As part of GO4FAIR MOVE, project partners are collecting and analysing good practices that can provide inspiration for improving home-to-work mobility in rural and peripheral areas. The aim is to identify approaches that can be adapted or transferred to our pilot territories and support the development of more accessible, inclusive and better coordinated mobility solutions. One of the practices identified by the partnership is AGRIBUS, initiated by the Province of Ferrara and operated by AMI Ferrara S.r.l.
AGRIBUS provides a practical example of how flexible transport services can improve access to employment where regular public transport does not adequately meet workers’ needs. The service was designed particularly for seasonal agricultural workers and initially connected workplaces with major public transport interchange points, including Portomaggiore railway station. Its governance model combines the involvement of public authorities with private-sector service delivery and support from employers and the wider community.
An important feature of AGRIBUS is its attention to workers who may face language barriers or digital exclusion. Besides improving passenger safety and formalising transport arrangements, the approach can reduce commuting costs for employees and provide an alternative to informal or poorly regulated transport. At the same time, the experience highlights challenges typical of rural labour mobility, including low population density, seasonal demand, variable working hours, high operating costs and the need for sustainable long-term financing.
The experience has strong potential for adaptation in other territories characterised by seasonal employment or workplaces located outside regular public transport networks. Successful transfer requires cooperation between public authorities, transport providers and employers, a clear understanding of actual mobility needs, appropriate funding and a legal framework that allows flexible employee transport services. Elements such as dedicated routes, cooperation with employers, digital passenger registration, multilingual communication and service monitoring can be relatively easily replicated, while financing, regulation, integration with public transport and operating schedules need to be adapted to local circumstances.
For GO4FAIR MOVE, AGRIBUS is particularly relevant because it demonstrates how cooperation between the transport sector, public authorities and employers can help tackle mobility poverty and improve access to jobs in rural and peripheral areas. Its experience can inform the development of demand-responsive employee transport, stronger cooperation with major employers, the use of digital mobility-management tools and public-private governance models in the project’s pilot territories.