Speaker
Description
In 2013, the city of Tallinn implemented a fare-free public transport (FFPT) policy for registered city residents. The policy was introduced as part of a local election campaign with the aim of promoting sustainable mobility and improving social inclusion. Initial studies found an increase in transport usage among members of low-income households, young and elderly people. The policy was financially successful, offsetting the lack of fare revenues with increased municipal tax income. However, public and political enthusiasm for FFPT has waned. Competition for tax revenues between the city and neighbouring municipalities has hindered sustainable and inclusive transport investment across city boundaries. Furthermore, the anticipated modal shift has not materialised and car ownership is on the rise again, particularly in peripheral and low-income neighbourhoods.
A decade after the introduction of the FFPT policy in Tallinn, I explore the potential of fare policies, and the effects of fare structures and related infrastructures on daily mobility experiences. Through policy analysis, expert interviews, and qualitative research with transport-dependent users, I outline the everyday experiences and practices of care mobility within a fare-free public transport system. In Tallinn, not having to pay a fare seems to increase passengers’ independence from private car ownership and use, as well as their activity spaces. I complement these findings with insights on fare policies and fare evasion in the city of Brussels, where fare structures and related infrastructures appear as mechanisms of control and exclusion that increase marginalisation at the urban and individual level. Thus, I frame fare (infra)structures as structuring devices of mobility regimes, which present challenges and potential for inclusive and sustainable mobility transitions.
Biography
Louise Sträuli is a mobilities researcher interested in fare policies, diversity in mobility behaviour and marginalised passenger needs. She completed her dissertation entitled "Public Transport as Contested Public Space: Daily Mobilities and Fare Policies in Brussels and Tallinn" at the University of Tallinn and the Université libre de Bruxelles in 2024. As a researcher within the CARIN-PT project, she coordinates the Urban Living Lab of the Tallinn region with a focus on resilient and inclusive public transport.
