially those who’ve been historically left behind. Also, research itself must become more inclusive. Most studies collect demographic data but fail to analyze it—missing crucial insights about equity impacts on diverse communities.

When we ignore the needs of vulnerable populations in transport planning, we perpetuate the very inequalities these programs aim to solve. By centering equity in FFPT design and research, cities can transform fare-free transport from a nice amenity into a powerful tool for social justice.

: ph by unsplash.com/@photified

Are you interested in fare-free public transport? Follow this link to explore more entries on this topic.

Exploring Fare-Free Public Transport in Poland

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 05:36:27 +0000

Recently the article on fare-free public transport policy (FFPT) I’ve been writing with Dr Monika Maciejewska and Dr Wojciech Kębłowski has finally been published in the Journal of Transport Geography. This post is a short wrap-up of what is inside.

Why FFPT in Poland?

As it turned out during my PhD research, Poland is a relevant nationwide analysis setting. First, it boasts the most significant number of FFPT localities in Europe. Currently, 93 municipalities are serviced by 64 FFPT networks, reaching a total population of 2,095,467, accounting for 5.5% of Poland’s total population. This makes Poland one of the global leaders in FFPT, along with USA, Brazil and France.

Second, despite its increasing popularity, the boom for FFPT in Poland remains unexplored mainly by academia and transport experts and off the radar of national transport authorities. Up to date, there are just a few reports or case studies, alongside a flurry of brief media articles (the newest here).

Third, the post-Socialist context engenders strong contradictions in Poland’s transport geography. On the one hand, local public transport is framed as a social service, subsidised by relevant public authorities. On the other hand, the transition from State-led socialism to free-market capitalism has entailed a profound redefinition of the State’s involvement in service provision, drastically reducing coverage and quality, particularly in rural localities (and the other two reasons described in the article).

If you want to dive deeper into transport exclusion in rural localities, check out the interview with my colleague Dr Łukasz Fiedeń, who focuses on the topic in his doctoral thesis!

Where?

FFPT programs are distributed throughout the country in 14 out of 16 Polish regions. Geographical clusters emerged in the western region of Wielkopolskie, the southwestern region of Dolnośląskie, and around Warsaw, the capital city, where 10 FFPT networks operate.

Four geographical types of FFPT municipalities could be identified: suburban networks, parallel networks, networks operating in homonymous municipalities, and singular urban networks.

Jump into the study to know more details on identified FFPT types.

Proximity to existing fare-free networks seems to influence adoption, suggesting policy diffusion and mobility.

Does size matter?

Contrary to earlier assumptions, our findings complicate the notion that fare-free programs tend to exist in small and simple networks and are more likely in well-off localities. Although most FFPT municipalities have fewer than 25 000 inhabitants, cities with 50 001 – 100 000 residents lead in fare abolition. Regional capitals and large cities have yet to opt for FFPT.

FFPT implementation is more likely in municipalities with stable or increasing populations, indicating the importance of stable tax revenues. Unemployment rates are negatively associated with FFPT, with lower rates among FFPT localities, suggesting improved job access or the attractiveness of the municipality to businesses. Further research is needed to determine causation.

The probability of engaging in fare-free programs is lower in municipalities with decreasing populations and higher in those with stable or increasing people.

Financial resources or political colour?

Financial resources are required to provide total subsidies for public transport. Still, our study found that municipal expenses per capita are correlated with the emergence of FFPT, while higher revenues are not a prerequisite. This suggests that a commitment to public spending on services is a crucial driver rather than a cost-benefit analysis.

Lastly, we found that FFPT is more likely in left-leaning municipalities and even more popular in municipalities with a high share of votes for liberal-right parties than in those supporting far-right parties engaged in redistributive social spending policies.

How?

One noteworthy observation is that while most FFPT networks (50) operate within a single municipality, some localities combine resources to create larger inter-municipal networks (14) spanning multiple territories. The complexity varies across regions.

Also, most networks were open to everyone without tickets or control systems (52), with some limited to residents.

Regarding public transport operations, the only common characteristic is that it relies on bus transport only. The remaining features (e.g., frequency, spatial coverage, integration with other public transport operators) differ significantly. While in some networks, the bus ride every 20 minutes, in some localities, the bus respect shifts in local business, industry and schools.

Where to go next?

