On October 12, representatives of Vidzeme Planning Region (VPR) met with Minister of Transport Tālis Linkaits to present the results and conclusions of the transport on-demand pilot project, as well as suggested the creation of a support mechanism to improve mobility in rural areas. The results of the implemented pilot project clearly show that the demand for passenger transport also exists in remote and sparsely populated rural areas.

Representatives of the VPR proposed to integrate the ToD service into the existing public transport system, offering to provide this service in places where the public bus is not available and in areas where existing services are almost entirely subsidized by the state.

The Minister for Transport indicated that the management of the ToD should be carried out by planning regions, which was also agreed by the Head of the administration Guna Kalniņa-Priede (Vidzeme Planning Region), who pointed out that local governments are best acquainted with their territory and needs of the local community.

“Centralised planning for local solutions is not and will not be appropriate,” said G. Kalniņa-Priede. The Minister of Transport called for an assessment of the necessary legislative changes in order to allow ToD to be integrated into the public passenger transport system, recalling that the public passenger transport law is still open for improvements.

Similarly, the representatives of the VPR pointed out that the demand for passenger transport cannot be calculated on the scheduled public bus routes carried out, since this offer, unfortunately, does not always correspond to the needs of the population. If there are few passengers on a public bus trip, this does not mean there is no demand for transport services but rather indicates an inappropriate offer. The public transport system needs to be more flexible in order to meet the needs of the population and to ensure more efficient use of resources.

A meeting of the Vidzeme Planning Region Development Council will be held on 23 October 2020, during which the ToD issue will also be addressed. During the meeting, it will be decided on political support for the proposal to create a national inter-institutional working group to work together and find the most efficient way how to integrate ToD into the existing public passenger transport system.

Photo credits: Ministry of Transport in Latvia

For the past three years, MAMBA project has worked to counteract the painful issue of accessibility and mobility in rural areas across the Baltic Sea Region. Among its results are successful initiatives that have managed to improve the quality of life of people living in sparsely populated areas, in countries such as Latvia, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany. Therefore, the MAMBA consortium has gathered all the knowledge and experience gained during these last years while working on rural mobility solutions and has launched three publications that will be of help to those who work with these issues.

A Guide to Collaborative Mobility Solutions in Rural Areas

Are you living in a rural area? Do you experience unfavourable mobility and accessibility conditions? Do you want to do something about the situation? If the answer is ‘yes’, then this manual is for you. It provides guidance on how grassroots actors and the public sector can work together to tackle mobility challenges in their own rural areas. Working together in this way allows you to: l gain a deeper understanding of residents’ needs, l maximise and leverage the resources available to grassroots and public sector actors l develop more creative, efficient and cost-effective mobility solutions that are well-used and sustainable in the long-term. Whether you are trying to initiate, coordinate or implement a collaborative mobility solution, this Guide will help show you ways to do it.

Discover “A Guide to Collaborative Mobility Solutions in Rural Areas”

“A Guide to Collaborative Mobility Solutions in Rural Areas” High Resolution

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Mobility for All in Rural Areas: Inspiring solutions from MAMBA

This publication presents the innovative mobility solutions developed and implemented within the MAMBA project. Each of them is different because they all take advantage of the opportunities and possibilities of the unique local context in the region. As a result, each individual measure has its own story. These experiences are presented in different styles, mirroring the different people who actually worked on the ground to promote better rural mobility and accessibility. This publication will take you on a journey to visit the various MAMBA solutions, where local guides share their experience, talk about the variety of challenges faced, introduce other members of their alliance and present the solutions they discovered.

Mobility for All in Rural Areas: Inspiring solutions from MAMBA

Mobility for All in Rural Areas: Inspiring solutions from MAMBA HIGH REZ

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Maximising Mobility and Access to Services – A Policy Guideline

The guidelines presented in this publication seek to provide feasible policy recommendations for national, regional and local government bodies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and transport service providers. They offer insights into overcoming legal, financial and governance obstacles to rural transport solutions, and aim to improve and maximise both mobility and access to services in rural regions. They are based on what has been learned during the three-year MAMBA project in the nine regions involved, who have tested pilot schemes and established mobility centres.

Maximising Mobility and Access to Services – A Policy Guideline

Maximising Mobility and Access to Services – A Policy Guideline HIGH REZ

On September 30, the pilot project “transport on-demand” implemented by Vidzeme planning region, organized for 11 months in the territories of Mazsalaca and Alūksne counties, was completed. The collected data show that 2777 passengers were transported, 1277 trips were made, and 24,821 kilometres were travelled. The service was organized in places where public transport does not run at all or is insufficiently available.

