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Ensuring More Equitable and Inclusive Transportation

Deloitte

Transportation leaders and planners around the globe are modernizing services after the COVID-19 pandemic revealed significant gaps and disparities. The task is complex: leaders need to balance providing core services while also evolving transportation solutions to be more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive. Embracing technology to guide transportation strategic planning can help leaders meet these goals.

To help ensure more equitable and inclusive transportation systems, stakeholders should consider five key areas: public transport, intelligent and citizen-oriented mobility, corporate mobility, mobility of goods, and governance and regulation models.

Public transport: from local to national initiatives

Recognizing that transport is critical at each level, national governments are starting to address transport issues on a countrywide basis. Some recent pilots include Germany’s US$9 monthly summer train ticket, Spain’s free suburban and regional train tickets from 1 September to 31 December, Luxembourg’s free public transport, and Denmark’s national travel card. These examples can become the foundation of national public transport initiatives.

Intelligent and citizen-oriented mobility

Apps, technologies, and connected devices alone are typically not enough to make mobility “intelligent.” Rather, it can require a flexible mobile ecosystem with the capacity to provide solutions that are adaptable and capable of meeting the needs of different constituents. Ultimately, smart and intelligent mobility should address the mobility issues of children, the elderly, and people with health conditions, disabilities or impairments.

To that end, mobility solutions should prioritize the final user. They should be part of the design processes of bus stops and subway stations, sidewalks and cycle lanes, trains and e-scooters, digital mobility platforms, and Mobility-as-a-Service apps (digital solutions that integrate public transportation with ride-hailing services and other modes of transportation, also known as MaaS) offering users ways to plan, book, and pay for transportation. Cities should ensure that smart mobility is not exclusionary or inaccessible to those with lower levels of digital literacy and personal mobility.

Corporate mobility

We are witnessing a radical transformation of the employer approach to the mobility of employees. Companies have been one of the main contributors to the high share of car use, with many even offering cars as part of salary and benefits packages. Amid growing pressure, coupled with changing perspectives, companies can lead the way to more sustainable mobility in cities by reducing car use.

Right now, transport accounts for a quarter of Europe's greenhouse gas emissions, which could be a major obstacle in achieving the EU’s bold objective of net-zero by 2050. Similarly, numerous companies have set ambitious goals of reaching net-zero globally in the next two decades. To do this, however, private sector mobility must change. New mobility solutions, such as corporate MaaS (including mobility subscription packages and pay-as-you-go programs wherein commuters can use ride-sharing at a set price or as needed) and other tools can be offered as viable replacements to the company car.

Mobility of goods

Urban logistics go beyond e-commerce, meaning it can have a harmful impact on the environment and contribute to road traffic— particularly the supplying of restaurants, retailers, construction, and development sites, among others. Urban logistics have undergone some dramatic changes in recent years. Parcel and food delivery services that didn’t exist 10 years ago are now ubiquitous mobility services. Electrification of vehicles, logistics hubs, and cargo bike couriers are also transforming urban logistics landscapes.

But demand for last-mile urban delivery is expected to grow by 78% by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum. To help mitigate these emissions, as reported in Deloitte Global’s 2023 Global Automotive Consumer Study, vehicle electrification is growing rapidly. Additionally, networks of logistical hubs, shared by several operators and where cargo is deconsolidated and transferred to smaller, green vehicles, can help lessen the impact last-mile urban delivery has on the environment.

Here, as with MaaS and data sharing, the mobilization of the various transport operators offering logistics and distribution services is vital, as only with this philosophy of sharing and collaboration can these models be successful.

The importance of governance and robust regulation models for the digital mobility world

The mobility ecosystem is composed of physical, energy, telecom, and digital infrastructures—all of which need regulating. Cities like Lisbon are on the forefront of such initiatives. For example, with the help of a digital monitoring platform, the municipality is looking to discipline e-scooter operations within the city, which, if not properly regulated, can pose risks to other citizens, e.g., being parked on sidewalks.

To do this, the Lisbon municipality and its allies are working together on the VoxPop project. This EU-funded initiative examines digital governance and regulation challenges associated with shared mobility, such as e-scooters and bicycles, analyzing and positioning strategies to help enhance the effectiveness of mobility services.

As stated in Global Transportation Trends 2022: Future-ready transportation from Deloitte Global, transportation leaders should aim to create an equity-centered approach to investment and design that brings underserved and disadvantaged communities into the planning process. And while integrating consumer-friendly technology is a critical part of the solution, a commitment to evolving the principles used for transportation planning and management is vital. Both can help deliver services that work for citizens.