Emmaüs France and the PSA Foundation launch the “Shared Mobility” project

• First trial at Ateliers du Bocage on 13 June to remove obstacles to the inclusion of disadvantaged people in rural and suburban areas
• Development of several solutions including a car-sharing system using #corporate fleets for employee commutes
• Testing of a personalised road safety rules course to prepare people for their driving test

Hubert Trapet, Chief Executive of #emmausfrance, said, “Precariousness linked to a lack of mobility options has been increasing for the past 20 years in France. The problem is particularly prominent in rural and suburban areas, where many Emmaüs organisations operate. This is why we partnered with the #psa Foundation, a key player in the area, so we could work together on more pertinent, ambitious and innovative solutions to this issue.”

“Mobility is central to the #psa Foundation’s actions. That’s why it chose to support this project, which offers innovative solutions to mobility problems, with the help of local stakeholders,” said Karine Hillaireau, Managing Director of the #psa Foundation.

The “Shared Mobility” project focuses on two separate areas.

First, it sets out to give people with limited transport options a greater ability to physically get from A to B by reinventing mobility based on a community-driven, collective and inclusive approach. Several solutions are being studied, such as car sharing, as well as short-distance carpooling, organised hitchhiking and electric bicycles.

Second, the project aims to provide beneficiaries with the knowledge and skills they need to get around. Emmaüs has often noticed the many obstacles in the process of learning how to use different mobility options, such as the theory and driving test when applying for a licence. People encounter a wide range of issues: lack of time, high licence costs, and an isolated and complicated learning process. We are currently trialling a learning approach that allows six people to prepare for the French driving test together.