While this study has advanced our understanding of FFPT in Poland, further work is needed.

This study opens up many opportunities for further research in Poland and other countries with numerous FFPT cases, such as Brazil, France, and the United States. Analyses in other countries with many FFPT cases have the potential to clarify some contradictive findings (e.g., suitability of the FFPT for various settlements).

In Poland, where FFPT popularity is increasing, more in-depth studies are required to explore FFPT from political, economic, or psychological viewpoints. For example, understanding the diverse rationales behind the 93 cases and determining whether FFPT functions as an individual program or part of broader local development strategies are essential next steps. The results of this study offer a vast pool of FFPT cases that would allow such an exploration.

Stay tuned for more updates!

: ph credit: unsplash.com/@jadlimcaco

One policy, different stories: lobby for fare-free public transport campaign in Wroclaw

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 05:36:27 +0000

This post is a short summary of a recently published article where I examine the Wroclaw Anarchist Federation campaign for a fare-free public transport policy (FFPT).

The FFPT Campaign: A Catalyst for Socially Just Planning

In addition to studying the impact of fare-free public transportation policies in different cities, I wanted to examine how these policies are being introduced into transportation planning discussions. The campaign for Free Fare Public Transport in Wroclaw, led by the Wroclaw Anarchist Federation (WAF), provided a practical case study.

Strategies and Mobilization: Amplifying the Message Online

Initially, the FFPT campaign revolved around ecological arguments, focusing on mitigating the negative externalities associated with excessive car use and addressing climate concerns. However, the movement´s framing of the campaign gradually evolved, emphasizing the FFPT as a vital catalyst for socially just urban and transport planning practices. By highlighting the possibilities of FFPT to reduce societal inequalities and foster a more environmentally friendly transport system, the campaign resonates with the broader objectives of sustainable urban development.

In this regard, WAF is positioning itself as a key proponent of sustainable innovation and advocates for accelerating the pace of the sustainable transition. Drawing inspiration from A. Wagner et al.’s (2019) triple model of discursive practices , the movement employs various strategies to mobilize people and sustain public discourse. While the WAF shares common mechanisms with other urban social movements, such as Forum De Lutas (Rio de Janeiro, razil) (Enright, 2019) and Planka.nu (Stockholm, Sweden) (Nygård, 2019), it also leverages the power of online activism to amplify its message.

Beyond Endpoints: Transformative Goals of FFPT Campaigns

One crucial distinction among these movements is how they frame the problems they aim to address. While WAF initially focused on environmental arguments, movements like Planka.nu and Forum De Lutas perceive fares as tools reinforcing socio-spatial segregation (as evidenced in Mujcic & Frijters, 2020 or Sträuli & Kębłowski, 2022). They view FFPT as a transformative solution to combat these inequalities. Therefore, the FFPT campaigns go beyond mere endpoints for public transport development, triggering more profound changes in the transport and urban development landscape.

Examining the FFPT campaigns through a comparative lens offers insights into the factors contributing to success or failure. While movements like Forum De Lutas and Planka.nu have achieved tangible outcomes by exerting pressure and implementing concrete solutions, the FFPT campaign led by WAF faces challenges. The absence of evidence on how FFPT could address identified problems and limited support from experts undermine the campaign’s credibility and impede significant milestones.

Movements such as WAF, Planka.nu, and Forum De Lutas are crucial as they highlight the flaws in current transportation systems that contribute to socio-spatial segregation and propose alternative solutions. The FFPT campaign questions the effectiveness of transportation methods and explores political issues related to power distribtion or social-spatial inequalities.

: ph credit: unsplash.com/@duncan_shaffer

Price matters, but

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 08:36:27 +0000

In this post, I’m providing a short wrap-up of recently published “The importance of ticket price in public transport in non-metropolitan rural areas in Poland”, which I wrote with my colleague dr Łukasz Fiedeń.

The price and its role in transport and mobility are evergreen for many scholars. Naturally, I’ve also followed for a while this path in my PhD project, where I’m unpacking the various aspects of fare-free public transport policy.

What

In the newly published paper, we’ve decided to see how the fares are important for people living in non-metropolitan areas. While the key feature for us was the price, we also looked at other aspects of public transport qualities like comfort, reliability, and frequency.

The results provide a picture of public transport qualities in peripheral localities and suggest the direction of the further development of the service.

