Equity and Social Inclusion
Equity and social inclusion in transport encapsulate the principle that transport systems should be designed and implemented to serve all members of society equitably, without discrimination or exclusion. This concept emphasises fair access and inclusion to mobility opportunities, irrespective of socioeconomic status, age, gender, or ability (for a deeper look into POLIS’ work on the topics of gender and accessibility, please click here and here).
Positive impacts of achieving equity and social inclusion in transport include enhanced community connectivity, improved economic prospects for marginalised groups, and a more cohesive and vibrant urban fabric. Instead, a lack of attention to these principles can reinforce existing inequalities, perpetuating social disparities and hindering economic mobility.
POLIS' approach to equity and social inclusion
Challenges in promoting equity and social inclusion in transport range from systemic discrimination to inadequate infrastructure. POLIS addresses these challenges following a multifaceted approach that encompasses:
- Advocating for policy reforms and actions on the matter — eg, Just Transition Agenda, Just Transition Taskforce, Just Transition Webinar Series, social media campaigns about International Women’s Day, Pride and Disability Pride Month;
- Fostering collaboration and exchange amongst its members — eg, promoting the gender mainstreaming approach of Vienna (more here and here) and the accessibility mainstreaming approach of Leuven (more here, here, and here), investigating the smart public transport system of Gipuzkoa and the broader topic of digital inclusion, highlighting the work of Catalonia, Île-de-France and others on matters of sexual harassment and safety in public transport, etc;
- Exploring new topics of equity and social inclusion, such as automation and digitalisation and their implications on the transport workforce (more here—exploring the topic about freight, and here), queer mobilities (more here, here, here, and here), fat erasure in active transport, and women working in transport (more here and here);
- Participating in projects focused on creating or promoting transport systems and solutions that cater to the diverse needs of all citizens—check more WE-TRANSFORM, SMALL, ELABORATOR, UPPER, Sum4ALL, INDIMO, and INCLUSION.
Wilma Slinger (CROW) has received Visio’s Inclusion Award
POLIS SMCs and Regions discuss Transport Poverty at the European Mobility Days of Strasbourg
Launch of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport 2026-2035
Breaking free: Key takeaways from the Just Transition Webinar
POLIS Political Group gathers in Utrecht to explore solutions for sustainable mobility
Enriching the Mobility Menu, the #POLIS25 way
Meet the speakers of the Closing Plenary at the POLIS Conference 2025
POLIS publishes letter on integration of transport and sustainability in EU strategy for housing construction
Urban October 2025: Building sustainable and fair cities
The EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK 2025 wraps up!
Member in the Spotlight: Noord-Brabant
EU Guidelines on accessible and inclusive EV recharging have just been published!
International Youth Day 2025: Putting youth mobility first
POLIS x Disability Pride Month: Beyond infrastructure
Telling better mobility stories: Key takeaways from the Just Transition Webinar
Member in the Spotlight: Bilbao
Stay informed and prepare for the skills transition in automated mobility with ReSKILLING
New survey on Diversity in the Cycling Industry: participate now!
Showcase your local action linking health and mobility with the HLEU project
POLIS co-signs Call for Impact to Centre Equity & Inclusion in the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport
POLIS x Disability Pride Month: Cities paving the way of accessible travel
Submit your abstract for the 7th European Mobility Days of Strasbourg!
New ILC report makes case for healthier, fairer transport systems in an ageing Europe
POLIS x PRIDE 2025: Making public transport safer for all!
Ambassadors for #DiversityInTransport gather to drive equity forward
POLIS x PRIDE 2025: Queering active mobility!
World Bicycle Day 2025: Pedaling towards a healthier, greener future
Member in the Spotlight: Zagreb
Clean Cities Campaign releases new ranking of cities leading on child-friendly urban mobility
Political leaders align local action with EU mobility goals at the POLIS Political Group meeting in Rome
Transport leaders chart the course for the future of urban mobility at POLIS Leadership Summit in Rome
Subscribe to our project newsletters!
