4.1.1 Focus groups and complementary survey sample
The analysis of measures in the metropolitan region for the mobility of recently settled immigrants is based on the three focus groups and a follow-up survey among relevant institutions and districts. Focus group 1 (‘current supporting measures’) consisted of 12 representatives from public transport, local transport planners, regional municipalities, regional stakeholders for mobility, and voluntary workers. For focus group 2 (‘daily mobility of recently settled immigrants’), seven participants joined. The group consisted partially of similar and partially of new participants. Participants were again representatives of municipalities in the metropolitan region as well as of public transport providers. Furthermore, people with direct relation to the everyday life of immigrants participated to provide direct experience and impressions. These people were immigrants and voluntary integration workers. In focus group 3 (‘validation of potential strategies’), eight representatives from municipalities, public transport, and voluntary workers participated. Again, partially new and known participants were selected.
The survey conducted between focus groups 2 and 3 served to evaluate the questions and topics of focus groups 1 and 2 more comprehensively. Therefore, the focus group topics were transferred into closed questions. Finally, 41 institutions, mainly municipalities, participated in the survey. Focus group participants were explicitly not invited to the survey. As can be seen in Table
1, 76 % of the respondents were from municipalities in the metropolitan region. Twelve percent were public transport providers. Voluntary organisations participated with a share of 10 %. Additionally, an institution of public interest that was not further defined participated. Fifty-six percent of the respondents indicated to have supportive measures to improve mobility of immigrants. Public transport providers added that they usually apply the measures that are offered by the superior transport association, which is the Rhine/Main Regional Transport Association in the metropolitan region. Table
1 summarises the characteristics of the survey among institutions.
Table 1
Characteristics of the survey among institutions
Municipality | 31 (76%) | 17 (55%) |
Public transport provider | 5 (12%) | 3 (60%) |
Voluntary organisation | 4 (10%) | 3 (75%) |
Institution of public interest | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) |
TOTAL | 41 (100%) | 23 (56%) |
Neither the focus groups nor the survey among institutions consists of a statistically significant sample. This must be clear when interpreting the results. However, the results are a valid indicator for hypotheses and creating a first picture of the current situation.
4.1.2 Mobility provision and constraints
In a first step of the analysis, the current situation in mobility provision for new immigrants was analysed. The focus groups as well as the survey showed that mobility support for immigrants is an important topic that concerns a number of actors. This is why a multitude of institutions decided to implement supporting measures. The majority of the participating institutions admitted that supporting measures for the mobility of immigrants were mainly introduced in 2015 with the sudden increase of immigrants all over Germany. Discussions and the survey made clear that municipalities were often unprepared and had to find quick solutions. In general, it became clear that, due to time pressure, districts often did not work together or jointly address the topic. Therefore, many isolated programmes and measures can be identified. However, it is clear that there exist a number of similarities as well as variety and differences, although they all belong to the same metropolitan region.
The discussions and the survey revealed that information provision is the most frequent measure to support immigrants after their arrival. Two steps can be identified: (1) Information material is provided and handed out to immigrants. The superior transport association, the Rhine/Main Regional Transport Association, has designed a brochure in German and Arabic that contains general information on the local public transport system. It explains how and where to buy tickets, how to read the schedules, or which tickets exist. The brochure works with a combined written and picture language. This brochure was mentioned as the most important material, as municipal transport operators mostly distribute this and similar brochures provided by the association. Participating municipal transport operators stated that they did not develop specific material. Material is often distributed during counselling hours, in shared accommodations, or at other contact points. (2) Information events, for instance in first accommodations, were conducted. These events were used to inform large groups of recently arrived refugees and provide them with relevant material. Whereas the brochure-based information is mostly focused on public transport, additional events and counselling hours often have a more general character, according to the results. The events contain information on public transport usage as well as the local options for further mobility, such as bicycles.
