A lack of affordable transportation is a significant contributor to poverty around the world, made worse by the rising cost of fuel and car ownership.
RideTandem's CEO Alex Shapland-Howes illustrates the dire need for solutions
in an interview with BBC Radio 4: "Transport poverty is the confluence of poverty and the lack of good value options for people. So this can have a huge impact on their lives and I think sometimes for those of us that live in big cities, it's hard to imagine quite how much that can impact one's life. I've met cleaners who are taking taxis to work every single day, using their whole first hour's wage just to get to work because there's literally no other option. I've met other people, who are turning down jobs because they literally have no way to get there because the bus route got cut a few years ago. It's not just jobs, it's healthcare, it's education, it's the affordable supermarket in the big town nearby... It's remarkable how much transport can have an impact on your everyday life."
Of course, transport poverty can't be solved by private entities alone. RideTandem needs both policy and financial support from local governments. On the flip side, small towns and villages with limited budgets can't fix the problem independently, either. In the absence of political will to fund equitable transportation, communities will rely on impact-driven entrepreneurs to take the lead in private-public partnerships.