Where & How

The study focuses on 12 peripherally located municipalities with poor public transport provision. There, we conducted a survey of the residents using public transport. Importantly, two municipalities have fare-free public transport, and the remaining ten public transport is paid for.

Why peripheral regions?

It is well documented that the rural areas in Poland are witnessing the gradual collapse of public transport provision. Understanding how this fact is perceived by its user thus could help design instruments that could reverse the degrading trajectory of public transport development and mitigate its consequences (e.g., increasing car dependency, growing social inequalities, and transport exclusion).

So does the price matter?

It does, but not as one would expect. The survey shows that price is still considered an essential factor, but less than in urban areas. This is due to generally lower public transport qualities in examined localities.

Simply put, why “free” public transport if there is a bus twice a day?

Limited accessibility, poor connections, low frequencies and comfort are the main barriers in non-metropolitan areas that currently reduce public transport attractivity. While various public transport pricing policies can improve ridership, public transport with poor qualities is not the case.

In such localities, people have already accepted that public transport is currently not meeting their needs and that they have to pay extra for a car that suits their needs better.

This is unfortunate, as it is not helping to solve the ongoing public transport degradation and represents significant environmental and social challenges in non-metropolitan regions in Poland.

To reverse this, fare-free public transport has the potential to catch the attention and increase public transport popularity. However, improvement of its accessibility has to follow if public transport should not only operate “to some extent” in the future but also be a valid alternative to cars.

: ph credit: unsplash.com/@jadlimcaco

What's behind my low blogging frequency?

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 08:36:27 +0000

When it clicks! From personal page to project blog editor. That is the cause why I’ve been “silent” for a while

You might have noticed that this blog is not really a place with rush traffic this year. Have I lost my motivation? Is blogging no longer a priority for me?

Not really!

The idea to create this page with a blog was to have a hub to promote all my activities. It should also be a space to randomly reflect on what I’m doing. It is easier to send a link or a QR code than redirect people to LinkedIn, Twitter, ResearchGate or any other profile that is just trending.

So what has happened?

Shortly, the long-term plan with this page just clicked. This means that it has opened me to the possibility of being responsible for scientific communication in one of our university projects, the HES-GEO.

Sure, in the beginning, I was not aiming for some very project. The general goal was to be seen while developing other academic-related skills that might be useful at the department I’m studying.

The HES-GEO project is not only focusing on the research as such but also on establishing a unit supporting research capacity. The project blog should thus cover not only the project logs but a whole array of other topics linked to academia.

Visits, Milestones, Writing

Outlining the content strategy for the project blog is a challenge and a valuable lesson. A different issue is preparing guidelines for other contributors to keep consistency and designing the content to avoid heavy blocks of texts. Quite a lot for one, but I’m working my way to deliver good content. Hopefully, this blog will benefit from the lesson learned too.

Since I jumped into the project, we have managed to report not only about the project log like various visits and trainings but also touched on critical academic topics.

See yourself!

I recommend you check out the posts focusing on academic popularization. Namely, the interview with Agnieszka Defus or the scicom experiences of our project partners.

Besides, you shouldn’t miss the entries covering academic writing or the challenges of grant proposals. Possibly the most complicated tasks on the researcher’s agenda.

Never miss a post…

And add the hesgeo.blog on your watch list. There is gonna be a lot more!

: ph credit: Hannah Wei, unsplash.com

Mobility points, shared e-scooters, and parking mitigation practises

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 08:36:27 +0000

In this post I provide update (new article!) and short reflection on my shared e-scooter research.

Shared e-scooter services have been on my radar already for some time. In the dataset provided here, we wanted to see the spatial variability of respective shared e-scooter providers in various Polish towns. The situation is indeed very dynamic based on the individual operator and the town, but also, as we have experienced during the data collection, over time. While some operators are static, others change their catchment zone from week to week. Trend well documented, for example, in Vienna.

Such a situation creates a potential barrier for the user to orient in the current offer and is also not trying to address the parking ethics. The especially problematic item on day-to-day operations of shared e-scooters. Both question its role in the urban transport system and its proclaimed sustainability. The latter, one, the parking practises problematics, is at the centre of the newly published research I’ve done with a friend: It is time to get virtual: limitations of shared e-scooter mobility points, case study in Cracow (Poland)

Transport authorities in Cracow (Poland) have started during the spring of 2021 designing mobility points for e-scooters to prevent e-scooters from cluttering haphazardly on pavements and in public spaces. This allowed us to explore how such a solution works in practice and understand its potential to solve the parking problem.

