MOBILITY FOR ALL IN RURAL AREAS - Inspiring Solutions From MAMBA www.mambaproject.eu
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MOBILITY FOR ALL IN RURAL AREAS Inspiring Solutions From MAMBA www.mambaproject.eu
MOBILITY FOR ALL IN RURAL AREAS Inspiring Solutions from MAMBA By Julia Dick, Ralf Brand, Kristin Tovaas, Rupprecht Consult GmbH
Mobility for All in Rural Areas: Peer reviewers: Doris Scheer, Diaconie of Schleswig
Inspiring solutions from MAMBA Holstein; Hakan Uraz and Jakob Marcks, REM Consult
ISBN Digital PDF: 978-91-87295-28-7 Proofreading: Tam McTurk, Citadel Translations
ISBN PRINT: 978-91-87295-29-4
Layout: Agnes Stenqvist Design
Citation: Dick, J., Brand, R., Tovaas, K. (2020). Mobility
for All in Rural Areas: Inspiring solutions from MAMBA. Cover picture: Charles Lamb/Unsplash
Stockholm: Nordregio.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are
Authors: Julia Dick, Ralf Brand, Kristin Tovaas, the sole responsibility of the authors named and do not
Rupprecht Consult - Forschung & Beratung GmbH. necessarily reflect the views of the European Commis-
sion or of the Interreg Secretariat.
Contributing authors: Sandra Brigsa (VUAS), Janis
Bikshe (VUAS), Åsa Ström Hildestrand (Nordregio), Copyright: All images and text elements in this publica-
Pasi Lamminluoto (Regional Council of North Karelia), tion, for which a source is provided, are the property of
Andris Lapans (VUAS), Marianne Pedersen (NaboGO), the organisations or individuals credited. The authors
Annika Schmiedek-Inselmann (Diaconie of Schleswig would like to encourage the widespread use of this
Holstein) Guide. This document may be used free of charge,
copied and redistributed via any medium, provided that
Parts of this document are based on MAMBA’s “pre- (a) the source is acknowledged by using the above cita-
studies”, which were produced by Nordregio (Pre-study tion and (b) the use of the redistributed material is free
on socio-cultural determinants of innovative rural mo- of charge. Commercial use of this document as well as
bility solutions), IKEM (Institute for Climate Protection, modifications to its content are authorised only with
Energy and Mobility; Pre-study on legal determinants the express permission of the copyright holders. In legal
of innovative rural mobility solutions), Vidzeme Univer- terms, use of this document is governed by creative
sity of Applied Sciences (Pre-study on socio-economic commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution-Non-
determinants of rural mobility solutions) and Kiel Commercial-NoDerivates 4.0 International). The legal
University of Applied Sciences (Pre-study on Mobility text of the license is available at: https://creativecom-
Centre models). All four documents are available for mons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode.
download at: www.mambaproject.eu/products
Contact:
Contributing authors (in alphabetical order): Tanja Diaconie of Schleswig Holstein
Aronsen, Maciej Bereda, Sandra Brigsa, Aleksandra (Lead Partner of MAMBA),
Chrystowska-O’Shea, Sylwia Hudziec, Pasi Lammin- Nicole Rönnspieß: roennspiess@diakonie-sh.de
luoto, Jani Palomäki, Marianne Pedersen, Sami Perälä, www.mambaproject.eu
Christoffer Pettersson-Hernestig, Anna Plichta-
Kotas, Līga Puriņa-Purīte, Nicole Rönnspieß, Annika
Schmiedek-Inselmann, Beatrice Siemons, Päivi Tuisku,
Hakan Uraz, Sanna Valkosalo, Jasmin Weissbrodt.
MAMBA — Maximising Mobility and Accessibility in Regions Affected by Demographic Change is a project funded by
the European Regional Development Fund under the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2014–2020. The content
of the report reflects the author’s/partner’s views and the EU Commission and the Managing Authority/Joint Secre-
tariat are not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. All images are copyrighted
and property of their respective owners.
4 Mobility for All in Rural Areas
Contents
Welcome 6
Preface 7
1. Introduction 8
2. Challenges accepted: Understanding the opportunities
for improving accessible rural mobility 10
3. Consider the local context! 14
3.1. Make use of your existing resources 14
3.2. Build on existing structures 15
3.3. Mind the law 16
4. Get inspired by these innovative mobility solutions! 18
4.1. Digital Mobility Centre in North Karelia, Finland 18
4.2. Transport-on-Demand service in the Vidzeme Planning Region, Latvia 21
4.3. Mobility Solutions in Bielsko, Poland 26
4.3.1. Transport-on-Demand Service in Bielsko, Poland 27
4.3.2. Non-Commercial Ride Pooling in Bielsko-Biała, Poland 29
4.4. Rural Car-Sharing and Mobility Centre Cuxhaven, Germany 30
4.5. Transport-on-Demand system “ALFA” and interactive map in Plön, Germany 35
4.6. Creative mobility and accessibility solutions in Trelleborg, Sweden 38
4.6.1. Mobility Discussion Platform 38
4.6.2. Co-Working Space “Kontorskafé” and digital Mobility Centre 41
4.6.3. Bus Transport for Elderly Citizens 42
4.7. Ride-sharing Application in Vejle, Denmark 45
4.8. Service-to-people Accessibility Solution in Hallig Hooge, Germany 48
4.9. Regional Steering Group for Mobility Services in South Ostrobothnia, Finland 52
5. Conclusions 55
Further information and endnotes 58
Figures:
Figure 1: Circle of declining rural areas 11
Figure 2: Schematic representation of the South Ostrobothnian Mobility Centre model 53
MAMBA 5
Welcome This document presents the innovative MAMBA solutions, where local guides share mobility solutions developed and imple- their experience, talk about the variety of mented within the MAMBA project. Each challenges faced, introduce other members of them is different because they all take of their alliance and present the solutions advantage of the opportunities and pos- they discovered. We would like to extend sibilities of the unique local context in the our sincere gratitude to everyone who region. As a result, each individual meas- contributed to this important document. ure has its own (hi)story, which is featured We hope that it will inspire others who in this document. These experiences are seek to pursue similar goals. That is, people presented in different styles, mirroring the who would like to improve the mobility different people who actually worked on situation in their rural region through new the ground to promote better rural partnerships, through intelligent ideas, and mobility and accessibility. In that sense, through a good deal of dedication aimed this document intentionally takes the at benefitting everyone living in Europe’s reader on a journey to visit the various beautiful rural areas. Source: Taneli-Lahtinen/Unsplash 6 Mobility for All in Rural Areas
Preface
As Lead Partner of MAMBA, we are convinced: to but also have specific opportunities like engaged
have a strong, sustainable societal cohesion we communities, closely-knit social networks etc. It is
need a social Europe that enables just participa- therefore important, that MAMBA’s experience is
tion for all people, especially for the disadvan- shared with people in other regions across Europe,
taged! Equal access to essential services is one who have the motivation to improve the situation
of the social ethical principles of all our actions. in their rural communities.