Uber and Lyft target US senior riders with simpler, more accessible apps
EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK publishes its new guidelines!
Lille Métropole is boosting employability through MobiliMEL
POLIS members Utrecht and Bilbao take top honours in EU Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award
World Health Day 2025: On transport and the health of women, babies, and everyone, really
The MOBILITYAWARDS winners have been announced!
SMALL is looking for participants to join their third roundtable
Member in the Spotlight: Vienna
Sustrans reports focus on active travel challenges for children, neurodivergent people of all ages, and the LGBTQIA+ community
PT Lab – Importance of public transport for young and older people
Registrations are now open for the POLIS Leadership Summit in Rome!
POLIS launches its Women’s History Month 2025 campaign!
Join ELABORATOR as an Observer City for sustainable urban transformation
Brussels Bubble Band meet to discuss implementation of key EU policies
The MOBILITYAWARDS finalists have been revealed!
Save the date for the MOBILITYAWARDS ceremony!
Diversity is high on the EU agenda for 2025!
SMALL launches second Insights Paper on implementing inclusive shared mobility pilots
Celebrating youth climate changemakers on World Cities Day 2024
Get inspired by our members and apply for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK awards!
Breaking Barriers: Interview with Wheels for Wellbeing on inclusive cycling
ELABORATOR unveils Evaluation Plan for measuring inclusive mobility
POLIS publishes fourth edition of Cities in motion magazine
SMALL heads to Amsterdam to foster inclusive shared mobility
POLIS x Pride 2024: Safe by design
New report calls for greater inclusion and diversity in transport sector
City of Amsterdam signs Global Compact on Inclusive and Accessible Cities
Join the HL4EU Call for Action: Support Healthy Lifestyles in Europe
From listening to empowering: Ensuring women’s safety in public transport
ELABORATOR publishes its Inclusion Plan!
POLIS and SCALE join forces to promote gender diversity in the mobility workforce
Glasgow stays true to its feminist urbanism principles!
POLIS kicks off its Women’s History Month 2024 campaign!
Who is going to win the EmpowerWISM programme 2024?
Member in the Spotlight: Groningen
Unlocking inclusive shared mobility: Join SMALL’s new roundtable in Amsterdam
The insights from the ShareDiMobiHub Academy are now available!
POLIS’ manifesto for the European elections goes live at the Brussels Bubble Band meeting
EGUM adopts its first recommendations!
EP and Council reach a deal on EU Disability and Parking cards
Budapest is among the 2023 EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award finalists!
ACUTE/UERA Seminar: Programme now available!
European Gender Equality Week holds uncomfortable questions for the transport sector
EU Regions Week showed active regional involvement to support transport workers
SMALL goes to Copenhagen! Partners convene for latest project meeting
Stakeholders define the future agenda for transport jobs with WE-TRANSFORM
POLIS and EUROCITIES call for strong Euro 7 standards to improve air quality
SMALL launches first Insights paper on inclusive shared mobility
Upcoming Just Transition Webinar showcases urban mobility projects
EU will boost free movement for persons with disabilities
POLIS publishes second volume of magazine Cities in motion!
Celebrating Disability Pride Month: making sustainable mobility work for everyone
Urban Public Space Design project cluster kicks off for collaboration
OUT(bound) and proud with TfL’s Colleague Network Group
WE-TRANSFORM gathers stakeholders in Vienna for the fifth time
Loud, proud, and always mobilising inclusive mobility
A new EU project is on the Horizon: meet ELABORATOR!
Gender balance in the transport sector: A toolkit for change
Shifting Perspectives: Accessibility, Inclusion, and the Impact of Automation and Digitalisation on Jobs
SMALL successfully holds 1st Expert Roundtable
Urban Freight Just Transition Webinar: “Delivering the jobs”
Enter the TRA VISIONS 2024 competitions!
