How urban mobility apps can reduce social inequality

The development of new technologies is responsible for radical changes in society, in all sectors. In the case of urban mobility, the transformation is visible in recent years. Big cities were taken over by drivers of apps like Uber and 99, among others. Bicycles and electric scooters also appeared in the model of shared economy. Soon, we will have flying taxis and autonomous vehicles in the main urban centers.

However, while these services are still new, it is difficult to predict whether these impacts on society will be positive or negative. According to Jason Jackson, professor of urban planning at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), the government is responsible for ensuring that these transformations are aimed at the social good. "Government and companies need to work together to promote the reduction of spatial inequality with transport initiatives", says the expert during the event The Future Of Work, which took place in São Paulo last Thursday (29).

"Inequality does not only exist on an economic issue, but also on a spatial issue," explains Jackson. "In Latin America, it is common for the centers to be richer, while the peripheries are where the poorest people live, who are furthest from work". In this sense, initiatives that are restricted to shopping centers or whose pricing is based only on the distance traveled promote, even if unintentionally, an increase in social inequality.

Case: São Paulo

For the professor, the city of São Paulo has a regulation based on data collected by apps that “is the most complex and interesting in the world”. Since 2017, the government has defined financial incentives for mobility applications to have a positive impact on society.

There are discounts on rates charged on companies in several cases. Hybrid cars, vehicles accessible for disabled people and female drivers receive 10% reduction in fees. Kilometers driven outside urban centers and between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm (outside main congestion hours) earn 50%. The distance traveled between 10 am and 5 pm (between the busiest times) and on Sundays and holidays pay 70% less.

Although it is common for taxation to create barriers to entrepreneurship, in this case there is purposeful regulation, which seeks to reward good mobility practices for the city as a whole. This does not exclude, either, the possibility for companies themselves to mobilize in order to reduce social inequality. This is the case of Grow, for example, which seeks to expand the presence of shared bicycles on the outskirts of São Paulo with reduced value. Or also Lady Driver, which employs only female drivers in its fleet.

Jobs

The issue of work, which was the main theme of the MIT event in São Paulo, is related to mobility applications. Jackson shows how apps grew at times of high unemployment: Uber and Lyft emerged in the U.S. after the 2008 crisis, and in Brazil, apps grew rapidly from 2014.

Naturally, with fewer jobs, people more often resort to activities created by the new economy, such as the application driver. If, on the one hand, these services guarantee at least a subsistence for many people, on the other hand, they create a new class that does not exactly fit any labor category.

"The reality in several cities is that the earnings and quality of work of application drivers are precarious," analyzes Jackson. For this reason, the MIT professor stresses the need for regulation that makes this practice more profitable and fair, but without creating barriers to hiring drivers.

“The shared economy turns underutilized assets into profitable ones”, explains the professor. He cites research that finds that, on average, cars are in motion for only 4% of the time. With applications, these assets become much more profitable, helping to move the economy as a whole.

Source: https://www.startse.com/noticia/nova-economia/mobilidade-desigualdade-social