Fare Free Public Transport, segregation and social inequality

a case study on the experience of Mariana (MG)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53613/josum.2023.v3.009

Keywords:

Fare Free Public Transport, Public Transport, Right to Mobility, Social inequality

Abstract

This article is based on the premise that charging for tickets in the collective public transport system is a segregating element, which compromises the right to mobility of the most vulnerable populations. This is a specific case study of the Tarifa Zero Program in Mariana (MG, Brazil), with the objective of verifying if Free Public Transport public policy measures contribute to promote social inclusion, guarantee the security of opportunities and expand access to the Collective Public Transport system, especially for a more vulnerable population. The study demonstrates that the increase in the flow of passengers after the implementation in February 2022 happened mainly in the most vulnerable regions, identified based on the number of people enrolled in the Single Registry for Social Programs of the Federal Government (CadÚnico). The survey also measures the repressed demand in the city, comparing it with the number of trips in the municipality of Ouro Preto (MG), used as a control group to better identify the level of variation related to the Fare Free Public Transport in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Author Biographies

Cristiane Costa Gonçalves, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Mobility Engineer from the Federal University of Itajubá (Unifei), researcher in the area of accessibility in historic cities as part of the master's degree in Geotechnics and Transport from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and responsible for the Tarifa Zero Program in the municipality of Mariana-MG.

Daniel Santini, Universidade de São Paulo

Daniel Santini is a master's student in Urban and Regional Planning at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo (FAUUSP), where he studies Fare Free Public Transport policies. With a degree in Social Communication-Journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (2001) and a Lato Sensu postgraduate degree in International Journalism from the same university (2010), he also studied History at the University of São Paulo. He is the author of the book "Passe Livre: as possibilidades da tarifa zero contra a distopia da uberização" (Free Public Transport: the possibilities of fare free policies in the face of the uberization dystopia), published in 2019, and co-organizer of the book "Mobilidade Antiracista" (Anti-racist Mobility), a collection of texts published in 2021. Today he works as project coordinator at the Rosa Luxemburgo Foundation, contributing to alliances, projects and publications in Brazil and Paraguay. As a researcher, he works mainly on the following topics: mobility and transport, urbanism, Free Public Transport policies, uberization, work and technology.

References

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Published

2023-03-20

How to Cite

Costa Gonçalves, C., & Santini, D. (2023). Fare Free Public Transport, segregation and social inequality: a case study on the experience of Mariana (MG). Journal of Sustainable Urban Mobility, 3(1), 111–121. https://doi.org/10.53613/josum.2023.v3.009

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2023): Thematic Dossier Fare-Free: energy transition, fighting inequalities, and expanding democracy in the cities

Section

Scientific papers

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