The destinations of the passengers were the primary places of receiving services, which are located mainly in the county centres: doctor, pharmacy, grocery store, public bus stops, ATM, library, hairdresser, state institutions, post office, interest classes, cultural events organized by the municipality. Residents have also used the service to get to work.

Residents are satisfied with the service received. This made life easier for those who do not have access to public transport close to home and who do not own a private car.

Transport expert in Vidzeme planning region Kristīne Malnača points out: “The availability of transport services reduces social exclusion. Providing access to public services, treatment and education improves the quality of life. Also, the awareness that the transport service will be available if needed increases the sense of security for the local inhabitants who are living in rural areas. ”

Users of the service were initially informed that the implemented initiative could be considered as an experiment for the time being and it will end together with the implementation of the project “MAMBA”, which was the primary source of funding.

Currently, Vidzeme Planning Region has initiated a state-level discussion on the implementation of alternative local mobility solutions in the regions, including offering a “transport on-demand” service as one of the options.

On September 24, a stakeholder meeting was organized in Riga, which was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, as well as institutions representing the transport sector, including representatives of other planning regions. During the meeting, conceptual support was received to take the issue further to the Ministry of Transport.

It is planned to organize a separate conversation with the Minister of Transport. The end of the project is formal; the development of the initiative in Vidzeme continues. This is just the beginning – a lot of work ahead to improve mobility in the rural areas in Latvia.

To mark the end of the pilot project “transport on demand”, Vidzeme region prepared a video story, where the main characters are Vidzeme residents. The five-minute film focuses on four “transport on-demand” passengers in Alūksne and Mazsalaca counties, revealing the real situation on the state border and also elsewhere in Latvia, where the public transport service is insufficient.

The video premiere took place on September 17 and 18 in Mazsalaca and Alūksne, when “transport on-demand” passengers gathered for the closing events. The video has been prepared with English subtitles.

“After retirement, I usually go to the pharmacy, to the post office and the hairdresser. Where else ..” says Tekla.

“It all depends on how the shifts fall. But there are times when I use it five or six times a week,” says Maija.

Arvīds, a resident of Alūksne region: “I can’t go anywhere! It’s good that I’m feeling half as good today. As my head starts to feel dizzy, I move with the help of a stick. Transport on-demand takes me to the store. The driver also helps me with the shopping sometimes.”

“I have to walk three, three and a half kilometres along the path to the store, to the school bus – a kilometre and a half, which I can’t, I almost can’t go … I can’t go anymore …,” Māra sadly admits.

The “transport on-demand” solution in Vidzeme was implemented from the 21st of October, 2019 to the 30th of September.

Before the project ends, Vidzeme Planning Region has initiated a stakeholder meeting, inviting representatives of the responsible ministries and institutions, including local governments. The focus of this gathering is to inform about the results and conclusions of the implementation of the pilot, as well as to encourage changes on the national level when it comes to mobility in remote rural areas. The meeting will take place on the 24th of September, in Riga.

The third and last installment of the MAMBA Final Web Conference took place on 17 September 2020. Around 70 participants came together online and participated in a session that had as main focus how decision-makers can contribute to improve conditions for innovative and impactful approaches to mobility and accessibility in rural Europe? The final chapter of the MAMBA Final Web Conference gathered experts from politics, administration and academia who engaged in conversations about the responsibility and impact of decision-makers when it comes to tackling rural mobility challenges.

For a full summary of Session #3 check out the conference report. You can also visit Session #1 (Setting the Scene, Exploring the Challenge) and Session #2 (Inspiring Examples from MAMBA and beyond) if you are interested in further content.

The sessions were also graphically recorded by an artist from Ellery Studio, Berlin – see Kitty’s artwork here:

If you missed the third session of MAMBA Final Web Conference, you can watch it below, see the presentations and read the summary in the conference report:

Key note

Rural Mobility – European Policies and Perspectives
Merja Kyllönen, Member of the European Parliament, Committee on Transport and Tourism, Former Minister of Transportation of Finland

Presentations

Policy guidelines – Lessons from the MAMBA project
Linda Randall, Research Fellow, Nordregio

The importance of policy to enable stakeholders to develop Rural Mobility
Brendan Finn, Project Manager, SMARTA project

The second session of MAMBA’s Final Web Conference took place on 10 September, on Zoom. Around 80 participants gathered to discuss rural mobility and discover several successful solutions implemented throughout Europe. In the session also one of MAMBA’s main publications, “A Guide for Collaborative Mobility Solutions in Rural Areas” was launched.