Integration workers, however, criticised that immigrants receive a huge amount of information with their arrival and first registrations. They start with a lot of paper and brochures that contain information that is necessary for their first months in the region. These include information on social offers, administrative duties, integration courses, and much more. Information is only one out of many. The workers, therefore, admit that information often gets lost, as recipients of information are overstrained. A stepwise and targeted provision of information would help to improve the probability that information is perceived. Municipalities and public transport organisations agreed with this criticism in the discussions. Yet, they emphasised that it is a question of financial resources and additional personnel, which is not available.
The provision of discounted or free public transport for refugees is uncommon. Thirteen percent of the surveyed practitioners indicated that they have a special ticket offer for refugees. The regional transport association, for instance, provides a mobility ticket for refugees in first accommodations that is valid for three months and allows public transport usage in the respective district. Mostly, districts and their local transport operators rely on social tickets according to the German Social Security Code that is provided to people of social need. If the application for asylum is approved, refugees can also apply for this social ticket independently from the nation. Discussants emphasised that institutions, public transport operators, and municipalities underlie strong financial restrictions, which makes discounted or free tickets almost impossible to handle for many districts, as the cost gap has to be filled by these institutions. These tickets underlie a further constraint that creates difficulties for its users: These tickets are usually bound to a district or a federal state. As a metropolitan region with districts in three federal states, it strongly limits mobility, especially when it comes to the usage of further integration offers or language courses that often take place in another district.
Besides public transport, mobility by bicycle plays an important role among the supporting measures: (1) provision of bicycles and (2) bicycle courses. Regarding bicycle measures, institutions act diversely. Participants emphasised the importance of bicycles for daily mobility and as a relevant step towards integration. Bicycles enable flexible mobility and covering longer distances than on foot. They are also a relatively affordable mobility. Consequently, bicycle donations especially in 2015 made it possible to provide bicycles to immigrants. Fifty percent of the questioned municipalities stated that they provide bicycles for refugees. Different models were critically discussed and are applied: free bicycle provision, provision against voluntary labour, or provision against a deposit. Some municipalities and voluntary workers mentioned the experience that bicycles that are given away for free (i.e. as a present) are not valued. They said that bicycles were then often found abandoned in the closer environment. This experience was not confirmed by all municipalities. Due to the negative experience with free bicycles, some municipalities and the related organisations established models based on deposit or on voluntary work. Those who received a bicycle either gave a small amount of money or agreed to support local bicycle repair shops. The second solution is preferred, as it additionally has an integrating factor. Practitioners, furthermore, admitted that in the beginning severe traffic safety issues came up due to insufficient experience of immigrants with road transport in Germany. Therefore, some municipalities decided to make specific road traffic safety courses obligatory for those who want to have a bicycle from the public pool.
Furthermore, municipalities noticed that riding a bicycle is not common among this immigrant group. As a consequence, the demand for bicycles was rather low in the beginning. Therefore, respective courses have been set up. In particular, the traffic police and volunteer organisations offer courses for adults and children. Most women cannot ride the bicycle according to the experience of the course organisers. However, experience also showed that women are rather reserved towards these courses. Besides courses on how to ride a bicycle, volunteer workers offer bicycle tours for immigrants that help them to get to know the environment and where to be mobile by bicycle.
Car-related mobility does not receive attention from the mobility provision perspective. Cars are not relevant for early immigrant mobility. Furthermore, it is not a public duty to enable car mobility. However, some supportive measures are offered. For example, counselling programmes are offered if an immigrant wants to earn a driving licence. Even immigrants who have a driving licence from their home country usually cannot use the licence in Germany as there is no recognition agreement between most of the origin countries of refugees and Germany. Consequently, the driving licence can only be used for six months. After the expiration of the six months, the driving licences have to be transcribed, which requires a theoretical and practical driving test [
36]. However, taking this test requires financial resources that usually do not exist in this group. A subsidy of the driving test is possible if the immigrant can prove that they will be employed for more than 12 months in a job that requires a driving licence. Two of the surveyed municipalities added that regular carpooling activities have been established. However, they are privately organised, not offered by institutions.
