Decolonial approaches to urban transport geographies: Introduction to the special issue

The goal of this special issue is to argue for decolonial perspectives on urban transport and to begin exploring them empirically. The point of departure for this endeavour is our observation that northern thinking continues to underpin transport geography, limiting the development of the academic field as well as opportunities for locally-derived innovation in diverse localities across the global south and north

Public transport qualities and inequalities in pandemic times

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed crucial tensions related to urban public infrastructure. Among those, questions regarding urban mobility, and public transport (PT) in particular, have received widespread attention in media and political debates. Stigmatisation, ridership slumps, funding problems and system closures have placed public transport systems in the centre of public debate about urban infrastructure. In this paper, we discuss three dimensions in which PT, as a site of urban armature, linking service provisions with individual needs, has been affected by COVID-19. First, we look at the user experience. Considering PT as public space shaped by encounters and emotions, we bring to the fore its contentious and complicated nature, affected by increasing or emerging anxieties and disturbances due to COVID-19. We further underline the inequity of transport provision and access: while some users have easily switched to alternative mobility options, others have remained dependent on PT, and had to navigate new and unevenly distributed challenges. Secondly, we refer to government responses, particularly in terms of funding arrangements, fare systems and controls, and labour organisation. Around the world, PT operators have faced unprecedented financial challenges, pressed to adapt their system to a, "new normality" while observing passenger flows decline drastically. As these problems have been particularly dire in transport networks that depend on a high share of fare-box revenue, a growing number of municipalities is considering a shift to fare-free PT. Thirdly, we discuss possible futures: While some commentators argue that PT faces an imminent decline due to mid-pandemic mobility needs and requirements, we argue that the role of urban public infrastructure is more vital than ever before, especially for underprivileged but recently acknowledged workers in the social and service sector. The paper brings together findings from an online study on mobility behaviour during COVID-19, interviews and policy analysis conducted by the research team from May to August 2020. In-depth investigations on Tallinn, Brussels, Stockholm and Berlin are brought into discussion with global scholarly and practitioners' reflections

Why (not) abolish fares? Exploring the global geography of fare-free public transport

Although the policy of abolishing fares in public transport—here referred to as “fare-free public transport” (FFPT)—exists in nearly 100 localities worldwide, it has not been thoroughly researched. To start filling this gap, I enhance the conceptual clarity about fare abolition. I start by providing a definition of FFPT, discussing its different forms, and introducing a distinction between “partial” FFPT and—the main focus of the paper—“full” FFPT. Next, I distinguish three perspectives on full FFPT—first, approaches that assess fare abolition primarily against its economic impact; second, analyses that look at its contribution to “sustainable” development; third, more critical arguments highlighting its politically transformative and socially just potential. Against the background of this debate I offer the most comprehensive inventory of full FFPT programmes to date, and begin to chart and examine their global geography. As a result, FFPT emerges as a policy that takes diverse forms and exists in diverse locations. Supported and contested by diverse rationales, it cannot be analysed as transport instrument alone

‘Bouncing between the buses like a kangaroo’ : Efficient transport, exhausted workers

While transport and mobility studies have focused on diverse challenges related to improving the quality of public transport (PT) for its passengers, they have hardly examined the well-being and livelihoods of PT workers. To address this gap, we explore the work spaces and times of bus drivers employed in PT in Gothenburg and Stockholm (Sweden), where PT operations are procured from private companies to ensure service quality and financial efficiency. Drawing upon studies on capitalist temporalities of work, we observe that the bus drivers are obliged to perform fatiguing work tasks under constant time pressure, which generates daily conflicts between bodily, personal, and work rhythms. The drivers’ time wealth is severely constrained, as they have limited capacity to control their own time and experience a near-constant work-life imbalance. Our findings indicate that such hindrances are not simply a product of work rhythms marked by the rigidity of the PT timetable. Rather, they emerge from the operational and financial logic of procurement that contradicts the well-being and livelihoods of PT workers. We conclude with a plea to place workers as essential actors for future reflections on inequalities and injustices related to transport and mobility

