Every sixth individual between 12 and 19 is at hazard of transport exclusion, according to a study prepared by Association of Polish National Committee UNICEF. The unfavourable transport situation in Poland is simply a problem which is yet gaining due attention. The study provides groundbreaking – due to the fact that the first on specified a scale – investigation on the threat and consequences of communication exclusion for young people.
The bus arriving besides early, besides expensive, besides far or besides late has a real impact on the form of the educational path. It besides affects the anticipation of developing selected skills, talents. No kid should have limited access to school – this is the way to interpret the right to survey Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The survey was conducted by the IBRIS Institute for marketplace and Social investigation in September 2024 and developed by prof. Tomasz Komornicki, a geographer and economist specializing in social geography. The surveyed were 2,368 people between the ages of 12 and 19 with 42 randomly elected public schools. In addition, a example was selected for peripheral zones – 1001 respondents from 5 districts typical in terms of settlement density and remoteness from larger agglomerations (wągrowiecki, bartoszycki, hrubieszowski, Nowotarski, Jasielski).
According to demographic data, nearly half (46%) of respondents declared the village's population. The respondents identified their financial situation as:
- Good (37%).
- mean (21%),
- Very good (17%),
- bad (8%)
– 18% refused to reply.
What is transport exclusion?
In a broad sense, transport exclusion can be defined as an adverse transport situation limiting free spatial access to circumstantial crucial goals in human life (e.g. work, education, wellness care). Spatial access, i.e. access to transport – according to the concept of French sociologist and philosopher Henri Lefebvre – is simply a right to mobility understood as an component of the right to urban space.
The second take-up of spatial access, advocated by prof. Karen Lucas, manager of the Manchester Urban Institute, is understood as having access to transport services alternatively than facilities, focuses on the deficiency of a socially equal and equitable anticipation of utilizing public transport. Polish researchers Justyna Orchowska and Ariel Ciechanski point out that forced motorization is besides a form of exclusion. For the intent of the report, where the group affected by the problem has been narrowed down to students – prof. Tomasz Komornicki, the author of the study, proposes a more precise definition:
"(...) the exclusion of children and young people from transport is simply a situation where they have limited spatial and/or temporary access to education, another public services and social relations as a consequence of the deficiency of transport capacity (relatively hard to exploit existing opportunities).
In practice, the survey assumes that there is simply a hazard of transport exclusion erstwhile transport to the place of residence does not arrive or runs besides rarely, little than 2-3 hours a day.
Access to transport services
Almost 1 in 4 students have more than 15 minutes on ft to the nearest stop, and 9% of respondents request more than 15 minutes to get there by car. Distance increases in villages and tiny towns.
The most accessible means of transport are local, municipal and bus stations – 79% of those surveyed can usage them at their place of residence, the urban and suburban bus 66%, the train 46% and the tram or metro only 11%.
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Unfortunately, the most widely accessible means of transport on the periphery have the lowest frequency of flights – around 20% of students stated that urban, suburban, local, municipal, and bus stations in their towns run about erstwhile an hour.
Comparing a nationwide test and peripheral districts, it can be seen that much more respondents from the second effort do not know the timetables – bus, train. This consequence can be interpreted as a consequence of forced mobility – people surviving in smaller urban centres, on the outskirts and in the countryside cease to take into account the anticipation of communication, frequently due to its failure.
In summary, 14% of respondents are at hazard of exclusion. statistic show that they are more common in agrarian areas; 42% of the susceptible are people with mediocre access to social infrastructure – who can usage up to 2 out of 10 crucial facilities (church, sports facility, primary school, wellness centre, cultural centre, cafe or restaurant, mediate school, hospital, buying mall, cinema) at their place of residence. This makes it harder to usage basic services.
As the biggest obstacle to the usage of collective communication (beyond apparent – no need, anticipation of individual transport) 13% of students indicated low moving frequency, 8% safety during the journey, 5% safety on the way to the bus stop, 7% ticket price. In groups that do not feel safe, choosing public transport, there are twice as many girls as boys.
Access to education
Every 3rd student uses collective communication on the way to school, for 25% is simply a basic means of transport; 9% of respondents commute with people another than carers (neighbors, friends, parents of their peers).
The way to school takes more time to students of secondary schools. Respondents utilizing communication usually choose buses, 40% reaching this mode of transport drives more than 30 minutes. Much less, due to the fact that only 10%, uses trains, and all 5th surveyed deciding on this option has at least 1 switch.
The communication situation frequently affects the choice of a secondary school:
- 16% of students consider only the nearest facility due to access,
- 10% of respondents deny that they will go to the dream school regardless of transport availability,
- 44% of respondents declare that this issue was crucial erstwhile deciding on the school choice.