The study proves that the mobility points’ visual and technical organization is adequate and thought-out based on the areas’ functions. This means that locations of the mobility points are whether at the important transport nodes or places being frequent hubs or destinations of the potential and actual users. Also, the mobility points come with clear labels and instructions to quickly inform the users. Some of them also have self-repairment kits for cyclists.

Unfortunately, the mobility points virtual accessibility was neglected at the time of the research. This means that although the mobility points are easily recognizable in the physical environment, they were invisible in the shared e-scooter apps. Such a lack of information, as we argue, significantly lowers the potential of the mobility points. Especially given the fact that the applications do not only display the mobility points but also do not define the perimeter, which should be used precisely only for parking, so-called geofencing.

There are already examples where operators and the public authorities have been using geofencing in this matter. Paris is designing specific parking bays, and operators allow users to park only in such locations. Modification of this approach could also be found elsewhere, for example, Hradec Králové, a middle-sized town in Czechia, or Newcastle (UK), where dynamic (no)parking zones are being tested to address the drunk driving issues.

Identified, at the time of the research!, flaws could be quickly improved. And actually, this is the case of the Cracow.

The steps done in Cracow signalize the good direction the shared e-scooter development follows. By quick scroll through the current operators, I already see the changes. The mobility points are not only visible in the app of the operators, but there are also locations where it is prohibited to park elsewhere.

The shared mobility services could quickly adapt to a new situation and develop solutions to challenge the rising problems. What has to be underlined is that it all boils down to the communication between operators and transport authorities.

: ph credit: unsplush.com/@namzo

Can e-scooters aid economic recovery?

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 15:36:27 +0000

In this post, I react to the article published at IntelligentTransport. There, the UK Country Manager of Spin, Steve Pyer, presents the possibilities of how shared e-scooters are going to help society with post-pandemic economic recovery.

Unsurprisingly, the e-scooters are in the article framed in the classical safe and personal mode of transport discourse allowing social-distance travel. As suggests the current transport behaviour research in reaction to covid-19, safety issues will be crucial as life will be getting back to normal. Thus, the shared micro-mobility sector uses this notion to promote their services as it is more actual than sustainability, which had been playing the prime before the covid-19 pandemic.

According to Steve Pyer, the e-scooters will help in three segments – new employment opportunities, spending in local businesses and supporting tourism.

1 million jobs?

New employment opportunities mean, in light of the original article, new job vacancies directly connected with the shared micro-mobility and electromobility sector and indirectly with improved accessibility of people from locations poorly integrated within the transport network, limiting them seeking a new job.

For the first, there exist only limited evidence suggesting the extent of new employment opportunities directly connected with shared-escooter companies. However, the Platform for Electro-mobility report indicates that only the electromobility sector will bring more than 1 million jobs. We have to, of course, take in mind that this number does not cover only the shared micro-mobility segment but also the car industry.

Larger labour market?

The new job opportunities relate here to the increased catchment area of public transport. In theory, it should enable more comprehensive access to bus, metro and train stations or connect places not integrated into the public transport network.

I think that this is a bit exaggerated. I agree that shared micro-mobility solutions diversify the transport portfolio in the given localities where they are available. However, whether it will improve the mobility portfolio of the transport poor boils down to how the shared e-scooter segment is integrated with transport and urban policies. And this is true also for supporting tourism or spending in local businesses, which according to Steve Pyer, will benefit from shared micro-mobility.

Conceptual VS ad-hoc

Yes, the shared e-scooters are already an evergreen in most European cities, as you could see here. However, the experiences with managing them differ significantly. It is not a coincidence that the day-to-day operations and long-term visions of a shared e-scooter presence are considered a serious challenge. It is important to say that the shared micro-mobility segment is aware of it, which raises the Micro-Mobility for Europe, a new association that aims to help with the development.

I’ve already mentioned here that Copenhagen has decided to terminate the operations of shared e-scooters as it was worsening the safety on the street of the danish capital. Another evidence of poor managerial practises documents Moran et al. (2020). In their investigation in Vienna, they have noticed that although the spatial availability of shared e-scooter is changing dynamically, there are no channels to share this information between the provider and the city.