Mobility and accessibility of services are obvious- This publication serves exactly this purpose: It
ly crucial factors for achieving this goal, therefore is the result of the transnational collaboration of
they are cross-cutting issues for all our teams at 16 MAMBA partners from different countries, who
the Diaconie Schleswig-Holstein which represent have cooperated to implement the best possible
all relevant fields of social work. This is the very ideas at the local level by working together and
reason why we proudly led the MAMBA consortium learning from each other. Now, that their journey
through the exciting joint journey over three years. has come to an intermediate end, they are “step-
We cannot continue relying on conventional ping back” in order to self-critically reflect about
forms of transport to solve all mobility problems, what went well, what could have been improved
especially not in rural areas with demographic and what can be recommended to others who
challenges such as out-migration and an ageing would like to tackle similar challenges. Sharing
population. We therefore need to think creatively these lessons is cross-border cooperation in action.
about new ways of ensuring accessibility for eve- It is a way to progress together in an ever-evolving
ryone. For example, recent advances in sharing EU, fostering regional cohesion and thereby im-
concepts or communication technologies bear proving the livelihood of people at the local level.
the potential for better accessibility in rural are- This publication is one of MAMBA’s “flagship”
as. There are also promising cases where certain outputs, next to the Everbody's Guide For Collabo-
services come to the people, rather than everyone rative Mobility Solutions, Policy Recommendations
travelling individually to a store, a bank, a doctor’s and the Database For Innovative Mobility Cases.
office etc. Projects like MAMBA play a crucial role Together, they provide valuable inspiration and
in this context because they venture out into new “how-to” advice to people (citizens, service provid-
territory, try out something innovative, even take ers, authorities, companies etc.) who want to make
some risk and deliver concrete and tangible ben- a positive difference for their communities. In other
efits to people wherever they live. Thereby these words, MAMBA and anyone who takes up its inspi-
projects are fostering socioeconomic inclusion, ration and advice, joins the Diaconie of Schleswig-
better chances for everyone and a balanced devel- Holstein in its endeavour to assist the social devel-
opment in the wider region. opment of the less-favoured regions of the European
Concretely, MAMBA implemented more than a Union. I am grateful to everyone who shares this am-
dozen pilot projects in rural, and sometimes very bition: roll up your sleeves and go ahead!
remote areas in six countries of the Baltic Sea Re-
gion. Some of them fall into the people-to-service
category whereas others pursue the service-to-
people idea. Furthermore, so called Mobility Cent-
ers have been established — digitally and physically
— to pool and integrate information and services Heiko Naß,
on different modes of transport to provide easier Theological Head
access to mobility and social goods for people. All of the Diaconie
MAMBA areas struggle with typical challenges of Schleswig-Holstein
MAMBA 7
1. Introduction
What is MAMBA? successful local projects (but also, importantly,
MAMBA stands for “Maximising Mobility and Ac- about the difficulties we encountered, and how we
cessibility of Services in Regions Affected by Demo- handled them) in this document, which we proudly
graphic Change.” It is a European Interreg project call “Mobility for All in Rural Areas”.
that aims to improve the quality of life in rural areas
in the Baltic Sea region through innovative mobil- How MAMBA makes rural regions
ity and accessibility solutions. a better place to live
At first glance, the prospects for such regions MAMBA promotes sustainable mobility solutions
seem grim. Certain processes (e.g. ageing popula- in rural areas in the Baltic Sea region — and in-
tions, out-migration, economic problems, strained volves users in the process. Two main approaches
public budgets, etc.) are pulling many remote re- are pursued:
gions all over Europe into a “circle of decline”; a
self-perpetuating cycle (or circle) that has a nega- l People-to-service: this means enabling people
tive impact on the quality of life in rural areas. to access certain services (stores, banks, libraries,
Looking more closely, however, there is ample hid- doctors, etc.) more easily.
den potential just waiting to be developed in mov- l Service-to-people: this means that the providers
ing towards solutions. This includes strong social of certain services come to the people themselves
networks, creativity, commitment, resources, a — or at least to a place nearby, such as a village
collective sense of charity, and the various infra- centre.
structures possessed by local community mem-
bers and/or the public sector. MAMBA showcases The three-year the project sought to ask:
how small interventions can make a real, effective l How can we organise rural mobility and welfare
change and counteract this (vicious) circle. services in the future, so that they reach the people
We hope that we will spark your curiosity as we who need them?
invite you to learn more about MAMBA’s ideas and l How can we develop rural mobility services that
are as useful and accessible as possible for all resi-
dents?
l How could technology be used to support and
improve rural mobility services?
l In what ways can users be continuously involved
so that we develop rural mobility services that are
relevant for them and meet their needs?