For a full summary of Session #2 check out the conference report. You can also visit Session #1 (Setting the Scene, Exploring the Challenge) and Session #3 (Better Policies for better Mobility and Accessibility) if you are interested in further content.

The conference was also graphically recorded by an artist from Ellery Studio, Berlin – see Kitty’s artwork here:

If you have missed the session, you can watch the recording below, discover the presentations and read the conference report:

Key note address

Session #2: Breaking the Vicious Circle with Successful Mobility and Accessibility Solutions – Stories from MAMBA and beyond
Ralf Brand, Rupprecht Consult

Presentations of inspirational stories:

Bringing ridesharing to rural and suburban Denmark: Nabogo Apps
Marianne Pedersen, NaboGO, MAMBA project

City vs. village? Ko-Dorf unites the best of both worlds in new rural communities
Frederik Fischer, Ko-Dorf

Lessons learnt from the first-ever Transport-on-Demand service in rural Latvia
Līga Puriņa-Purīte, Vidzeme Planning Region, MAMBA project

ACCESS’R improves the accessibility of services in rural areas
Marie de Bizien–Le Gac, Association Leader France, ACCESS’R project

On 3 September 2020, MAMBA project launched its Final Web Conference series with a session that tried to set the scene when it comes to rural mobility and its intricacies. More than 100 participants joined the online event and watched a keynote presentation by Laurie Pickup, an esteemed transport expert, International Projects Director at Vectos Ltd. and Honorary Professor of European Transport Policy at the University of Aberdeen. This was followed by an introduction into the plethora of social, economic, cultural and legal factors which influence the success or failure of rural mobility innovations, provided by Linda Randall, Research Fellow at Nordregio. During the second part of the session, the participants joined breakout rooms, where they followed presentations by experts and participated in a discussion on a range of topics such as gender and mobility, transport poverty, the dichotomy between urban and rural areas and more. This was more than a succesful kick-off to the conference series, it was a Call to Action to finally take the rural mobility and accessibility challenge serious and act!

For a full summary of Session #1 check out the conference report. You can also visit Session #2 (Inspiring Stories from MAMBA and beyond) and Session #3 (Better Policies for better Mobility and Accessibility) if you are interested in further content.

The conference was also graphically recorded by an artist from Ellery Studio, Berlin – see Kitty’s artwork here:

If you missed the first installment of the Final Web Conference, you can watch the recordings below, see the presentations and read the conference report:

Main session

Breakout sessions – Delve deeper…

1. What is transport poverty and how to eliminate it?

Tobias Kuttler, Technical University Berlin, HiReach Project

2. Why does gender matter in rural mobility?

Melanie Herget, Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forest and
Fisheries

3. Urban vs. Rural? What makes genuinely rural mobility solutions and why are they
necessary?

Jenny Milne, University of Aberdeen; Independent Consultant

4. Mobility and public transport access in socially deprived urban areas in Sweden

Jessica Berg, VTI – The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute

Presentations

Keynote address: DESTROYING THE URBAN MYOPIA: TOWARD A POSITIVE RURAL VISION FOR EUROPE
Laurie Pickup, International Projects Director Vectos Ltd., Honorary Professor of European Transport Policy at the University of Aberdeen

Exploring the challenge: Introduction to MAMBA, socio-cultural, economic and legal considerations for successful rural mobility innovations
Linda Randall, Nordregio

Breakout Sessions – Delve deeper: What challenge are you most interested in?

What is transport poverty and how to eliminate it?
Tobias Kuttler, Technical University Berlin, HiReach Project

Why does gender matter in rural mobility?
Melanie Herget, Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forest and Fisheries

Urban vs. Rural? What makes genuinely rural mobility solutions and why are they necessary?
Jenny Milne, University of Aberdeen; Independent Consultant

Mobility and public transport access in socially deprived urban areas in Sweden
Jessica Berg, VTI – The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute

Like many other organisations during the last few months, the Trelleborg team has been deeply affected by the COVID-19 crises. It had to take the difficult decision of shutting down their rural mobility solutions, as complying with recommendations issued by the Swedish Government.

Despite these unforeseen challenges, the team has been hard at work trying to find avenues through which they could share information about the MAMBA project and rural mobility. After a series of conversations with concerned parties, the solution they came up with was to send out information packages. The older residents of the municipality were identified as the target group, and they have received letters that will hopefully expand their knowledge when it comes to the subject of mobility and also when it comes to the work MAMBA project has been doing.