Transport poverty is a multifaceted phenomenon that manifests itself in high mobility costs, a lack of transport infrastructure or accessibility problems to basic activities and services. These effects can significantly impair social participation. Long and complex journeys to work and training are also a burden in terms of time and health.
The two projects MOSAIK and AMOWI deal with labour and education-related mobility poverty, but focus on different types of areas: While MOSAIK examines the mobility challenges in rural areas using the example of the Innviertel region in Upper Austria, AMOWI is dedicated to the situation in the urban context of Vienna. Both projects aim to identify vulnerable groups, highlight spatial, temporal and person-specific differences in how people are affected and develop solutions to reduce mobility poverty. In addition to quantitative analyses, semi-narrative interviews with those affected were conducted in both projects.
According to previous research on transport poverty, young people are a risk group because their mobility options are limited and they are primarily dependent on public transport. At the same time, their financial resources and spatial options are strongly dependent on their social environment. Independent mobility is therefore often a challenge in this age group. The group of apprentices was therefore included in both projects. Young people in vocational training have to travel to multiple places of learning (apprenticeship, vocational school) and may encounter mobility problems in this context.
Both the spatial analyses and the interviews with those affected show that the combination of a low quality of public transport services, especially at early working hours and in areas away from central routes and conurbations, results in a high level of car dependency in the Innviertel. Long journey times and intervals additionally reduce the attractiveness of public transport, which means that public transport is often not an adequate alternative for apprentices without a car. This is why bring and fetch services provided by family and colleagues are an important part of training-related mobility strategies in Upper Austria, as are company mobility solutions. Apprentices in the capital city Vienna, on the other hand, benefit from the good quality of public transport, which means that it can be used as the main mode of transport and only a few mobility problems occur. For apprentices who commute to Vienna from the surrounding areas, however, the long journey times are a heavy burden, as there is little time for social activities and recreation. In addition, the last mile at off-peak times is a challenge that is mainly covered by car, either by driving or fetch services. The moped is hardly ever used due to safety concerns and dependence on the weather. Interestingly, the bicycle and e-scooter are hardly ever used either, although short journeys to work and the last mile would be suitable for these transport modes.
- Kretschmer, V., & Juschten, M. (2024). Arbeitswegbezogene Mobilitätsarmut im Raum Wien: Hürden und Bewältigungsstrategien von vulnerablen Gruppen. BOKU Magazin, 04 / 2024, 40–41.
https://www.yumpu.com/de/document/read/69361634/boku-magazin-04-2024 - Juschten, M. & Hössinger, R. (2025, under revision). Assessing commuting-related accessibility inequalities in rural Innviertel, Austria. Submitted to Journal of Transport Geography in February 2025.
- Kretschmer, Vera. Mobilitätsarmut in der Berufsausbildung: Eine Untersuchung arbeitswegbezogener Schwierigkeiten und Bewältigungsstrategien von Lehrlingen in Oberösterreich und der Stadtregion Wien. Masterarbeit im Rahmen des Studiums Umwelt- & Bioressourcenmanagement an der Universität für Bodenkultur Wien.