With a consortium of 15 partners from six coun-
tries, MAMBA has examined these questions and
showcased potential solutions. The consortium co-
created over a dozen mobility solutions with local
stakeholders in remote regions, towns and villages
throughout the Baltic Sea region. At times, these
interventions all faced challenges of their own —
whether financial, socio-cultural, organisational,
political or legal. However, with courage, ingenuity
and flexibility, most of these challenges have been
Source: Anete Gluha, Mazsalaca municipality. overcome. For example, MAMBA has launched the
8 Mobility for All in Rural Areas
Evaluating
mobility services
Establishing
innovative mobility and
accessibility solutions
Involving
users to design new
Source: Janis Bikse. solutions
first-ever rural Transport-on-Demand service in in the Baltic Sea region. The insights gained from
Latvia, a process that required a lot of pioneering these numerous projects are summarised in Chap-
work (p. 24). On Hallig Hooge, a remote German ter 5, entitled ‘Lessons Learnt’.
island in the North Sea, with only around 100 in- If these innovative mobility solutions spark
habitants, we improved the provision of social your interest and motivate you to take concrete
counselling through digital means, reducing trans- action, here are some other documents that we
port needs and improving the quality of life on the would recommend:
island (p. 56). In Upper Silesia, in Poland, MAMBA
has connected remote villages to nearby towns (1) “A Guide to Collaborative Mobility Solutions in
with new, demand-responsive transport service Rural Areas”. This is another flagship output from
(p. 31), and in a rural part of Southern Sweden we the MAMBA project, which provides step-by-step
have tested how rural co-working spaces can re- guidance concerning the planning and implemen-
duce longer-distance commuting and boost com- tation of innovative mobility solutions. You can find
munity life. This project was even nominated for the it on the MAMBA website: www.mambaproject.eu
Municipal Innovation Prize of the year 2020 (p. 44). (2) The MAMBA database of innovative mobility
These are but a few examples of MAMBA initia- solutions, in which you will find a huge number of
tives. examples from the Baltic Sea region and beyond,
Further inspiration about these and other case explanations of good practice, inspiration and con-
studies follows in this document. Chapter 2 high- tact details for operators: www.mamba project.
lights the challenges and opportunities for innova- eu/database
tive mobility solutions in rural areas. In Chapter 3, (3) The guidance document for policymaking,
various factors that can play a role in implementing which provides policy-makers seeking to lobby for
innovative mobility solutions are illustrated and ex- legislative and policy changes with multiple points
plained. This includes financial, legal and human- of engagement for improved mobility and accessi-
resource considerations. The key part of the docu- bility of services in rural areas. Again, it is available
ment is Chapter 4, which presents the MAMBA on the MAMBA website: www.mambaproject.eu.
projects implemented across various rural areas
MAMBA 9
2. Challenges accepted: Understanding the opportunities for improving accessible rural mobility The Challenges providing these services increases in such situa- Rural areas are characterised by long distances tions, making it difficult to maintain or improve Rural areas are characterised by long distances them. Consequently, these areas find it difficult to and low population density. This makes tradi- attract and retain businesses, who instead move tional public transport and the provision of social to more economically viable areas with a greater services challenging and expensive for the public number of potential customers and employees. sector to maintain. At the same time, sufficient This leads to fewer jobs in the area, which inevi- transport options and social services are vital for tably forces residents to continue moving away to remote regions, because: find jobs and educational opportunities. l Access to transport is an important factor in enhancing the competitiveness, sustainability and attractiveness of rural and remote areas. It achieves this by ensuring access to key services — such as employment, education, healthcare and leisure activities — for both inhabitants and poten- tial visitors. l Access to services is equally crucial. The poor accessibility of services is among the factors lead- ing to the marginalisation and peripheralisation of many rural regions. It can result both in a decline in economic activity and potential, and low levels of socio-economic performance. Improving both mobility and the accessibility of services in rural areas are central responses to the challenges that these rural regions are facing. They are important in breaking the “circle of decline” faced by many rural communities (see Figure 1). Rural areas begin the circle of decline when their population — in particular working taxpayers — falls below a critical mass. Since rural areas already have a low population density, any out- migration or ageing of the population leads to a lack of critical mass for services and infrastructure. The cost per capita for the public sector to continue Source: Janis Bikse. 10 Mobility for All in Rural Areas
Source: Andris Lapans.
The Opportunities
Finding innovative ways of improving access to
Out-migration
mobility and social services in areas experiencing a
Low population
(+ageing) density vicious circle of decline could be one of the keys
to reversing it. Declining rural areas require in-
novative mobility solutions, taking into account
structural changes in the economy and in demo-
Circle of graphics. The main aim is to improve accessibility
Fewer
Decline Lack of critical
and serve the mobility needs of the remaining resi-
dents, thereby improving their quality of life. In the
jobs mass for services
and infrastructure short term, this makes the area more liveable and
reduces social isolation; in the longer term, it could
help to reverse the circle of decline by attracting
Lower rate more residents and businesses, ultimately improv-
of business
creation ing the economic vitality of the area.
Rural areas have different needs and different
Figure 1: Circle of declining rural areas. Source: OECD, resources than urban areas. As a result, solutions
2010. that were successful in urban or peri-urban areas
cannot simply be transferred to rural areas. But
So, the vicious circle of decline intensifies, with does the search for better access to mobility and
fewer and fewer resources available for the public services in rural areas need to be an uphill battle?