From a more general perspective, some of the surveyed municipalities and organisations criticised that they indeed make many offers for immigrants and do their best to communicate these offers, but the demand remains low. This covers bicycle courses as well as information events on mobility. Although this is not an issue shared by all practitioners, it seemed to be relevant, as it was deeply discussed. Discussion showed two causes for this problem: (1) information overload of the immigrants, as mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, and (2) cultural barriers that are difficult to overcome. The role of gatekeepers and multipliers was emphasised. The affected organisations admitted that it helps to work together with immigrants who already successfully use the local mobility offers, letting them spread the positive experience and improving the access to closed immigrant groups.
Furthermore, the participants of the focus groups and the survey admitted organisational problems that came up especially in 2015 and continued to be relevant in the following years. 2015 and 2016 were strong immigrant years. This affected municipalities and administrations from several directions: housing, administrative work, and integration courses. These duties already existed before and were carried out. However, the pressure of demand was many times higher, and administration was not prepared. Therefore, mobility could not be the centre of attention but had to be, as it is relevant for so many integrational measures. Herewith, practitioners mostly confirmed what has already been stated by research. Many cultural and language problems with mobility existed before but became evident with the large group facing these issues. Most surveyed organisations admitted that they do not have the financial resources or the personnel to provide the measures in the individualised or targeted way that would be necessary to be more effective. At the same time, discussions revealed that municipalities and other institutions of the metropolitan region cooperated little and mostly worked and implemented measures for mobility on their own. This is surprising, as mobility provision strongly benefits from joint implementation and programmes due to synergies and economies of scale. However, this is again a question of resources. Building cooperation requires time and personnel, which are not available.
Finally, some of the surveyed organisations mentioned decreasing acceptance of additional measures for immigrants. It was discussed that in 2015 and 2016 it was a lot easier to establish measures, such as bicycle donations, than it was in 2017. This can be explained by societal and political opinion. However, it must also be admitted that in 2017 the number of applications for asylum greatly decreased. Thus, public pressure was reduced, and attention was again brought to other topics. Daily business was back. Yet, municipalities stated that the need for supportive measures that help immigrants to be mobile still exists.
4.1.3 Experience with immigrant mobility
As a preparation for the development of the questionnaire for immigrants, a focus group was dedicated to experience with mobility behaviour. As the later questionnaire had to be very easy in language and understanding, this focus group allowed predefining the necessary questions and response options. However, it must be clear that this focus group contained assumption and hypotheses based on the personal experience of the participants. They gained their experience in their daily work with immigrants. Furthermore, immigrants who were already in good command of the German language enriched the focus group. The later survey among immigrants gave a quantitative indication of the mobility behaviour.
The analysis of the discussions in this focus group indicated that immigrants tend to move in their direct environment and avoid longer distances. The reasons that are named are cost and uncertainty in the usage of public transport. Especially in the peripheral areas of the metropolitan region, the discussants emphasised the importance of walking and bicycling. The experts explained that the modal choice strongly varied according the trip purpose. Administrative appointments or integration courses that are often farther away are reached by public transport independently from the location of the accommodation. However, the experts mentioned that the more rural immigrants are accommodated, the less they rely on public transport for other trip purposes, such as daily shopping or social activities. The experts indicated that the more rural the environment the immigrants live in, the more they tend to master their social life in the direct surrounding. Immigrants in urban accommodations, in turn, were significantly more mobile and willing to leave their quarter for social activities. According to the experts, coverage with and frequency of public transport strongly influence this behaviour.
Again, it was emphasised that riding a bicycle cannot be assumed as a common ability among the majority of immigrants from the Middle East or Africa. It was assumed that especially women have reservation towards this mode of transport, although it is essential for being mobile, specifically in areas that are more rural. Car mobility was assessed as irrelevant. However, experts assumed that in a later period of the immigrants’ settlement this could change, as a car has a strong symbolic character. However, financial and organisational restrictions make it unimportant in the early stage.