That's right - last week, SMALL attended two groundbreaking shared mobility events, namely the ShareDiMobiHub Academy and Shared Mobility Rocks 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. Find out all about it below!
5-6 February: The ShareDiMobiHub Academy
Cities and regions from all over Europe came together for a two-day academy organised by fellow Interreg North Sea project ShareDiMobiHub. The main topics? Ensuring universal access to shared and digital mobility hubs and incorporating these hubs into real estate. Participants had the chance to learn directly from experts involved in the ShareDiMobiHub, SMALL, and SHARE-North Squared projects, sharing insights on how to improve shared and digital mobility hubs, and making sure they are welcoming and accessible to everyone.
SMALL had a chance to shine specifically during the second day of the Academy, which dived deep into the theme of inclusivity. Our Project Coordinator Mpact, represented by Esen Köse, presented SMALL's insights from the first roundtable, which aimed at investigating the needs of people with reduced mobility and how our pilots can help meet those needs through new shared mobility services with adapted vehicles, making Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) and other digital information services more accessible, and enhancing voluntary services. The presentation also highlighted some of our key principles, namely the importance of co-creation methods and active user participation to ensure our solutions are truly designed for those we are meant to serve.
Our partner, the City of Amsterdam, followed by sharing how they are tackling integration issues by developing inclusive transport choices. Represented by Geoff Holmes, they talked about the distribution of transport use and showed a study that mapped out the possibilities for mobility-impaired individuals in Amsterdam. Like other modes of transportation, he pointed out that shared mobility faces substantial obstacles from concerns like trust, accessibility, and the necessity for accessible options across full journeys.
The ShareDiMobiHub Academy was an exceptional opportunity to highlight the importance of shared and digital mobility hubs as fundamental elements of upcoming urban and regional mobility systems. Thanks to the emphasis on inclusivity and stakeholder engagement, we were able to gain exclusive insights on how we can create truly accessible, efficient, and sustainable mobility solutions.
6 February: Shared Mobility Rocks 2024
After the Academy, the inspiration did not stop as we then proceed to attend Shared Mobility Rocks 2024, the International Shared Mobility Conference organised by our coordinator Mpact and Autodelen.net. We joined the session 'Shared Mobility that VIBEs', which explored strategies for attracting underrepresented target groups in shared mobility. We delved deep into experiences and innovative approaches to making shared mobility accessible to all, including the elderly, families, and people with migration backgrounds. Our partner De Fietsambassade Gent, represented by Saar Fivez, presented their volunteer-driven tri-wheel taxi service, bringing together volunteers to help elderly people in making their daily journeys.
Moreover, we got to hear from other inclusive shared mobility solutions, from fellow speakers from VUB, Mirai Share, and Mpact. It was a unique chance to look beyond challenges and learn how to foster a brighter, more inclusive shared mobility for the future.
It was a blast sharing a bit about our project - and we cannot wait to reveal more of what we have in store for this year.
Photo credit: ©Sien Verstraeten