Identifying transport poverty in Slovakia – A composite index to assess risk and support decarbonization policy measures

Abstract

Transport poverty is a phenomenon that prevents individuals and households from participating fully in socioeconomic life as a result of a lack of affordable and/or available transport options. Its levels are forecast to worsen, given the expected rise in fuel prices because of the extension of the EU Emissions Trading System and other policies aiming to decarbonize the transport sector. This paper establishes a framework for assessing the risk of transport poverty, using the “3As” framework (affordability, accessibility, availability). Specific indicators are used to quantify the phenomenon on this basis, utilising data envelopment analysis, applied to the case study of Slovakia. Consequently, this research assigns each municipality a value expressing its risk of transport poverty, aiding policymakers in targeting efforts to alleviate impacts of rising fuel prices. It is found that the 7 % of Slovakia’s population lives in areas with high risk of transport poverty. The main contributors to transport poverty are found to be a lack of public transport options, and a high proximity to essential services.