RECAST explores how shared mobility can support a fair and sustainable mobility transition for people at risk of transport poverty. Focusing on social housing neighbourhoods in Mechelen, the project investigates how car sharing and other shared mobility services can help vulnerable groups, including low-income households, older adults, and people with additional support needs, access essential services and opportunities.
Led by the Mobilise research group (VUB), RECAST combines academic research with real-world experimentation to better understand mobility needs, identify barriers to shared mobility use, and develop innovative place-based impact funding models that make shared mobility more accessible and sustainable. Mobilise coordinates the scientific work, leads research on transport equity and social impacts, develops impact assessment frameworks, and evaluates the project’s social and environmental outcomes.
The project is implemented in partnership with Way To Go (Autodelen.net), To Zest, and Trividend. RECAST also collaborates closely with the City of Mechelen, social housing providers, and shared mobility operators.
Together, the partners RECAST is testing mobility budgets, personalised coaching, and community-driven funding approaches, including solidarity-based “Pay It Forward” schemes. By combining research, practice, and stakeholder collaboration, the project aims to develop a scalable model for inclusive shared mobility that can be replicated across Belgium and beyond, contributing to a more equitable, accessible, and low-carbon transport system.