balto | social mobility

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In today’s infrastructure there are still several conditions impeding people from being mobile. And while most of these are physical – poverty, the economic barrier, is less apparent and a growing danger even in affluent societies. In 2018 more than one out of five EU citizens were threatened by poorness (as measured by the median equivalised income). Be it the elderly, single parents or young adults: as the gap between poor and rich is widening and inequality is rising, everyone can be affected.

The consequences of impoverishment on mobility access are severe. Recreational activities and generally everything else but necessary trips have to be left out on. And even those tours are oftentimes inconvenient. Additionally, the covid-19 crisis has lowered the reputation of public transport leaving only low-paid population groups, those without alternatives, to use it. This leads to not only spatial but also social exclusion and isolation – in the long run depriving people of a self-determined life. Through the lack of visibility, though, transportation poverty is usually not perceived as an acute problem. What is even worse is that the misery poor people are experiencing is often considered to be self-inflicted.

Poverty is a problem reaching far beyond mobility and cannot be solved simply by a design project. Instead, balto – a social sharing service for cargo scooters – aims to provide humans of all backgrounds with inexpensive, enjoyable and accessible mobility. Elderly and disabled people, single mothers and students alike – all share a need to get around safely and at any time without being limited, exposed or stigmatized by their choice of vehicle. balto centres around a two-track subscription model with a low fee that is subsidised by a second, more expensive option. Users can freely choose – similar business models (e.g. the flight CO2 compensation fee) show, however, that people who can afford it are willing to pay the higher price.

balto consists of an electric cargo scooter, a helmet and a backpack. The latter two are owned by the users – the helmet simultaneously acting as a membership card and key to the scooter. The vehicle itself is a battery-powered, three-wheeled scooter inspired by a dogsled. Accordingly, the name balto alludes to one of the lead dogs in the famous “Serum Run to Nome” from 1925, emphasizing the service’s supportive character.

The scooter’s wooden deck is surrounded by a frame that can be rotated upwards in the front to turn the flat cargo rack into a container offering space for luggage or a passenger. A retractable windscreen protects drivers from rain and airstream. Behind the handlebar pipe there is a connector, the counterpart of which is a puck-shaped adapter mountable on e.g. the backpack or wheelchair footrests. By using recycled steel tubes and reusing other components like safety belts for securing the load the production costs can be kept low while increasing repairability and sustainability.