
Transport Poverty and Rural Mobility: Challenges, Solutions, and Policies for a Just Transition Toward Climate Neutrality
A webinar on transport poverty with a focus on rural mobility was held on January 16, 2025. It gathered 69 participants including members of European Parliament, representatives of Rural Pact Secretariat, transportat experts, representatives from ministries, local governments, academia, and civil society organizations. The webinar provided opportunity to exchange experience and discuss policies and measures that promote a just transition toward climate neutrality while improving quality of life in rural areas. The event was organized by ODRAZ, the CIVINET Slovenia-Croatia-SEE Secretariat, as part of the CLIMove project funded by the European Climate Initiative and as a contribution to the Rural Pact goals.
In the introduction, Magdalena Makar (ODRAZ / CIVINET Slo-Hr-JIE) emphasized the importance of understanding and addressing the issue of transport poverty, particularly in rural communities. It was highlighted that EU Regulation establishing a Social Climate Fund from 2023 define transport poverty as the inability or difficulty in accessing necessary transportation services, a problem that is especially present in rural areas where mobility has a key role for accessing essential services.

Discussions during the webinar were also aligned with the objectives of the Rural Pact, a framework launched by the European Commission to strengthen governance and cooperation in EU rural areas with the aim of building stronger, more connected, and resilient rural communities. Thus, this webinar contributed to achieving the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas.
Transport poverty is a challenge for many communities. Rural areas face additional mobility constraints that can significantly impact quality of life and access to basic services. Moreover, transport poverty is recognized as a key obstacle to ensure a just transition toward climate neutrality. Despite its importance, this concept remains relatively underexplored in transportation and spatial planning.
The goal of this webinar was to increase understanding and awareness of transport poverty, especially in rural areas. Recent research was presented and policies and measures that could ensure a just transition toward climate neutrality and improve quality of life in communities affected by transport poverty were discussed.
Presentations
Four presentations that addressed researches and possibilities to tackle transport poverty in Romania, Hungary, and Croatia.
The first presentation by Dragoș Hrițuleac and Zsófi Ghira from Mobilissimus discussed accessibility challenges in rural areas, presented findings from studies on the prevalence of transport poverty in Romania and Hungary, and showcased the development of tools to improve public transport accessibility in areas affected by transport poverty. A video as a tool to raise awareness on transport poverty was shown.
Vladimir Halgota presented the current state of public passenger transport in rural Croatia. He emphasized that there is still no definition of transport poverty in Croatian legislative. Approach to the topic is fragmented by regions, sector and user groups.
Petra Grgasović from REGEA presented challenges and possibilities in addressing transport poverty in Croatia. She highlighted the importance of integrated and multi-level approach to improving transport service accessibility.
Zvonimir Perko from North Regional Energy presented RuralMED Mobility project which focuses on charging stations for electric vehicles in non-commercially viable areas. The project aims to enhance e-mobility infrastructure in rural regions, underscoring the critical role of charging station development in improving access to sustainable mobility in underserved areas.
Panel Discussion
The second part of the webinar featured a panel discussion, joined by previous speakers as well as Pedro Homem de Gouveia from the POLIS network. The discussion was moderated by Magdalena Makar from ODRAZ.
Panelists examined challenges specific to rural communities, solutions and key steps needed to reduce transport poverty, emphasizing challenges and solutions specific to rural communities. They stressed that transport poverty presents a barrier to a just transition toward climate neutrality and that policies must be directed toward resolving this issue.
Conclusions:
- Transport poverty is a regional problem.
- Transport poverty arises from social and economic circumstances, not personal choice.
- Transport poverty is not present as a topic in national strategies.
- Everyone should be able to move in line with their interests, capabilities, and needs, having options when it comes to mobility (various service options and alternatives).
- It is essential to ensure the availability and accessibility of mobility and transport services.
- A fragmented approach to transport poverty at regional, sectoral, and user levels needs to be addressed.
A recording of the webinar is available on the ODRAZ YouTube channel.
The webinar was organized as part of the CLIMove project. This project is part of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Change (BMWK).