Say “Hello!” to SMAPE project
Transport workforce transition: Action!
Democratising mobility: Isabel Cunha discusses equitable cycling
Partnerships for change: EMT Madrid & Comillas University discuss their Women in STEM Chair
Madrid donates 32 buses to Ukraine
Answer EU survey on accessible and inclusive recharging infrastructure
SMCs Just Transition Webinar: Gender equity comes in… small packages?
SMALL looking for external experts for 1st Expert Roundtable
Regions Just Transition Webinar: Putting the periphery at the core
POLIS named as pioneer in new publication on gender equal mobility
Women shifting gear! Meet the women behind the sustainable mobility transition
Active Travel Just Transition Webinar: Best foot & wheel forward
Access Just Transition Webinar: “That’s not feasible without a car”
Check out POLIS’ 2023 project line-up!
Apply now to Urban95 Academy for designing child-friendly cities!
POLIS launches two new thematic Taskforces to support the membership
SMALL puts the focus on shared mobility for ALL
Registrations now open for the Just Transition Webinar series!
INDIMO shares key policy recommendations on inclusive transport
INDIMO, TRIPS, and DIGNITY joined forces in Final Conference
POLIS launches Just Transition webinar series
POLIS unveils its brand-new magazine ‘Cities in motion’!
INDIMO launches promotional video!
An autumn of action! POLIS’ Working Group meetings
Steps ahead! The future of Barcelona’s superblock
TRIPS project launches a survey investigating inclusive public transport
Achieving gender parity in the transport sector – Complete the survey
The future’s bright, the future’s young! Youth engagement in the green transition
Apply to the European Mobility Week award for Mobility Actions
Access Working Group explores car reduction, from research to action!
Sign the Reimagining Mobility Manifesto today!
Transport and energy poverty are discussed in new EC paper
UWE Bristol and Sustrans tackle fair bus fares for youngsters
Disability Pride Month: How cities can become proud champions of accessibility
SuM4All: Closing the transport sector’s gender gap
Catalonia confronts sexual harassment in public transport
Registration for the Annual POLIS Conference 2022 is now open!
INDIMO discusses tool at 4th Co-creation Workshop
POLIS x Pride 2022: Mind the queer public transport gap
All hands on deck at POLIS’ Glasgow Leadership Summit!
POLIS x Pride 2022: Queering public space for all
Sustrans publishes new Walking and Cycling Index
INDIMO partners gather in Berlin and hold a Design Hackathon
Registrations for Urban Mobility Days 2022 are now open
Leadership Summit in Glasgow: Registrations open!
Save the date for the Urban Mobility Days 2022!
POLIS members among finalists for the European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award!
Bloomberg Philanthropies announces expansion of Asphalt Art to Europe!
2 years of INDIMO: A total success!
Sustrans, Living Streets and ARUP team up for guide on making walking and wheeling inclusive
Women in transport, STEMing the gap
Urban Transport Group publishes report on future of e-scooters
Breaking the silence: tackling gender-based harassment
Gender-equal mobility: can we #BreakTheBias?
SAVE THE DATE for the Annual POLIS Conference 2022
POLIS’ Secretary General joins ALICE’s panel on International Women’s Day
Leuven is the ‘Best Open-Minded Destination in Europe’
POLIS’ Working Groups: what is on the agenda?
