Transport disadvantage: the example of high school population in the City of Zagreb

The ability to drive a vehicle is seen as an important segment of human life. Individuals who do not have the possibility to drive a vehicle – for any given number of reasons – are often considered in the scientific literature as transport disadvantaged persons. Transport disadvantage can impact on access to many opportunities. The objective of this paper is to examine the influence of transport disadvantage on the daily life of high school population in the City of Zagreb. The research was based on the use of subjective indicators of transport disadvantage and on a self-reported measure of transport issues, as well as through the work of focus groups. The data were obtained in a survey of 826 high school students in the City of Zagreb, and with the participation of eight focus groups. High school students assessed the influence of transport issues based on the aspects of importance of issues in their lives and the degree of difficulty needed to overcome these issues. The analysis indicates that there is a statistically significant difference between male and female students, which could suggest a more prominent transport disadvantage for girls compared to boys. The collected data were also supported by claims obtained by the focus group method.