Think of a person using a shared bike or scooter. What do you see?
It is quite likely you are thinking of a young, fully mobile person zipping down an urban street.
There’s a reason for this - the vast majority of shared mobility users fit this narrow description.
Currently, shared mobility is poorly designed for groups with reduced mobility, including:
👨👩👦👦 Children and families;
👴 The elderly;
♿ The physically impaired.
But this does not have to be the case. Shared mobility solutions can improve mobility for all users - but first, we need to design for accessibility.
This is the mission behind our project, Shared multimodal Mobility for ALL (SMALL). Led by Belgian NGO Mpact, this Interreg North Sea Programme project will spend the next four years on:
- Including people with reduced mobility in the design of shared solutions, to make sure they meet their needs
- Deploying and testing inclusive shared mobility solutions, including new vehicles, apps, and volunteering initiative
- Writing guidelines for public authorities on supporting inclusive shared mobility