How to make the green mobility transition fair and inclusive - The Mobility Sphere by Transdev
Path to acceptance
There is a path towards broad acceptance of the changes required by the transition, if they are properly explained, applied fairly and offer protection to the most economically-vulnerable parts of the population. “People need to feel that the transition is fair, that they are part of it and that it’s affordable,” stated Daniel Mes, Member of the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Climate Action.
Colin Scicluna, Head of Cabinet of the European Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography, said that while there is “no doubt about the need to green our continent, we also need to think about the costs attached, the implications attached, to make sure that the transition is just for everybody”.
Beyond objective financial constraints, there can also be a feeling that European political elites pushing for the transition have a limited understanding of the realities on the ground, suggested Ulrike Guerot, a political scientist and founder of the European Democracy Lab.
An inclusive transition
“It all seems to be about cities, smart cities, and basically the elites of this world who are all vegan now. No more meat, no more cars, just riding bicycles and having a smart time celebrating themselves because they are climate-neutral; but this is not the majority of people.”
Such stereotypes need to be tackled decisively if the mobility transition is to gain wide support, recommended Jillian Van der Gaag, Senior Policy Advisor for the city of Amsterdam. “It’s important to listen and see what people need, especially people who can’t afford to change,” she said. An honest dialogue will help open a path towards broad acceptance of change, said Philippe Van Parijs, a Belgian philosopher and economist with a strong involvement in local non-governmental initiatives. “Policies become implementable because people understand what’s going on, even if they don’t fully agree,” he said. “But they feel they have been consulted and at least some of their concerns have been taken into account.”
Transport poverty
For Elisabeth Kotthaus, Head of the Unit “Social Aspects, Passenger Rights and Equal Opportunities” at the EU Commission’s Directorate-General Mobility and Transport, a key topic to be tackled is “transport poverty”. “The EU is now focusing on defining the criteria for mobility that is “affordable, available and accessible”, she said. Pedagogy is required, according to Sebastien Bailleul, Director of Institutional and European Relations and Wimoov, a French association for inclusive mobility. “We work with people who are job seekers, who are on welfare, young people in suburbs, people who don’t have any solutions,” he said.
“We start with their realities. When we support people, we talk about ecological issues. By leading them to use public transport and other alternatives to the car, we allow them to make 31% energy savings and make money savings, because moving around by car costs a lot.” More advantages of the transition need to be highlighted, according to Kotthaus. “What is missing sometimes is the positive communication on the benefits,” she said.
“Acceptability is key. Otherwise, we have demonstrations and protests because people don’t understand the policy.” Barbara Stoll, Director of Clean Cities Campaign, told the Mobility Times: “We need to take care of the most vulnerable and the most exposed in our society, who are often the ones who bear the brunt of the cost of the transition.”
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About the mobility times
This second edition of The Mobility Times, which documents The Mobility Sphere’s journey, is dedicated to “Mobility as a driver of social cohesion”, theme of the forum held in Brussels in April 2024, which followed a first event on decarbonized mobility in Amsterdam in October 2023.
The Mobility Sphere think tank, launched by Transdev Group in 2023, aims to explore and shape the future of mobility in Europe.
Mobility and social cohesion were obvious topics for the second Mobility Sphere forum, held in the run-up to the European elections at a time when the European Union’s Green Deal is being brought into question. Among the concerns voiced are those about the inequalities it could generate, reinforce, or fail to address. A consensus is emerging amongst multi-disciplinary experts that if the ecological transition is to be accepted by the public, it must include support for the most vulnerable and reduce the divide between different geographical areas. Ensuring an inclusive transition has become a major priority so nobody is left behind on the journey towards decarbonized and accessible mobility.
Mobility is not a given for everyone and has a real cost, sometimes of up to a quarter of a household’s income in the European Union. In France, 1 in 4 people have turned down a job or training course for lack of sufficient transport and in rural areas more and more people are stranded due to a lack of mobility solutions. Unequal access to mobility combined with fuel poverty can provoke tensions and social unrest.
This edition of The Mobility Times presents highlights of discussions, insights and analysis of the challenges related to the question of mobility as a driver of social cohesion. Discover the points of view of mobility experts, politicians, academics, philosophers, business leaders and other stakeholders, representing different countries and regions, in this edition.
We hope you enjoy reading it.