sector alone to provide sufficient access to mobil- We believe that it does not — in fact, rural areas
ity and social services. For many rural areas, this can be an especially fertile ground for the public
means that the public authorities need to “thin sector and grassroots actors to develop collabo-
out” public transport services and social services — rative working and implement mobility solutions
in some cases discontinuing them entirely. The sit- successfully. Collaboration between private or vol-
uation can worsen when a decreasing and ageing untary actors and the public sector leads to inno-
population leads to fewer public transport users, vation, greater social cohesion, and ownership of
while — at the same time — an increasing number solutions. However, in order to reap these benefits,
of people require special transport provision, such it is necessary to think “outside the box”, divert-
as hospital and paratransit services. Residents in ing away from the established patterns and con-
these areas are left with no option but to buy their ventional protocols, roles and responsibilities that
own cars (if they are physically and financially ca- typically create a dividing wall between the public
pable of doing so) so that they can maintain their sector and the grassroots. The key is either to dis-
lifestyles and participate fully in society. Ultimately, mantle this wall or to find ways of opening up win-
all of these factors, taken together, result in a dows between different participants. This can be
sharp decrease in rural residents’ quality of life. achieved by finding effective ways to mobilise the
MAMBA 11Source: Johanna Feuk Westhoff, MAMBA project.
various actors’ existing resources, so they reach a The MAMBA solutions
common goal together. This requires a willingness MAMBA partners accepted these challenges, at-
on the part of the public sector to be more of an tempting to help break the circle of decline by
equal partner and a facilitator of collaborative collaboratively developing and implementing in-
mobility solutions. novative mobility solutions. The 36-month project
There are many opportunities in rural areas to provided the extended period of time necessary to
make efficient use of existing social networks, re- develop, negotiate, implement and test new mo-
sources and public transport infrastructure at low bility solutions, and also to judge their effective-
cost, and in a way that can be of significant value ness and sustainability. This time window allowed
to local residents. Despite the lower population us closely to monitor changes in the way residents
density, rural areas tend to have tighter-knit so- get around in MAMBA project areas, while also
cial networks and a greater degree of trust among taking into account social, cultural and economic
neighbours. This is, in a sense, untapped social factors.
capital, waiting to be mobilised for collaborative This document describes interventions devel-
mobility solutions. Projects which have been devel- oped and implemented as part of the MAMBA
oped in this spirit, and which are proven to be well- project. Some of them focussed on people-to-
suited to rural residents’ needs, focus especially service solutions by improving accessibility to a
on last-mile solutions and personalised transport range of services; others aimed at finding new
— including on-demand and flexible services, car- ways in which services could come to people, and
sharing, ride-sharing and pedelecs. one strove to reduce the need for travel through
the provision of a co-working space for remote
12 Mobility for All in Rural AreasMAMBA
rural mobility
and accessibility
solutions
Social and health care
related transportation
in the region of South Public transport portal
Ostrobothnia, Finland serving inhabitants
across the entire region
of North Karelia, Finland
Ride-sharing app in the
Smidstrup-Skærup village
area of Vejle in Southern
Jutland, Denmark Transport-on-Demand in
Aluksne and Mazsalaca
municipalities Vidzeme,
Rural co-working hub in Latvia
Södra Åby and buses for
the elderly. Trelleborg
Mobile social
municipality, Sweden
counselling for
the inhabitants of
Hallig Hooge island,
Germany
Transport-on-Demand service and
Online platform providing
ride-sharing application in Bielsko-
transport service information
Biała, Poland. Transport information
in Plön, Germany and Transport-
and booking services via Bielsko
on-Demand service
District Mobility Center
Rural car sharing in Geestland,
Neuenwalde district, Cuxhaven,
Germany, and county-wide trans-
port service information center
0 150 300 km
MAMBA rural mobility and accessibility solutions.
working. In other cases, MAMBA partners also de- ample is Plön, where additional services extended
veloped so-called Mobility Centres as a means to the already existing public transport system (p. 40).
integrate information about different modes of Overall, the experience of the MAMBA solutions is
transport in one central information “hub” — be it that rural areas are capable of delivering better
physical or digital. mobility solutions for the local population when
MAMBA solutions always seek to leverage local public sector and grassroots actors work togeth-
opportunities and resources. They make use of the er. Read more about how this has been achieved in
local community, which was the case in Trelleborg, Chapter 4.
for example (p. 44), and in Vejle (p. 52). Another ex-
MAMBA 133. Consider the local context!
This chapter explains three crucial aspects to Management structures
consider very early on in the process of improving How effective are your organisation’s decision-
local mobility solutions. This involves taking stock making structures?
of important opportunities, but also of potential The path towards a successful mobility solution is
obstacles. a journey involving a large number of decisions —
some small, others more far-reaching. It is impor-
l Aspect number one is internal resources. That tant to have an effective management structure
includes people, know-how, experience and skills; in place for this process. Leading questions in this
decision making structures, existing contacts, context include: Which decisions can be taken by
money (of course) and other resources. whom? Do certain decisions require a general as-
l Aspect number two is having a clear under- sembly of all members (which only happens once
standing of the key factors in your region. For ex- a year)? Do you have the computer equipment
ample, is it hilly or flat? What is the average age of and skills to communicate effectively with a large
the population? What is the unemployment rate? group of people, keep track of finances, design fly-
Are people typically open to trying out new things? ers, assign and control tasks, and so on? Even if
Is the regional government stable? When are the your mobility solution is not required or intended
next elections? These and various other factors to make a profit, you should be able to treat it as a
will be significant. business operation.
l The highly important third aspect to consider is
the legal situation. After all, your idea has to fit Technological and digital solutions
with existing laws about transportation licences, What are your preconditions for technological
liability rules, data protection, tax regulations, etc. and digital solutions?
It is crucial to keep all such related aspects in mind When thinking about technological or digital solu-
from the outset. tions (for example, the booking of a flexibly routed
on-demand service), it is important to check the
3.1. Make use of your existing availability and quality of ICT (Information Com-
resources munication Technology) infrastructure. Mobile re-
Resources can be people, but also forms of finan- ception can be unreliable, too, and not everyone
cial support or already existing structures in your will necessarily have a computer, tablet or smart-
local community. phone with a sufficient data allowance. Do not
take such things for granted.
