Abstract

Public transport (PT) service provision is often seen as having characteristics of a public or merit good, with fare concessions often used to support mobility opportunities of particular target groups. Such matters are increasingly being framed within discussions about the role of public transport in supporting social inclusion. This chapter explores the concept of social inclusion and shows its relationship to the ability to be mobile and access opportunities. It also identifies a number of other factors that support inclusion, shows their connection to mobility/accessibility and illustrates monetary values of their respective contributions. The chapter then considers how public transport might effectively support social inclusion. Trunk/mass transit is distinguished from local/social transit and the potential contributions of each towards inclusion are considered in a number of developmental settings. The chapter concludes with some reflections on how the emergence of autonomous PT vehicles might affect the opportunities for reducing mobility-related social exclusion.