Ensuring mobility in rural areas is a basic prerequisite for services of general interest, equal living conditions and social participation. In rural areas, there is often no comprehensive local public transport and there is often a high level of dependence on private motorized transport. Adapted mobility solutions for rural areas are being sought and implemented both in Germany and in other European countries.
In this project, the EU legal framework was first analyzed. To date, this has only provided limited impetus for rural mobility and does not contain any binding requirements.
In a next step, 29 countries in Europe were examined for their respective approaches to promoting rural mobility. Five countries with successfully implemented measures were then identified (Belgium, France, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland) in which detailed analyses of measures were carried out and interviews with experts were conducted.
The analysis of the measures implemented in the five countries examined makes it clear that improved rural mobility requires a combination of clear strategies, binding standards, sustainable funding and local implementation.
The publication presents the approaches and selected measures of the five example countries and examines their potential transferability to the German context.
In LMEU, the IKEM is investigating mobility offers in 29 European countries in order to develop measures for strengthening mobility in rural areas in Germany.