POLIS’ Public Transport Lab ends, but the dialogue continues
Gender equality and leadership: Mobilising real change
Public Transport Lab addresses sexual harassment on Public Transport
Creating inclusive transit: POLIS Public Transport Lab explores
Autumn working group meetings
POLIS launches the Public Transport Lab, a webinar series on the future of public transport
Île-de-France Mobilités and SNCF facilitate transport journeys for visually impaired
Security of Public Transport Facilities: an effective approach
Gothenburg’s automated mobility and citizen engagement
Research reveals harassment on Barcelona’s public transport
Bilbao wins 2021 EU Road Safety Award
Social inclusion in mobility planning: Take part in the European Commission’s study
Call for cities: Neighbourhood mobility fix from SUNRISE
Under her own steam: Closing the mobility gender gap
Inclusion: Accessibility at its best
Madrid: Women at the top
Lisbon: A truly intersectional mobility agenda
Vienna: The godmother of gender mainstreaming
Catalonia launches ‘’Clic.cat”, a new on-demand transport service
Check out the Mobility Divide Index by the TRIPS project and provide your feedback!
New publication explains how co-creation can improve urban mobility in neighbourhoods
Get to know the new We-Transform project!
A neighbourhood in Budapest co-creates mobility solutions with its citizens
INCLUSION project releases guidance for a fair(er) transport system
POLIS members and experts discuss gender perspectives in mobility
Madrid creates “Women and Safe Transport” observatory
Mobilising Mobility Webinar Series: November
Join us at Autonomy’s Get Our Cities Moving programme
For a more inclusive, equitable and accessible mobility – The INCLUSION toolbox
ITDP Tool provides Global Analysis of Walkability
Four projects final conference: “Towards sustainable mobility – one neighbourhood at a time”
Mobilising Mobility Webinar Series: October
Cycling for everyone: Member Sustrans fosters the UK walking and cycling agenda
REGISTRATIONS OPEN: Inclusive mobility for an inclusive society: new approaches and solutions
SAVE THE DATE: Inclusive mobility for an inclusive society: new approaches and solutions – 22 September 2020
Post-Lockdown Mobility: Serving the Underserved
Register for the webinar on 25 June – Serving the Underserved: The impacts of COVID-19 on vulnerable people in remote (sub)urban and rural areas
INDIMO project on inclusive digital mobility launches new website
Meet INDIMO: making digital mobility more inclusive and accessible for all
Why Co-Creation matters
Inspiration and guidance on inclusive transport from the INCLUSION project
Call for Sessions at Urbanism Next Europe 2020 is OPEN
Polis to co-organise European Urbanism Next Conference
Become a host organisation for the H2020 HiReach project
Baden-Württemberg: The LEZ of Stuttgart delivers good results
A successful INCLUSION mid-term dissemination event in Groningen (The Netherlands)
Do SUMPs promote inclusion and transport justice? Agenda available now!
Call for Submissions for TRA2020 open until 31 May
The GECKO project is looking for New Mobility Stakeholders
NACTO Shared-Micromobility in 2018 Report is now available!
Île-de-France steps it up with 641 new clean buses for the Grande Couronne
Making transport more accessible and inclusive for all: new approaches and solutions, 18 June 2019 – Groningen (NL).
Upcoming Polis Working Group meetings in 2019
Call for abstracts: 6th International Conference on Women’s Issues in Transportation
How to make transport more accessible and inclusive for vulnerable users? Read the INCLUSION second newsletter!
NEMO, the new mobility design conference in Brussels
The INCLUSION project at GO MOBILITY: 27-28 November, Irun (Spain)
Draft programme of 2018 Polis Conference released
2017 Polis Conference: Programme launched and registrations open!
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Making transport more accessible and inclusive for all: new approaches and solutions
Call for Evidence for the European Strategy For Housing Construction
Fighting Transport Poverty with the Social Climate Fund
Cities in motion – Volume IV: ‘Pathways for Progress’
POLIS Manifesto for the 2024 European Elections
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Urban Freight Just Transition Webinar report
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Building capacity and resilience in communities in relation to the increased diagnosis of dementia
Government in search of the most cost efficient demand-oriented transport model
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Smart bicycle for elderly and disabled and influence behaviour of elderly by trainings
The importance of exercise/physical activity for physical and mental vitality in older people
Welcome “Getting on track: accessible transport for older people”
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ELABORATOR