Does a monthly bus pass make a difference? Consequences of circumscribed mobility in two structurally disadvantaged districts in Sweden

Abstract

• Unaffordable public transport confined participants to their neighbourhoods. • Walking was often the remaining option, with long treks or crime risks. • Free bus passes resulted in feeling free as well as freedom of movement. • Freedom was linked to tranquillity, assurance, happiness and spontaneity. The social effects of the lack of affordable transport options in two disadvantaged areas of Uppsala, Sweden, were examined by multiple interviews with each of seven participants. We focused on how the participants’ everyday mobility was affected by economic and site-specific constraints, before and after receiving free bus passes valid for three months in total. Public transport and walking emerged as central transport modes. Without a bus pass, the participants’ scope of mobility was limited, restricting which trips they were able to make. They also detailed how they felt limited or confined to their neighbourhood. They had to rely more on walking, which was made difficult by long distances to grocery stores and schools in one of the areas and criminality in the other area. Having access to a free bus pass augmented their feelings of freedom as well as their actual freedom of movement. Different participants linked freedom to feelings of tranquillity and assurance, as well as happiness and spontaneity. In several cases, having a free bus card resulted in more trips of social characters being made, with increased social contacts and societal involvement.

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