RGU researchers to help keep Fife moving

Researchers from Robert Gordon University (RGU) have been commissioned to carry out a study into the transport-related problems faced by jobseekers in Fife.

The research team, from RGU’s School of Creative and Cultural Business, will be working in partnership with West Fife Enterprise and the Fife Employability and Training Consortium on the study which is entitled Keep Fife Moving.

Through a series of interviews and discussion groups, the researchers will investigate the workplace travel difficulties that Fife residents face, particularly those living in rural communities and in the more disadvantaged areas of Central Fife. The research team will also gather opinions on potential solutions to these problems, such as low-cost or free driving lessons for jobseekers, car pooling and lift sharing arrangements, or some form of community-led ‘dial-a-bus’ scheme.

The study, which will continue until November, is being financed by the European Social Fund and the Scottish Government under the Social Innovation Fund.

The research team is led by David Gray, professor of transport policy at RGU who specialises in researching transport issues in rural communities. Other members of the team are Graeme Baxter, Lyndsay Bloice, Andy Grinnall and Hayley Lockerbie.

“Lack of access to appropriate and affordable transport plays a key role in driving social exclusion and isolation,” said professor Gray. “The Keep Fife Moving project will aim to address this by finding ways to support jobseekers from Fife’s rural and most deprived communities in gaining access to more suitable travel options.”

Professor David Gray

Professor David Gray

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