This is much more common in tiny towns. Among the groups classified as at hazard of exclusion, the percent of those considering only the nearest school increases by 10 percent points. The impact of communication on education is peculiarly noticeable in places where there is only 1 school – paradoxically, erstwhile it is not there, children are more likely to have a choice – boarding, more distant centres, organizing neighbourhood support. 21% of respondents say that they would have chosen another school if it wasn't for the issue of commute.
Access to out-of-school activities
Every 5th individual could not attend the performance through an adverse transport situation, 14% of the respondents reported that due to the commute they could not go to the cinema. Access to amusement and culture – buying in the buying centre, cinema, cafe, sports events, theatre, concerts – is crucial for the improvement of a young man. Nearly 40% of those at hazard of exclusion declare that they could not participate in akin activities due to transport.
Another issue is peer relations and social gatherings – it is besides an highly formal aspect of the life of a young person. Half of respondents arrive at meetings by bicycle or scooter. The smaller the facility, the more frequently students should be given a ride by their parents or peer guardians. Almost half of the respondents had to refuse to meet at least erstwhile due to a transport problem. 29% of students say the issue of travel has a negative impact on their peer relationship.
Conclusion
The unfavourable transport situation is more common for agrarian residents and smaller towns. Exclusion increases with the distance from the centre and central centres.
The bus is the most preferred or the most accessible means of collective communication. The biggest deficiencies in this transport selection are the schedules (their low frequency, especially on weekends, afternoons and evenings), the convenience of the journey, ticket prices and the distance of stops from the place of residence. However, any respondents have no cognition of the possibilities and conditions of travelling by public transport – this is highlighted in the opposition of the centre-periphery. Where communication fails, forced motorization and vicinity support are increasing.
Transport exclusion has a clear impact on the choice of a secondary school, participation in extracurricular activities, peer integration. In many cases it restricts access to entertainment, cultural life, social infrastructure, and in utmost cases to medical care – 1 in 5 students declared the problem of utilizing the aid of a specialist doctor in connection with access.
The exclusion of transport in smaller centres leads to a vicious ellipse in demographic and economical situations. The deficiency of access to social infrastructure in the village and the underdeveloped or inefficient communication origin young people to drain to larger cities, from the edge to the centre. However, reducing the number of possible transport users inhibits the cost-effectiveness of its improvement or operation. This besides contributes to the decommissioning of service facilities and forces further access to basic objectives. The fast departure of students from schools frequently reduces the level of education.
Further steps
Children and youth are aware of the problem, but due to their deficiency of religion in the anticipation of improving the situation, they are not curious in public consultation on this issue.
It is clear from the survey that it is essential to improve bus frequency, affordability of prices and to adapt schedules to the needs of students. It would be beneficial to increase the participation of the local community in the organisation of public transport – consultation on timetables, problematic stops.
The most isolated areas require systemic support programmes, both mobility improvement and social infrastructure.
The results clearly show that the mode of transport to be financed first is the suburban bus.
It is besides worth to bend over the signaled issue of insecurity – introduce better monitoring of vehicles and stops.
On 21 October 2024, Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimczak appointed Communication exclusion team. On 18 February 2025, UNICEF study was presented at the gathering Parliamentary Transport Exclusion Team. On 2 June 2025, Ombudsman Monika Horna-Cieślak made a general statement to the Minister of Infrastructure on the exclusion of children and young people from transport, citing the worrying results of this study. She asked for a written presentation of analyses, proposals, information obtained and work done by the Expert Group. 27 July 2025 Deputy Minister Stanisław Bukowic replied on behalf of the Infrastructure Resort, and as the president of the Expert Group, he reported on the analyses and challenges identified during the meetings.
Among the recommendations was the thought of establishing an integrator institution to coordinate communication in a given territory. another solutions include openness to innovation and modernisation of transport services and their decentralisation. Minister besides announced draft Act amending the Public Collective Transport Act and certain another laws. The task assumes: establishing a definition of transport exclusion, setting up Marshals for the function of transport integrators in the voivodship and introducing transport on request in low population areas.
Source:
Association of Polish National Committee UNICEF, "Exclude transport of children and young people in Poland. Test report’, develop. T. Komornicki, Warsaw 2024.
H. Lefebvre, ‘Right to the cityThe crowd. E. Majewska [in:] "Theoretical Practice", pp. 5, 2012.
K. Lucas, Transport and social inclusion: Where are we now? [in:] "Transport Policy", pp. 20, 2012.
J. Orchidian, ‘There is no bus at all.” surviving in areas of transport exclusion [in:] Regional and Local Studies, No. 2, 2022.
A. Ciechanski, Regress of the public transport network in the districts of Beskid Niski and Bieszczad and exclusion of the transport of young learners, IGIPZ PAN, Warsaw 2023.
O. Gitkiewicz, I will not make it, Wydawnictwo Dowodź, Warszawa, 2019.
