Mobility as a Service is a buzzword for the increasing digitalisation of mobility. The recent surge of mobility apps has the power to fundamentally reshape how we use transportation systems and can thus foster a sustainable mobility transition. However, it needs to be ensured that these new technologies do not contribute to transport-related social exclusion (TRSE). Therefore, the question of how citizens should participate in the process of digitalising mobility and implementing it is pressing. In order to analyse this complex sociotechnical phenomenon, we study the development of public transport mobility apps through interviews with software developers and transport planners to identify the steps that require participation. Moreover, we survey personal mobility needs of diverse user groups and particularly aim to include hard-to-survey groups such as elderly and economically disadvantaged people. These insights will be complemented by focus groups with young people to study how they reflect on the mobility transition through the implementation of mobility apps with regard to TRSE.
The project “Societal Transformation in a Digital Society – Raising Awareness for the Participation in a Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility Transition“ is led by Economic Geographer Dr. Kerstin Schäfer together with Prof. Christiane Meyer from Science Education, and will start in May. The project is funded by the VW-Foundation and the Lower Saxony Ministry for Science und Culture by the initiative Niedersächsisches Vorab.