Network of (potential) partners It is also essential to understand the degree of
Who could help with innovative mobility solutions? willingness and confidence with which people tend
New mobility solutions can never be the responsi- to use digital tools. This is often a challenge in rural
bility of just one organisation. They always depend areas because older people tend to be less famil-
on a range of partners working together. Typical iar with digital solutions. This was the experience
partners in such a strategic alliance would be pub- when implementing a digital platform in North
lic transport operators, the local authorities and — Karelia (p. 18). It can take quite some time until
obviously — the users. Schools, universities, banks, people trust and use “fancy” technological solu-
foundations, citizen’s groups, the chamber of com- tions.
merce and even religious organisations can also The exclusion of population groups should be
play an important role.1 Think creatively about who avoided as far as possible. So, even if digital so-
might be able to assist and involve them early on. lutions are the core element of your project, think
about appropriate support facilities — such as
14 Mobility for All in Rural Areasa (voluntary) telephone service to help elderly or wait inside a corner shop until the bus arrives. This
disabled people to benefit from mobility services. solution might also attract new customers to the
shop. In addition, social contacts can be forged
Financing through the bundling of services. In such cases,
How is public transport financed in your region, both services (transport and shopping, in this ex-
and who could co-finance innovative mobility ample) will combine to create a positive user ex-
solutions? perience. It is smart to use such existing service
Undoubtedly, money matters, and that goes for structures, as it is much more difficult to set up
innovative mobility solutions, too. Make sure that new structures from scratch2.
you pay attention to these three aspects: the set-
up and running costs of mobility solutions for the 3.2. Build on existing structures
organisers, potential funding sources and the price For the implementation of an innovative rural mo-
for users, including any discounts. bility solution, it is important to understand the
To estimate the costs of an innovative mobil- key factors in your region in order to identify po-
ity solution, various factors should be taken into tential obstacles and drivers, as well as to assess
account. Think about fixed costs (e.g. those which users’ needs.
come to the same amount every month), variable
costs (one-off expenses) and specific costs for Population structure and population
drivers, administrators, maintenance staff or oth- density
er personnel.2 Also, don’t forget about insurance Who lives in your region?
premiums, communication materials, and so on. The population structure and density will affect
Funding sources for new mobility solutions can the purpose, regularity and timing of mobility pat-
be public and/or private. In all regions where MAM- terns. Also, the age structure will influence why,
BA solutions were implemented, public transport when and how people want to get from point A to
is subsidised by the national or regional budgets. point B. For younger people, for example, the pur-
Some philanthropic foundations are also occa- pose is often to get to work. When they get older,
sionally willing to make financial or other in-kind the demand for social and healthcare services in-
contributions, typically for the initial phase. You creases. The demand for mobility will, therefore,
might also consider making sponsorship arrange- be different in terms of routes and times. The few-
ments with local companies. er people who live in a region, the more difficult it
When planning the pricing policy for a mobility becomes to maintain a regular and frequent public
service, it is not just the total number of planned transport system. In rural regions with many older
users that must be taken into account, but also people, fewer people go to work during the day,
the ability of various target groups to pay. You and so the overall demand for transport is lower2.
might want to grant discounts to groups with spe- To gain insight into some key characteristics
cial needs, such as people with disabilities, senior regarding the population structure of the MAM-
citizens, students and low-income families or indi- BA regions in the Baltic Sea region, check out the
viduals. In order to increase customer loyalty, you analyses (regional profiles, maps) on the MAMBA
could also consider offering discounts for monthly project website: www.mambaproject.eu/products
or annual tickets.2
Factors related to social groups
Combining with other service providers How can the dynamics of social groups foster or
Which services already exist in your region, and hinder innovative mobility solutions?
how do they interconnect (or not)? Looking at individual factors, it is noticeable that
In rural areas, there are often locations — such as innovative mobility solutions can be a challenge to
cafés, small corner shops or even petrol stations people’s individual characteristics, taking into ac-
— where particular services are offered to people. count age, gender, attitude, educational status,
These may be used as “anchor points” for new so- lifestyle and socio-economic status. It is useful to
lutions. For example, if you plan to establish a new, bear this in mind in order to assess what influence
volunteer-driven bus service, the passengers could these factors might have on travel behaviour and
MAMBA 15on the acceptance and uptake of new mobility so- Local transport may be very car-dependent, and
lutions1. A good example is the Non-Commercial people not used to public transport at all. One in-
Drive Pooling in Bielsko-Biała. For the first phase novative mobility solution in Trelleborg sought to
of implementation, students were chosen as the change this by providing recreational bus services
target group. They seemed to be the easiest group for older people on weekends, trying to familiarise
to reach, because their peer group had certain typ- them with public transport in general (p. 42). Pre-
ical features, such as low car ownership and famili- existing public transport can also be a starting
arity with digital solutions (p. 29). point for additional, innovative mobility solutions.
Political atmosphere Spatial patterns
How is the local political atmosphere? Is there some kind of centre, or do people live far
Are politicians open to new ideas? away from each other?
The political and administrative environment can Settlement structure can be decisive for certain
also have an impact on the possible implementa- kinds of innovative mobility solution. This is closely
tion of an innovative mobility solution. If different related to specific population density. If large num-
levels of government and different policy areas bers of people are gathered around a single point,
(such as health and transport) work well together, it is easier to finance a mobility solution there than
this amounts to a positive precondition. If they for scattered settlements over a large area and
do not, then the new mobility solution might be greater distances2. A (kind of) centre can be used
a good starting point to improve interaction be- to bundle services, as well as to serve as a meeting
tween different departments.1 This was the case, point. A good example of that is the Co-Working
in Trelleborg, for example, where MAMBA helped Space developed in Trelleborg (p. 41).
to create a Mobility Discussion Platform (p.38)
that brings together different levels of govern- Geographical conditions
ment, and various policy areas, in order to discover What are the typical landscape and weather
innovative mobility solutions for rural areas. conditions in your region?
Typical weather conditions in a region can influ-
Structure of the local economy ence the choice of a suitable means of transport.
