Piotr Rosik

Abstract

The paper aims to provide an initial evaluation of transport poverty in Poland by examining both the demand and supply of public transport services at the municipal level. Due to the lack of comprehensive data, median earnings from the Central Statistical Office are used as a proxy for transport demand and income inequality, while a composite index of public transport accessibility (PTAI), incorporating three indicators, represents the supply side (rail and bus services). The study provides the first analysis in Poland to identify areas at risk of transport poverty, focusing on public transport accessibility at the municipal level. Through spatial analysis,it identifies vulnerable areas including those along national borders (excluding certain parts like the eastern Polish-Czech border), marginalized municipalities, internal peripheries of voivodeships like the Greater Poland-Łódź border, and certain areas in developed voivodeships like Greater Poland and Pomerania. It highlights that some at-risk areas, such as southern Kashubia or counties like Międzychód, have not been previously recognized in other studies. The findings stress the need for further methodological development, especially refining indicators for monitoring transport poverty at the municipal level.

Keywords: transport poverty, public transport accessibility, Polish municipalities, median earnings

Piotr Rosik [rosik@twarda.pan.pl], Polish Academy of Sciences Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw: Poland
Patryk Duma [p.duma@twarda.pan.pl], Polish Academy of Sciences Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw: Poland