Shared mobility should be for everyone: European project SMALL puts the focus on the people

Shared bikes, scooters, and vehicles are already transforming the way some of us move around the city. But these flexible and low-emission services are far from suitable for everyone. Gaps in design and policy mean that a large majority of these solutions are used exclusively by young urban adults; with children and families, the elderly, and the physically impaired left behind.

The  Interreg North Sea Region project Shared multimodal Mobility for ALL (SMALL) aimed for four years to change this dynamic to ensure these solutions can be shared by more people. By taking a co-creation approach, SMALL explored how to make shared mobility accessible to children, families, seniors, and physically impaired people, part of a wider group classified as people with reduced mobility (PRM).

The SMALL project, led by Mpact vzw, brought together twelve European partners and worked directly with users to co-create and test solutions across three areas: market innovation, through adapted vehicles; social innovation, through solidarity and volunteering models; and digital innovation, through more accessible digital solutions.

SMALL showed that inclusive shared mobility requires more than adapted vehicles or technology. It requires public authorities and mobility operators to involve users from the outset, work across sectors and continuously learn from testing and experience. The project’s final recommendations provide practical guidance for embedding inclusion in shared mobility planning, including through the Inclusive Shared Mobility Planning Guide.

Another key lesson from SMALL is that people with reduced mobility should not be treated as a niche group. Shared mobility systems need to be designed with and for the diversity of people who use them. By sharing its case studies, experiences and recommendations, SMALL provides public authorities and mobility operators with practical tools to make shared mobility more accessible, and ensure that everyone can participate in the transition towards more sustainable transport.

To follow and participate in our journey towards putting the user at the center of shared mobility, you can find the SMALL community on LinkedIn. This community will stay active, even after the project ends, together with the www.sharedmobilityforall.eu platform.

For more information, you can also visit the official project website.

The SMALL project was composed of 6 public authorities including the City of Amsterdam (NL), Vervoerregio Amsterdam (NL), the Capital Region of Denmark (DK), De Fiestssambassade Gent (BE), Brest Metropole (FR), the City of Saint-Quentin (FR), the Municipality of Varberg (SE), 1 mobility operator Mpact (BE), 3 knowledge organizations University of Gent (BE), The Vrije University of Amsterdam (NL), Rupprecht consulting (DE) and POLIS network (BE).