How could you make use of the structure of the Heavy seasonal snowfall, or a lot of rain at cer-
local economy? tain times of the year, may make certain modes of
The structure of the local economy can contribute transport less attractive. Topographic conditions,
to the implementation of innovative mobility so- such as hills or the quality of the roads, may also
lutions in a variety of ways. Rural regions tend to simplify or prevent the introduction of new mobil-
have seasonal workflows since sectors such as ag- ity solutions. These circumstances should be tak-
riculture, forestry and construction still constitute en into account during planning, especially when
a high proportion of the overall economy. Another thinking about which vehicle types to purchase —
important source of income in rural areas can especially if new vehicles will be needed.
be tourism. The demand for mobility will then be
higher and structured along seasonal lines. In the 3.3. Mind the law!
off-season, for instance, resources which are su- When establishing a new mobility service, it is im-
perfluous at that time of year might become avail- portant to know about existing laws regarding
able2. Consider using resources not in use at the transport, insurance and finance. Some laws relat-
moment, but which might be helpful in creating a ed to innovative, collaborative mobility solutions
new mobility solution for local people. apply Europe-wide, others are national. A com-
parative analysis carried out by the Institute for
Mobility infrastructure Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility (IKEM)
What mobility services can you build upon? and legal experts from the countries participating
It is important to analyse how people are currently in MAMBA demonstrates that the prospects are
mobile. Even if the areas concerned are rural, there good for establishing innovative mobility solutions
will likely be different forms of public transport. on a sound legal basis.3
16 Mobility for All in Rural AreasPassenger transport law for these costs. In most countries, public transport
Passenger transport laws vary from country to companies are eligible for tax deductions.3
country. They ensure public safety and order in all
issues relating to public transport. In most Euro- Insurance law
pean countries, passenger transport laws require Solutions need to have insurance coverage. The law
operators to obtain approval from the competent is different in each country in the Baltic Sea region
authority before offering to transport passengers in this regard. In most countries (such as Finland,
on public road space, specifically when the service Latvia, Poland and Sweden) the owner of a vehi-
is commercial. 3 Keep these requirements in mind. cle is responsible for any insurance policy required.
In Germany however, not the owner of the vehicle
Personal legal requirements for drivers but the person using and maintaining it on their
of motor vehicles own account needs to take out a vehicle liability in-
Anybody who drives other people around — as a surance. If goods are to be transported, additional
paid driver or as a volunteer — needs certain li- insurance for this may well be a good idea.3
cences. The type of licence is important; as it gov-
erns the weight and the length of the vehicle as Procurement law
well as the number of people it can convey. In most Procurement law is applied EU-wide, but each
countries, the drivers in the regions where MAMBA state still has its own distinctive legislation, ex-
solutions were implemented need a category D panding on European law. The main objective of
licences for minibuses. However, with a category procurement law is to guarantee safe, efficient
B driving license, up to nine people (including the and high-quality passenger transport services
driver) can be transported in vehicles weighing less through regulated competition. Whether innova-
than 3.5 tons. In most European countries, the au- tive mobility solutions are subject to a competitive
thorities must approve the drivers’ professional tendering process organised by the respective au-
qualifications before they are eligible for any ad- thorities also depends upon their legal status as a
ditional passenger transport license. But in Fin- public transport service provider (see above). Here,
land, for example, drivers only need to pass an ad- our analysis presents a mixed picture. Whereas
ditional health test to be qualified for commercial Transport-on-Demand solutions fulfil the criteria of
passenger transport, while in Sweden such drivers public transport, for instance, car-sharing does not.3
need to be over 21 years-of-age.
Data protection law
Finance Law All data protection law revolves around the Euro-
Solutions can be both privately and publicly fund- pean General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
ed. The latter are regulated by public finance law, This stipulates that processing personal data is
which is different in each country. In this context, lawful if the data subject has given consent to
it is a great advantage if the solution proposed the processing, or if it is necessary for the perfor-
qualifies as public transport, since this makes pub- mance of a task carried out in the public interest.
lic funding options easier to access. Under some Other key principles of GDPR are purpose limita-
regulatory frameworks, a distinction is made be- tion and data minimisation. Data protection law
tween line-based and occasional transport. Some plays an important role in the process of establish-
countries will usually choose those transport op- ing innovative mobility solutions. It is important
tions qualifying for public funding in any tender- to tailor booking or registration systems in a way
ing process. Others may provide reimbursement that ensures all users actively consent to any pro-
for losses to transport providers because public cessing of their data.3
transport is considered a social obligation. The
type of user-group also matters. For example,
public transport may be subsidised or free for
people with disabilities or for school pupils. In most
cases, the government will compensate providers
MAMBA 174. Get inspired by these
innovative mobility
solutions!
Within the MAMBA project, various innovative mo- 4.1. Digital Mobility Centre in
bility solutions were implemented in nine different North Karelia, Finland
rural areas across the Baltic Sea region. They all Main author: Pasi Lamminluoto, project manager
sought to improve both general mobility and ac- at Regional Council of North Karelia
cess to services. This Chapter recounts these sto-
ries one-by-one, in distinct sub-chapters. Each of What is your innovative mobility solution
them reflects the different styles of the various about?
main authors, who have always played (or con- The Regional Council of North Karelia wanted a
tinue to play) a key role in actual activities on the technical solution to bring together different forms
ground. This gives each case description a delib- of public transport in one user-friendly digital Re-
erate degree of “grounding” because the authors gional Transport Platform — a so-called “Mobility
involved truly know what they are talking about. Centre”, which combines all the relevant transport
Each sub-chapter is structured along the fol- and mobility data. This has resulted in a public
lowing lines: the first part always answers the transport portal called POJO, which was launched
question, “What is the innovative mobility solu- in February 2020. It is available both at https://
tion about?” in a nutshell. It introduces the main pojo.pohjois-karjala.fi/ and as a smartphone app.
