To Örebro University

In this text, we will discuss this current urban matter of the publicness of public transport as a question of spatial justice, through the perspective of young people in so-called disadvantaged neighbourhoods. We argue that public mobilities such as the bus, are essential for young people’s everyday lives, yet seldom highlighted in discussions of, for example, child-friendly cities. Bus mobilities can be understood as a vital part of citizenship, as the bus allows young people to explore dispersed localities, to take up and inhabit public space, with opportunities that go beyond mere transport. In this sense, be(com)ing a bus rider is about be(com)ing a citizen, but the citizenship skills cultivated through everyday bus use are seldom recognized as such. The young people can be seen as less-than-citizens, as their perspectives and bodies are not recognized as both citizenship and urban mobilities seem to be permeated by an adult norm.