Firstly, this is an issue as the city authorities do not know what is going on on the streets. Secondly, the users could be confused due to those changes. All this might worsen the attractivity of the shared micro-mobility solution for both the users and public authorities, as they might be perceived as less reliable. Luckily, the cities and micro-mobility operators are aware of that. In Netherlands (Amsterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Rotterdam and The Hague), the work to establish a standard enabling a smooth exchange of data between cities and shared mobility operators is currently underway.

Unlike Vienna or Copenhagen, there are also good examples how public and private sector cooperates together. The first one is Paris, where various rules and incentives were launched to improve the parking ethics (e.g. parking points at the corner of the streets, vouchers or extra fees in case of good and wrong parking). The second example is Newcastle, where it is not only not allowed to use shared e-scooters between 11pm – 5am. And in addition to that, the city has also defined specific zones in attractive locations with rush nightlife. At those, it is no longer possible to start or finish the rental. All done to improve safety on the streets and prevent issues with e-scooters being perceived as dangerous.

The case of Newcastle is also important, as some of the rules were implemented before the launch of the service, while others were put in order in a reaction to newly open bars and restaurants after lockdown measures. It shows that not only the shared e-scooters operators could swiftly adapt to a new climate, but also the city can act likewise.

To be or not to be sustainable?

The various rules of using the playground – read urban space – significantly impact how shared e-scooters are used. Above, I’ve mentioned instruments being used to improve day-to-day operations. Those are important if the shared e-scooters should be attractive for tourists or help people reach their favourite destination and support the spending in local businesses. The city representatives should, and this might be just if not more important, also focus on a long term strategy.

The quality of the long-term strategy will ensure that the shared e-scooters will truly be the sustainable mode of transport for everyone. This is crucial as some of the shared e-scooter systems operate in “prominent” urban locations, increasing embedded inequalities between urban privileged and poor. In practice, the e-scooters shouldn’t be available only in the city centre and adjacent neighbourhoods but especially in poorly integrated locations with the current transport network. Integration with public transport into one ticket system and additional subsidies for those with limited transport options should be the standard if the operators want to translate the sustainable discourse into practice. Otherwise, it is all just a false simulacrum covering the one and only interest: profit.

We are currently witnessing that the initial hype of shared micro-mobility in many cities is slowly reaching its ends. New challenges are popping up, and the future of the safest and sustainable personal mode of transport is in the hand of the service providers and in the hands of public authorities. The private and public sector has to understand their needs and meet in the middle. If not, the shared e-scooter segment may be reaching towards the end.

: ph credit: unsplush.com/@namzo

Pizza and the sound of future

Mon, 17 May 2021 15:36:27 +0000

Have you known that without pizza, we would “have never” been ordering food online?

Yes, you hear me right. Pizza was there when our technological innovations were passing essential milestones. Sure, if it was not a pizza, something else would, but in the end, it is the pizza that is making history.

1994

Firstly it was back in 1994 when Pizza Hut started accepting online food ordering. This means that the first food to be ordered online was a pizza. Is it also the reason why pizza is the most popular food in the world? Maybe. A quick scroll through my Uber Eats order list definitely correspond with these rankings. Buon Appetito!

2010

It was 16 years later, in 2010, when the pizza added another item – the first-ever bitcoin transaction. The story says that Laszlo Hanyecz transferred 10 000 bitcoins to a volunteer in England, who afterwards called to Papa John’s to order two pizzas at the price of 30$. Even though it was not the smoothest transaction, the bitcoin community believes it is the first one. Nowadays, to pay for your favourite pizza today, you don’t need a volunteer and 10 000 bitcoins. San Francisco-based bitcoin payment application Fold runs the Lightning project. Besides Uber or Starbucks, it lets you pay the pizza with bitcoin way smoothly.

2021

And it was just now when the world has moved around pizza once again. But, this time, it is not the payment but the delivery itself, and it truly makes you feel that the future is now. At least in a small part of Houston, Texas. Here, the pizza is delivered to you by the robot.

Yes. You hear me right. People who place their order at Domino’s Pizza in Houston will have their pizza delivered by a robot.