stakeholders, the principal users and the overall The portal shows the timetables and routes
outcome. This is followed by answer the question, of regional buses, long-distance buses, trains and
“What was the starting point?” This section ex- Transport-on-Demand services. It also contains
plains the key determining circumstances, such as information about airport coach transfers, taxi
the mobility problems and needs addressed, inter- services and carpooling groups. The main users of
nal resources, and the given situation — including POJO are the people of the region, the municipality
demographic, cultural, economic, infrastructural and tourists.
and geographic factors. After that, the various ac-
tivities involved are presented, with the aim of ex- What was the starting point?
plaining, “How did the actual implementation take The key stakeholder in the Mobility Centre is the
place and what are the first results?”. Obviously, Regional Council of North Karelia. One precondi-
each sub-chapter also includes a section about tion for developing the idea was a good quality
“What can other regions learn?” in order to articu- broadband network for the digital services. As in
late transferable insights from the lessons learned, all MAMBA regions, the rural area of North Kare-
but also to identify likely risks or obstacles. Each lia struggles with the tendency towards reduced
case description also features an outlook on the on-site public and private services (such as health
next planned steps, as well as related images and care, culture and shopping) and therefore has an
sometimes quotes from users, drivers or coordina- increased need for transport. The reduction of
tors. The online resource www.mambaproject.eu/ state subsidies for public bus routes in remote
rural-mobility-solutions provides further details areas in Finland proved an additional motivation
about some of these MAMBA solutions. in finding fresh, innovative mobility solutions for
such areas.
18 Mobility for All in Rural AreasNorth Karelia. Map by Nordregio.
North Karelia can be characterised as a transport information were fragmented because
sparsely populated region with an above-average several operators were involved in providing public
age demographic. It was important to design the transport. These different operators use their own
user interface of the platform in a way that con- platforms to share relevant information. Custom-
sidered the special needs of different age groups. ers, therefore, had difficulties in finding the right
From the very beginning, the intended users were channels for the information they needed. This has
consulted about their needs, which led to the reali- been an issue for quite a while, with many people
sation that a good number of people are not capa- asking for this problem to be solved.
ble of, or experienced in, the use of digital services. Luckily, the Regional Council of North Karelia
As a result, customised training and learning was endorsed an effective suggestion to remedy this
required, which slowed down the roll-out process. situation — namely a user-friendly Mobility Centre.
Long distances are typical of the North Karelia This provided a reliable basis for long-term opera-
region, and citizens are used to commuting on foot, tion and afforded planning certainty for all stake-
by bike or in private cars. Although public transport holders involved.
operates at a basic level around the regional cen-
tre, the city of Joensuu, and the nearest municipal- How was the actual implementation and
ities to it, the number of routes has declined in this what are the initial results?
key network in recent years. Keeping up standards As a first step, a survey was conducted of peo-
of service in a cost-effective manner has proven ple living in remote areas, enquiring about their
challenging. Additionally, sources of mobility and needs in terms of transport and mobility. Based
MAMBA 19MAMBA Mobility Centres
Alongside the pilot schemes for innovative ence to handle customer requests; (2) the
Rural Mobility Solutions, the partners in advanced Mobility Centre, offering exclusively
MAMBA have established so-called Mobility digital services of different ranges, and (3) the
Centres. The objective of the centres is to local Mobility Centre, which combines physi-
facilitate mobility and accessibility via a cal infrastructure with automated digital
combination of measures, e.g. the accumu- solutions, i.-e. it constitutes a multi-modal
lation and integration of information on mobility hub. However, the creativity of
different modes of mobility, promot- partners comes into play here. This brought
ing public and shared transport options, about unique attempts at establishing truly
or involving stakeholders in a meaningful “outside-the-box” Mobility Centres. Consid-
process to improve existing (or to develop ering the network and integrative charac-
new) mobility and accessibility offers.This ter involved, creating a Mobility Centre by
has created a reference framework, which design is a complex endeavour. It requires
provides guidance to partners in the devel- the involvement of a multitude of actors and
opment of Mobility Centres. We distinguish stakeholders. For more information, see the
between three general models of Mobility Study on the Mobility Centre Models and
Centre. These are (1) the traditional model, the partners’ Operational Concepts on the
which is a physical facility with a staff pres- MAMBA website.
A good-looking service that
combines different modes
of public transport in the region.
User of the POJO mobility services
on the results of this survey, and general discus-
sion about the issues raised, a digital platform for
regional transport was launched for a group of key
stakeholders. Digital Platform Workshops were
used to gather relevant information about poten-
tial solutions, challenges and practical tips for the
final Mobility Centre. For evaluation purposes, a
demo version of the platform was given to certain
groups to test and provide feedback that would
improve the final version.
As the Regional Council of North Karelia has a
very wide regional network of actors in different
sectors, the Mobility Centre has been featured in
the monthly newsletter, on social media channels
and in face-to-face meetings. All municipalities will
be marketing this service to their local communities
via their own channels. Adverts were also placed in
regional newspapers and other media about the
launch of the project. One particularly important Screenshot from POJO website. Source: https://pojo.
channel for the future will be the Regional Social pohjois-karjala.fi/routes
20 Mobility for All in Rural AreasA nice feature is that you can What are the next steps and how will the
project continue?
actually follow your bus on
The next concrete steps for the project will be a
the map in real time. promotional campaign for the POJO platform
User of the POJO mobility services and app. The technical improvement and updating
of the service will also remain ongoing in the long
and Healthcare organisation (Siun Sote) newslet- term.
ter, which is delivered to every household in the Overall, long-term sustainability is ensured by
region twice a year. The educational sector (the different stakeholders sharing responsibilities for
University of Eastern Finland, Karelia University of the different elements of the platform. The role of
Applied Sciences, and the Riveria Vocational Edu- the Regional Council of North Karelia, in particular,
cation and Training provider) were also involved in remains especially important for the coordination
marketing efforts, in order to reach students and of these activities into the future.
younger people.
