Social exclusion: The roles of mobility and bridging social capital in regional Australia.

• Mobility is a fundamental requirement for social inclusion in low density rural/regional Australia. • Pre-school children emerge as a new regional group at risk of mobility-related social exclusion. • Increasing trip rates and building bridging social capitalare key ways to reduce exclusion risks. • Public transport services can support regional mobility and reduce exclusion risk. Mobility is a fundamental requirement for well-functioning regions and for socially included residents. The paper first examines the role of mobility in promoting social inclusion of regional residents. Discussing the groups of regional people most likely to be at risk of social exclusion, because of poor mobility opportunities, the paper notes pre-school children as a new focus for policy and research attention. It then highlights the importance of trip making and building bridging social capital to reduce the risk of social exclusion in a regional setting, showing that, while regional people at high risk of social exclusion may achieve relatively high trip making (mobility, often via active travel), they may still have problems taking trips that build their bridging social capital. Public transport services can play a supportive role here, with indicative service levels outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]