Small and currently only licensed fully autonomous and electric van developed by Nuro will bring you the pizza right in front of your door. Now, it is only a pilot project available at a specific location. Still, as learned in history, this is probably not the blind alley but the direction of our next steps.

: ph credit: nuro.io

Oxford leadership programme

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 15:36:27 +0000

The last five weeks were overwhelming as the start of the summer term overlapped with the course I’ve been taking part in. The centre topic of The Oxford Leadership Programme organized by the Transport Studies Unit was urban mobilities after Covid-19. Being virtually mobile, I had the opportunity to “meet” with various people from the mobility and transport research sector from all over the world.

The course was intense – reading, brilliant video presentations and plenty of blocs of discussion groups with the tutors and other participants.

The discussion seminars are what I value the most. Especially in those times when most of us interact only with the small circle of the closest, I appreciate the opportunity to talk about the current challenges of transport and mobility research. To think out loud and get immediate feedback is something we might miss for some time now.

Indeed, I do regret it was not possible to attend this course in the present form. I mean, who would not like to actually experience Oxford with all its takes, right? Anyway, while everyone was an active participant engaging with others, it outweighs the fact it was all held online. Plus, there are the undebatable environmental and safety benefits as well.

Discussing with others about our current work allows each other to learn from different perspectives. Even though some of the policies or approaches tend to travel worldwide, the experiences differ significantly. This enables me to zoom out a bit from my current research problems, incorporate others perspectives and get a new lens on how to look around. Plus, as an early researcher, this course’s huge asset is that it provides me with a tall pile of references for my further activities.

A concrete example might be how Covid-19 has impacted and highlighted inequalities in mobilities. We have witnessed how our cities are at a fast pace adjusting to the new situation. Yet, sometimes this did not result in mitigating the unjust mobility landscape.

The focus in academia, the policy sector and the broader public to design and provide physical infrastructural change, like a bike lane or implementation of shared-micro-mobility solutions, is essential. Still, an epistemic shift might be just if not more important.

: me and the certificate, lol

Micro-mobility for Europe – what and why

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 15:36:27 +0000

One of my last posts here are dedicated to the new issues raised by the growing popularity of micro-mobility shared schemes. Besides the reflections of the critical problems, I’m also pointing out what should be the essential solution to most of them: the cooperation between the private and public sectors.

Currently, a new body called Micro-mobility For Europe (MMfE) has just formed. As stated in the first and only post published so far, the coalition aims to “create one voice for providers of shared micro-mobility solutions to transform urban mobility in Europe.”

Micro-mobility for Europe currently represents: Bird, Bolt, Dott, Free Now, Lime, Tier, Voi., Wind

The press release is also not forgetting to mention the role of the shared micro-mobility solutions in the current shift into a more sustainable urban and transport system. As said by Catriona Meehan, Co-Chair of the coalition and representative of Wind: “the micro-mobility has revolutionised urban mobility and established itself as an essential alternative to personal car ownership and use.”

All of this is obviously true. Sadly, the glimpse of the current problems making some cities abolish the shared-micro-mobility services is present only between the lines. Especially realising that without effectively addressing the operational issues of shared micro-mobility solutions firstly, we could hardly talk about supporting sustainable mobility.

What connects the founding member of the coalition is the need to make the micro-mobility solutions genuinely sustainable. This should be done by providing the needed data for the public authorities to understand how effectively integrate the micro-mobility solutions into the current urban eco-system. Besides that, the coalition already defined the top priorities like urban mobility, data governance and circular economy to ensure that shared micro-mobility is an integral part of EU policy developments in the coming years.

The aim of the coalition thus does not differ from the purpose presented by various shared micro-mobility providers. The smart and green discourse seems to be the ongoing mantra that might be easy to sell but hard to sustain or even reach.

I’m glad there is a unifying body trying to represent the whole shared micro-mobility segment. However, more important, it is to finally take a break from copywriting and marketing strategies and zoom into single municipalities and neighbourhoods, open dialogue between various stakeholders, start bringing up solutions, and share the good examples of shared micro-mobility managerial practises.

Let’s wait for the new development of the micro-mobility segment once the snow will melt and the e-scooters will pop-up in the public space. Indeed I’m not the only one ready to observe how the story of MMfE and the shared micro-mobility segment will develop.

: ph by unsplash.com/@alschim