During the trial phase, a group of around 120 4.2. Transport-on-Demand
people tested the digital platform. Overall, the service in Vidzeme Region,
feedback was positive about the app’s structure Latvia
and user-interface. Some constructive criticism was Main author: Līga Puriņa-Purīte, project manager,
taken on board and incorporated through minor Vidzeme Planning Region
improvements and additions to a revised version.
What is the innovative mobility solution
What can other regions learn? about?
Finland has a central national database for pub- Transport-on-Demand (ToD) is a unique rural mo-
lic transport, which is maintained by the national bility solution. It is an alternative to public trans-
authorities. During MAMBA activities, however, it port to increase mobility in remote rural areas,
became apparent that this database was very in- where public transport is poor or non-existent.
complete in terms of regional data. ToD means that a small bus or a typical passenger
In addition, despite the fact that digitalisation car can be ordered by telephone. A Mobility Coor-
is a massive trend in Finland overall, there are still dination Centre then bundles the demand for rides
a remarkable number of people who incapable or into a specific route on a specific timetable, so
inexperienced in the use of digital services. It re- that several travellers can be conveyed on one trip.
quires effort to build trust and confidence about ToD vehicles, therefore, adjust their routes based
this through suitable education and training ac- on demand, rather than sticking to a fixed route
tivities. or timetable, usually picking-up and dropping-off
A key success factor for this kind of platform, passengers in locations according to the passen-
both in the short and long terms, is constant im- gers’ needs even at their front doors. Passengers
provement and technical maintenance. Corre- can also order return rides, a service the users rate
sponding structures and responsibilities need to particularly highly.
be arranged at the beginning of the technical de-
velopment process in order to ensure its deliver-
ability. Currently, there is no easy
Developing a digital platform is not prohibitive- way for people in Mazsalaca
ly expensive because of the availability of a large to get to work by public trans-
number of capable programmers and coders. The
port. This service could also be a
real challenge is to involve all relevant stakehold-
ers in long-term operations. It needs to be demon-
way of addressing that problem.
strated that everybody will benefit from the ser- Ritvars Sirmais, Executive Director of Mazsalaca
vice in the longer term. County Municipality
MAMBA 21The Vidzeme Planning Region, Latvia. Map by Nordregio.
Software had to be developed to organise I think it’s very good,
this service. The service has been implemented
especially considering how
differently and tested in Mazsalaca County and
Alūksne. In Mazsalaca it is available every working
many older people live here.
day from 4 am until 11 pm, if booked in advance. Passenger in Mazsalaca County
On Saturdays, it is possible to book a trip to go to
the local market, which was a particular request people have often moved to the larger cities for
by local people due to their long-standing ties with economic, educational or work-related reasons.
the area. In Alūksne, the T0D runs in a number of Low population density has made it even harder
areas. Each one of them is served on a specific to finance public transport in rural areas. Limited
(work) day, with a connection to the regional cen- mobility has also had a significant negative impact
tre, Alūksne town. Trips to cultural events on week- on the quality of life of local people and upon their
ends ideally need to be booked a week in advance. ability to participate fully in social life — as well as to
access key social and community services, such as
What was the starting point? shops, pharmacies, post offices, libraries, and so on.
The population in the region is declining due to an On some routes, public transport has been rare
ageing demographic and heavy migration towards or non-existent. People live in farmsteads, often
the major cities in the region. Older people have with large distances to the next bus stop — defi-
tended to stay in the countryside, while younger nitely too far to walk, especially for older people
22 Mobility for All in Rural AreasWith this service, we want to
offer people the opportunity Mobility Centre in Vidzeme,
Latvia
to travel when they need to, not
to have to make plans based on
A physical office was opened in this
a bus timetable which is not very region, with a service operator provid-
regular in some areas if there is ing information about all kinds of mo-
any public transport at all. bility options. The Mobility Centre also
Project manager, Līga Puriņa-Purīte managed a multitude of services to do
with the Transport-on-Demand system,
including a dispatch system — i.e. relay-
or those with certain health conditions. The sur- ing information about travel requests to
face quality of roads tends to be difficult or even the service provider. The backbone of the
dangerous, particularly during the autumn, winter Mobility Centre was a telephone hotline,
and early spring, which sometimes forces drivers because this form of communication
to make significant detours. turned out to be the preferred choice of
Back in 2014, as part of another EU pro- the people surveyed in the region. It was
ject called “Move on Green”, the Vidzeme region also capable of being extended to cover
learned about the ToD service in Austria, when future digital requirements. In addition
the Austrian solution was presented as a good to the booking and reservation services,
practice example to one of the project partners. the main aim of the Mobility Centre has
“Move on Green” was co-financed by the ERDF been to create transparency within the
and by the INTERREG IVC programme, and also regional transport system for users, and
focused on mobility solutions in peripheral areas. especially to promote Transport-on-
The knowledge transfer involved inspired Vidzeme Demand services, the only one of its kind
region to pursue a similar approach. These ideas in the region and country.
matured into ever more concrete plans for a spe-
cial kind of mobility solution, which the MAMBA
project and the Vidzeme Planning Region enabled
the implementation of, in parallel to the creation How was the actual implementation and
of a Mobility Centre. what are the initial results?
The first activities consisted of identifying the
needs of the target group, and also the interests,
constraints and possibilities for municipalities and
service providers. This was done via interviews,
surveys and a variety of focus group meetings in
potential pilot areas, all before the MAMBA pro-
ject could start.
As ideas for specific mobility solutions ma-
tured, the concept (how it could work, how to book
a ride, etc.) was explained during several meetings
aimed at soliciting feedback and further sugges-
tions for improvements. This greatly increased in-
terest and awareness among the local population
and encouraged them to try out the new services.
Eventually, the actual Transport-on-Demand
service was offered on a trial basis between Oc-
tober 2019 and September 2020 in Alūksne and
Logo of the Vidzeme Mobility Centre. Mazsalaca. During this period, a small bus or pas-
senger car could be ordered over the phone, 24
MAMBA 23You can also read
