A. New Mobility Forum Series : Let’s Talk New Mobility

The Metro Manila New Mobility Forum is designed for people to habitually meet to share information, ideas, insights, and initiatives for taking action at the community level and increase the advocates of better mobility and access to transportation in Metro Manila-especially for ordinary Manileña, the poor, and the vulnerable. The New Mobility Forum aims to sustain a conversation among these stakeholders about how citizens can be empowered to shape the patterns of mobility and access in Metro Manila to be more inclusive. The primary challenge is to promote non-motorized transport (NMT) such as walking and biking, public transport (buses and trains), elimination of unnecessary travel through the smart use of traditional and cyber communications.

The ultimate objective of the Forum is to organize and mobilize the New Mobility stakeholders into a non-governmental organization with individual members from government, civil society, and the business sector to advocate for policy changes that will make mobility and access to transport in Metro Manila more inclusive and democratic.

B. Researching New Mobility in Metro Manila

Through research, the Project will explore how the current public transport system affects the poor and vulnerable populations of Metro Manila by mapping the current public transport system, understanding the their mobility, cost and issues as well as also seek to identify new or emerging entrepreneurial or livelihood opportunities responsive to their mobility needs.

To date, there are three on-going research studies:

1.   How responsive is Metro Manila’s Public Transport System to the Needs of the Poor and Vulnerable Sectors? Insights from a Mobility Mapping Case Study of Metro Manila
2.   Case Studies on the Mobility Characteristics, Cost and Issues of the Poor and Vulnerable Groups
3.   A Preliminary Inventory and Typology of Enterprise Models for Inclusive Mobility in Metro Manila: Of, By and For the Poor and Vulnerable

C. Engaging New Mobility and the Public

1. Mapping for Inclusive Mobility: Pinpointing Transport Terminals and Hubs

If you came this way,
Taking the route you would be likely to take
From the place you would be likely to come from,
If you came this way…you would find…

Little Gidding, No. 4 of ‘Four Quartets’ – T.S. Eliot

Locating and mapping transport terminals are crucial in order to assess the mobility problems and opportunities in Metro Manila. Improving information generated in maps for seamless multi-modal interconnections would benefit not only the poor and the vulnerable groups but the general public.

Thus this activity aims to build a community of people wanting to create that platform or build on available platform. To date, the Philippines is one of the most active in the social network and in the information and communication technology and this activity aims to harness that in improving mobility.

2. Search for “New Mobility” Business Models: “New Mobility” Social Enterprise and Social Innovations Awards

Innovations have high demand to address social challenges in many Asian cities. The transport sector in particular, as a shaper of urban development, requires innovative models to urgently address pressing urban challenges. Having brought about many positive impacts, social enterprises provided innovative business models that fulfil social aims making people and communities act together towards the attainment of development. However, there is little information about social enterprise in the transport sector. The increasing demand for alternative models to solve urban challenges necessitates the documentation of the social enterprise solutions.

In order to surface enterprising solutions to solve social mobility problems, the Project will conduct the Search for New Mobility Business Models: “New Mobility” Social Enterprise and Social Innovations Awards.

Through this activity, it is envisaged that the engagement of different stakeholders in solving pressing mobility problems in the megacity especially that of the urban poor and vulnerable sector would help in identifying strategic doable environmentally friendly mobility solutions. This call for New Mobility Business Models is expected to document existing social enterprises in the transport sector and generate innovative ideas that address mobility problems and needs. This also provides the information on the opportunities in the transport sector that will bring upon economic development and social gains by improving the public’s mobility.