The role of On-Demand Transit in a Just Future Public Mobility (JustFuture)

Sustainable mobility is intrinsically linked to the concept of spatial justice, which refers to the equitable distribution ofresources, services, and access often considered a basic human right. Transport justice is a vital component of spatial justicefocusing on the design and development of equitable transport systems. To attain sustainable mobility and transport justice,intensive work on new and innovative mobility solutions is ongoing worldwide. On-demand transit has shown great promisefor improving the level of flexibility and accessibility in public transport. On-demand solutions are today seen as a keycomponent of future public mobility, were digital applications and seamless digital interfaces contribute to new opportunitiesfor providing on-demand transit. Research, however, argues that there is often a lack of evaluation and follow-up of differentinitiatives and mobility solutions that have been conducted in different contexts. While on-demand transit is proven tosignificantly increase transit accessibility, its impact on transit equity and equality has not been addressed or approaches thatexamine potential social and spatial inequalities, or involving the persons concerned and considering actual needs andpreferences. The objective of JustFuture is to examine, compare, and learn from two On-Demand Transit solutions deployedin different urban and rural contexts in two continents; MARTA Reach in Atlanta and Plusresa in the region of Skåne insouthern Sweden. The aim is to explore the role of on-demand transit in different contexts and assess its future possibilities forpublic mobility with a special focus on issues of transport equity and equality.