Serbia has demonstrated its commitment to the European Green Deal by endorsing the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans (GAWB) and implementing key measures for decarbonization and a Just Green Transition (JGT).

Notable achievements include adopting the Law on Climate Change, energy-related legislation, and national strategies like the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (INECP) and the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy. While most policies operate at the national level, significant initiatives are also being implemented regionally, particularly in Belgrade and Vojvodina, with local-level efforts concentrated in larger cities such as Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac.

Kragujevac stands out among Serbian local governments for its adoption of key policies over the past decade, such as the Spatial Plan, Local Waste Management Plan, and Strategy for Integrated Urban Development.

However, many of these policies have expired or are nearing expiration, offering a chance to integrate Just Green Transition (JGT) principles into new policies and serve as a model for others. The UB-GEF research within the GreenFORCE project focuses on decarbonization through smart and sustainable mobility, while also addressing depollution by promoting innovative land-use and transport solutions to reduce environmental burdens and improve public transport access and quality.

A survey of 424 respondents assessed satisfaction with the current public transport system, the importance of various service attributes, and attitudes toward electric buses in Kragujevac. Among other findings, the vast majority of respondents expressed a willingness to use electric buses, with the strongest support coming from frequent users. These insights provide valuable guidance for policymakers to address public transport challenges, improve service quality, and encourage the adoption of electric buses.

Based on the policy context and structured discussions with stakeholders, four scenarios were developed to explore potential transition pathways for sustainable urban mobility in Kragujevac. Starting with a baseline scenario, each subsequent scenario introduces additional transport and land-use measures, culminating in the most ambitious scenario.

A cost-benefit analysis conducted over a 10-year period revealed that only the final scenario shows a significantly positive Net Present Value (NPV). This indicates that the benefits of this scenario outweigh its costs when discounted to present value, affirming its financial viability and the necessity of implementing the proposed policies.
The proposed research supports key social objectives by enhancing urban quality of life and public health. It fosters stakeholder ownership and responsibility through participatory processes, while encouraging social inclusion by strengthening community ties and enabling co-creation of solutions.

The research results are expected to serve as a foundation for developing a public transportation traffic study for the City of Kragujevac, providing a replicable model for other cities and local governments in Serbia striving toward sustainable urban mobility and a just transition.