Transport Poverty: the interplay Between Political Will and Information Framing

Transport Poverty represents “an individuals’ and households’ inability or difficulty to meet costs of private or public transport, or their lack of or limited access to transport needed for their access to essential socioeconomic services and activities, considering the national and spatial context.” Regarding this socioeconomic malaise, with a critical eye is of grave importance when addressing the challenges faced by the most vulnerable members of our society. With this in mind, the audience at the First National Forum on Transport Poverty was introduced to a plethora of research findings, expert testimonies, and policy proposals aimed at tackling the issues at hand, which I will be briefly summarizing below.

To fully grasp the concept of transport poverty (already at the center of some reflections by Franca Maino published on secondowelfare.it, ed.) it is essential to recognize its indivisibility from sustainable development and related socioeconomic and political goals. This complexity requires a multidimensional approach, as reflected in the selection of speakers for the event. Representatives from trade associations, local authorities, research institutes, transport-sector companies, and stakeholders in sustainable mobility were all present, adding their technical expertise to the discussion. The main body of work analyzed at the conference was The Green Paper on Transport Poverty, produced by the organizing association, Transport Poverty Lab.

Multimodal approach fit for the complexities of the 21^st century

The variety of backgrounds represented by the audience and the speakers serves a dual purpose. As previously stated, the phenomenon’s intrinsic multidimensionality requires a collaborative governance approach among all sectors involved if the provisional gap is to be successfully filled. Secondly, by involving as many different professional and academic spheres as possible, awareness can be raised, in hopes of stimulating political will, which everyone present categorized as the biggest challenge within the Italian context. The addressing of issues is people-centered at its core and focuses on the notions of accessibility and vulnerability – the key concepts defining transport poverty.

The starting point of the creation of this paper was The European Regulation on the Social Climate Fund (SCF), upon which the specificities of the Italian market were classified. The framework produced as the outcome was conveniently broken down into three Cs: 1. Considerare – to consider, 2. Comprendere – to understand, 3. Contrastare – to counteract.

A right that requires adequate policies and resources

Mobility constitutes a necessary variable in the exercise of fundamental human rights. Conversely, difficulty in exercising mobility in an adequate way not only jeopardizes one’s economic participation, but also the right to community membership. These ideas are also enshrined in Italian law. As the Paper states: “The Italian Constitution provides a principled foundation: substantive equality and the removal of economic and social obstacles (Art. 3), the right to work (Art. 4), and the protection of health (Art. 32) presuppose material conditions that allow people to reach places, services, and opportunities (the concept of “Mobility as a right”).”

Clearly the issues present call for measured policy response from the state and equally-as-valuable efforts from other sectors. A Matrix of Transport Poverty is therefore brought forth in the Paper to serve as a “key framework for interpreting the phenomenon, useful for analyzing, measuring, and defining policies.” Different degrees of vulnerability are defined using this matrix: absolute vulnerability – low income and a lack of adequate transportation options in the area; territorial vulnerability – adequate personal resources, but insufficient mobility options, often compensated for by the use of private cars; personal vulnerability – well-served area, but personal capacity limited by economic, physical, or social barriers; adequate accessibility conditions – adequate personal capacity and availability of efficient mobility options.

The Social Climate Fund outlines “measures and investments aiming at reducing emissions and costs for the most vulnerable in the transport and construction sectors” as an adequate remedy for transport poverty. However, in order for long-lasting changes to take hold, “systemic policies—both national and local—are needed to combat transport poverty with an approach that goes beyond merely offsetting the effects and instead encompasses the entire framework of sustainable mobility policies.” Speakers also emphasized the need to bridge the legal and operational differences across regions and municipalities in Italy.

The need to measure and monitor the phenomenon

While successful categorization and addressing transportation poverty are of absolute necessity, their measurement and tracking are just as critical for designing effective policy platforms. Data from both individual households and businesses are needed to assess the levels of vulnerability experienced by society at large. To this end, technological innovations and new survey techniques can be of considerable help, providing data that is useful qualitatively and quantitatively.

“In Europe, more than 10 million people cannot afford public transportation, and nearly 90 million do not have access to affordable public transportation. The Green Paper paints a picture of transport poverty in Italy, adapting methodologies and selecting sets of European vulnerability indicators, and integrating, where possible, European sources with the most up-to-date and relevant national data. As of today, 1,2 million families in Italy face risk of poverty in light of transportation costs. Nonetheless, it must be said that this risk is disproportionately affecting the Southern regions. More than 10% of families in Calabria face the risk of transportational poverty, whereas the percentage is lowest in Trento (2%). “Local public transportation services show significant regional disparities as well: ranging from less than 200 seat-kilometers per inhabitant in some southern provinces (Southern Sardinia and Southern Sicily) to over 16,000 seat-kilometers per inhabitant (16,310) in Milan, compared to a national average of approximately 4,600 (4,623), highlighting highly uneven access to services.”

A scenario calling for collaborative governance

In light of these findings, the Paper proposes a ten-point plan, largely focusing on offsetting the negative effects of highly-pollutant vehicles that people often rely on when public transportation is sparse. From tax incentives to additional bonuses for scrapping diesel and gasoline vehicles (ensuring they are not replaced with polluting vehicles), the environmental dimension of transport poverty clearly takes center stage. Additionally, expansion of public transportation services and related infrastructure, particularly in underserved rural and urban areas, is also recommended, signaling that both public and private actors play an integral role within the proposed framework. To bring these findings to life, two interactive workshops followed, addressing the personal and territorial dimensions of the issue, respectively.

The lack of political will must be contrasted with strong, undeniable data. A successful summary of relevant findings, presented in the right context, can have a drastic impact. Therefore, events such as these illustrate the instrumental role of civil society in tackling social issues. Only civil society can grasp the intersectionality of issues that make-up transportation poverty, and only civil society can call all the relevant actors to action – the kind of action that will have a lasting impact.