Sharing Mobility as a Last-Mile Solution in Public Transport: First Evidence from the Piedmont Region
摘要
The Piedmont region is characterized by a polycentric territory, with many small and medium-sized towns, where it is often difficult to guarantee the capillarity of public transport. In some cases, the use of collective transportation combined with different forms of sharing mobility may be a solution that is better than none. The Law No. 108 of August 5, 2022, introduced significant measures to promote sharing mobility in Italy, stipulating that, for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024, a share equal to 0.3% of the National Fund for Public Transport would be allocated to the funding of specific projects, as vehicle-sharing services, carpooling services, demand-responsive transit services and other complementary initiative that encouraged shared and innovative mobility. Regions were tasked with identifying the projects to be financed, in collaboration with local authorities and public transportation companies. The Piedmont Region has joined the initiative, allocating approximately 4.5 million euros annually from 2022 to 2024 to finance shared mobility projects across the regional territory. The Piedmont region, in particular, has focused on projects that guarantee discounts or other forms of facilitation, dedicated to the users of the local public transport and on implementation of the testing of services prior to the conclusion of agreements between Local Public Transport (LPT) companies and one or more sharing mobility service providers. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the first evidence that results from this policy on the Piedmontese territory. The analysis of existing literature on the subject will help us to identify ways in which sharing mobility can be an alternative or complementary to public transport. The following step is to analyse the implementation modalities of this measure, including co-stakeholders, governance, and target groups. Then focus is on the projects presented and funded, distinguishing them by geographical location and type of service.