Moving in informal circles in the global North: An inquiry into the navettes in Brussels

The concept of informality has been largely dismissed in discussions about urban mobility in the global North. To address this, we explore the case of the navettes, informal vans that operate in the unlikely and unfriendly formal transport landscape of Brussels. Relying on qualitative fieldwork, we examine their economic model, low profitability, labour conditions, and the conflicts and legal struggles over their regulatory endorsement. By approaching the navettes as informal urban mobility practice in the global North, we attempt to bridge geographical and conceptual divides between research into urban informality and critical perspectives on urban transport and mobilities. We thereby deconstruct the dominant framing of informality as a "Third World" problem by showing that a range of supposed "negative externalities" of flexible transport are not necessarily addressed by the State’s regulatory and administrative capacity. Drawing on informality literature from global South and East, we argue that in Northern cities such as Brussels, where precarious transport workers like the navettes drivers are ignored and criminalised, while corporate "digitalised", "shared" and "circular" mobility solutions are endorsed, (in)formality is a site of conflicts over what is considered (un)fair, (un)just and (il)legitimate. As as result, we demonstrate how diverse experiences and theorisations of informal mobility in the global South and East can inform inquiries into transport practices in the global North

From Bełchatów to Żory : charting Poland's geography of fare-free public transport programmes

This article explores the recent and rapid development of fare-free public transport (FFPT) in local public transport networks across Poland. The question of pricing public transport, in particular the idea of abolishing fares, is gathering increased attention among academics, policy-makers and activists. Albeit the literature on FFPT is growing, it usually examines individual cases instead of offering a comparative analysis across large samples. Therefore, we explore the FFPT landscape of Poland, a country that since 2007 has witnessed a remarkable increase in FFPT cases, with no less than 93 municipalities engaged in fare-free programmes. Our study provides a first inquiry into the temporal and spatial dynamics of FFPT in Poland, identify main characteristics of fare-free localities, and the modus operandi of fare-free schemes. We observe several geographical clusters and distinguish various categories of FFPT municipalities. We further reveal that that fare-free programmes are more likely to emerge in localities with stable or increasing population, relatively high level of public expenditure, and high electoral support for liberal-right and left-wing political parties. Our work concludes with a framework for other large-scale explorations of FFPT, advancing knowledge on this controversial yet increasingly popular policy

Assessing public transport loyalty in a car-dominated society: The case of Luxembourg

Public transport (PT) systems face the challenge of retaining users and preventing a shift towards individual transport modes. While satisfaction is recognized as a key factor in user loyalty, there is a need to understand the specific PT attributes that contribute to passenger satisfaction and foster loyalty. This study aims to assess the impact of PT service attributes on user loyalty, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. Data from an online survey conducted in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a country with high car dependency, were analysed using logistic regression models. The findings highlight the importance of attributes such as reliable service, in-vehicle travel time, number of transfers, and feeling safe, while also identifying differences in attribute importance between bus and train loyalty. The study provides valuable insights for transport agencies and policymakers to enhance user loyalty and develop effective ridership retention strategies. These findings are particularly relevant in the post-pandemic scenario and can contribute to addressing car dependency challenges in diverse metropolitan areas. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to improve PT services based on the identified attributes

Een betere toekomst zonder Metro Noord

Kan het metro Noord project nog gestopt worden? Voor de auteurs van deze BSI Position Paper biedt het openbaar onderzoek naar aanleiding van de geplande graafwerken voor een nieuwe tunnel inderdaad deze kans. De prioriteiten zijn ondertussen veranderd (telewerk, energiecrisis,…) en het project in kwestie vormt een grote bedreiging voor de gewestelijke begroting en de andere beleidskeuzes die het Gewest dient te maken; en dit terwijl de verwachte winst voor het leefmilieu te verwaarlozen is en de verbetering van de mobiliteit weinig bevredigend