Where in Poland does shared mobility have the best conditions for development? The first “Mobile City Title” ranking. Warsaw, Gdynia, Pruszków and Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki are the most shared mobility-friendly cities in Poland in their categories. The Mobile City Association, together with experts from the Warsaw School of Economics, examined 213 cities. City regulations, infrastructure, transport diversification and the use of data and new technologies were taken into account. The ranking is accompanied by the publication of a report with conclusions and recommendations on how to support sustainable mobility in Polish cities.
The “Mobile City Title” is the first survey of towns in Poland – from small to the largest – in terms of their openness and support for shared mobility services. The authors of the ranking assessed as many as 213 cities – all where self-service bike sharing, electric scooter systems, e-mopeds and car sharing were available in the last year (2022).
We wanted to research and then show publicly, which cities and how are taking care of shared mobility, which is very important for sustainable transport in the city. So far, however, there has been no assessment in Poland that would show the diversity of cities in terms of the conditions for the development of shared mobility. Our ranking and report, created in substantive cooperation with a panel of experts from the Warsaw School of Economics, is a unique source of information in this field.
– says Adam Jędrzejewski, founder and CEO of the Mobile City Association, an NGO that works for sustainable transport by supporting shared mobility services.
In addition to the Mobile City Association’s CEO, the expert panel included scientists from the Warsaw School of Economics: prof. Ph.D. Marek Bryx (chairman of the jury), prof. Ph.D. Anna Szelągowska, Dr. Izabela Rudzka and Ph.D. candidate Grzegorz Młynarski. When assessing the cities, the team took into account both quantitative and qualitative criteria. The quantitative aspects included the diversity of shared transport modes in the city and the density of the offer, i.e. the number of shared vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants.
The qualitative assessment concerned the openness and friendliness of cities towards shared mobility solutions – it consisted of 20 measures in four areas. The following areas were investigated:
- city regulations and policies,
- condition of infrastructure,
- transport diversification
- use of data and technologies related to shared mobility.
The most “mobile” cities in Poland
The ranking was divided into four categories depending on the size of the cities.
- In the group below 30k inhabitants, the best conditions for the development of shared mobility are created by Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki (55%). The next places were taken by Reda and Koluszki.
- Among cities with a population of 30-100k inhabitants Pruszków received the highest rating (53%). Piaseczno and Słupsk were also on the podium.
- In the group of cities from 100 to 300k inhabitants Gdynia scored the best (89%). The next positions were taken by Katowice and Chorzów.
- In the category of the largest agglomerations, Warsaw was at the top of the ranking (92%), ahead of Poznań and Gdańsk.
Warsaw has included shared transport in many of its strategic development documents and this deserves to be well recognized. However, the challenge remains to translate these strategic assumptions into reality visible on the streets
we read in the report from the first edition of the “Mobile City Title”, which contains the full results of the ranking (it can be downloaded for free from the association’s website – link at the bottom of the press release; available only in Polish).
What is a “mobile” city?
According to the authors of the report, a model “mobile” city is one in which the share of private car traffic accounts for approximately 10% of the total number of movements (today’s indicators are around 40%). In the model city, residents’ travels are carried out to a greater extent thanks to the combined offer of public and shared transport. In the optimal version of this scenario, residents can use a MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service) digital platform, just as they use Google Maps or Jakdojade today. A model “mobile” city should also have effective regulations enabling the increase in the popularity of shared mobility, as well as infrastructure supporting this method of travel.
In response to the current diagnosis, the report is also a source of recommendations for local governments. Appropriate management of data from transport service providers, offering residents digital MaaS platforms combining the offer of public and shared transport, or creating the so-called mobility hubs, bringing together shared cars, bicycles, scooters and e-mopeds in key points of the city – all these are steps helpful in building an efficient transport ecosystem.
The recommended actions do not require cities to undergo significant reorganization or reconstruction. Rather, it is the creation of a local regulatory framework, systemic cooperation of the city with mobility service providers, digitization of these services, local interventions in infrastructure and activities promoting more sustainable urban mobility among residents.
– says Grzegorz Młynarski, a Ph.D. candidate at the Warsaw School of Economics, who also acts for the Mobile City Association.
The winners of the inaugural edition of the ranking received their diplomas at a gala during the New Mobility Congress on September 26 in Łódź.
