Other

Other

Other

Erfarenheter och upplevda hinder i kollektivtrafiken hos personer med neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar

Jessica Berg & Jonas Ihlström. VTI rapport 1123. Linköping 2022.

Det övergripande syftet med studien var att utforska skillnader i erfarenheter och upplevda hinder i kollektivtrafiken mellan personer med neuropsykiatrisk diagnos (NPF) och personer som inte har en NPF-diagnos. Ytterligare ett syfte var att studera i vilken omfattning NPF och upplevelser av kollektivtrafik har studerats tidigare och vad forskningen har visat. En litteraturstudie och en enkätstudie har genomförts. Enkäten visar att personer med NPF upplever fler svårigheter med kollektivtrafiken jämfört med personer utan diagnos. De är mer beroende av kollektivtrafik för dagligt resande och känner sig oftare trötta på grund av att de har åkt kollektivtrafik. De undviker att resa med kollektivtrafiken i högre utsträckning och stannar hemma från arbete och skola på grund av hur de upplever det. Folkmassor, ljud och lukter är de vanligaste förekommande hindren. Respondenter med NPF uppger att de ofta eller mycket ofta oroar sig för olika situationer såsom att inte få en sittplats ombord, att servicen inte anländer på utsatt tid samt att det strular med betalningen. Studien visar att NPF begränsar tillgänglighet med kollektivtrafik då resor undviks på grund av att det innebär konsekvenser som trötthet, oro, stress och sensoriska överstimuli. Kollektivtrafikens service och organisering är inte anpassad för personer med sociala svårigheter, sensorisk överkänslighet och svårigheter med planering och organisering. Studien ger förslag på åtgärder och vidare forskning som kan underlätta transportsituationen för personer med NPF.

Other

Interactive Machine Learning for Commuters: Achieving Personalised Travel Planners through Machine Teaching

Lars Holmberg, presentation for UITP Stockholm Global PublicTransport Summit, 2019

Smartphone apps are an increasingly important part of public transport and can be seen as part of the travel experience. Personalisation of the app is one aspect of the experience that, for example, can give travellers a possibility to save favourite journeys for easy access. However, such a list of journeys can be extensive and inaccurate if it does not consider the traveller's context. Making an app context aware can transform the app experience in a personal direction, especially for commuters. By using historical personal contextual data, a travel app can present probable journeys or accurately predict and present an upcoming journey with departure times. The predictions can take place when the app is started or be used to remind a commuter when it is time to leave in order to catch a regularly travelled bus or train.

To investigate this we created an technological probe (an Android app) that implements the machine learning paradigm Machine Teaching. In machine teaching the end user defines what the machine should learn. We used the contextual parameters weekday, time, activity and location as input so we can predict a user’s upcoming journey. Predictions are made when the app starts and departure times for the most probable transport are presented to the commuter. In the work we present here, we mainly focus on how to teach the machine learning agent in an easy manner. Our aim is to give the commuter a possibility to initiate a machine teaching session at any time, add teaching data and evaluate the results of the prediction

Other

Introducing renewable fuel in public bus transport – challenges and opportunities

Malin Aldenius, International Conference Series on Competition and Ownership in Land Passenger Transport – 2017 - Stockholm, Sweden - Thredbo 15

The differences between type and share of renewable fuel in Swedish public bus transport is large today. A previous study showed that the differences between regions could possibly be related to regional context and choice of strategic approach. Therefore, the aim of this study is to further analyse the strategic approach for implementation of renewable fuel in ten Swedish transport regions, looking at how actors in the regions experience the challenges and opportunities with use of green public procurement as a tool to implement renewable fuels in relation to economical, geographical, organisational and political factors. The findings from this study confirms that functional requirements is the most cost efficient way to introduce renewable fuels, but at the same time it always results in the cheapest fuel, which today is biodiesel. If a region instead wants to create a market for production, use or infrastructure for a fuel such as biogas, they either have to use specific requirements or own the traffic themselves.

Other

Grön offentlig upphandling i transportsektorn

Jamil Khan, Jenny Palm, Malin Aldenius, Fredrik Backman & Henrik Norinder, rapport från ett f3-projekt, april 2017.

Syftet med denna rapport är att presentera resultat från forskningsprojektet Offentlig upphandling som styrmedel för att främja spridning och användning av förnybara drivmedel, där vi har analyserat hur grön offentlig upphandling har använts inom transportsektorn. Rapporten bygger på två delstudier. I den första delstudien analyseras hur kommunerna Malmö och Östersund ställer krav på miljöbilar och elbilar i sin interna upphandling av tjänstebilar. I den andra delstudien jämförs upphandlingen av busstrafik i Skåne och Jämtland och analyseras hur de två regionerna ställer krav i upphandlingen för att stödja införandet av förnybara drivmedel. Metoden som används är komparativa fallstudier av kommunerna Malmö och Östersund, samt regionerna Skåne och Jämtland. Det empiriska underlaget för studierna består av en kombination av dokumentstudier och semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer. I Malmö och Östersund gjordes fem semistrukturerade intervjuer med upphandlare och miljöstrateger. I Skåne och Jämtland gjordes åtta intervjuer med upphandlare, kollektivtrafikstrateger, politiker och representanter från privata transportoperatörer.

Other

Regional public transport — The balancing act of service planning

Joel Hansson, doctoral thesis, Lund University, 2022

This thesis addresses the demand for more knowledge regarding regional public transport (between urban areas or to and from rural areas). More specifically, the aim is to develop a better understanding of the effects of different service planning decisions in terms of different trade-offs and their impacts on the overarching objectives of public transport provision. The studied trade-offs concern, for example, stop spacing in rural areas and the distribution of departures between peak hours and periods of lower travel demand.

The thesis includes four research papers with different orientations relative to the overarching aim. The first paper is a literature review that explores preferences in regional public transport and how different quality attributes influence modal choice, demand, and customer satisfaction. The other three papers contain in-depth studies of some regional rail, coach, and bus services in the southern Swedish region of Scania, employing different research setups and statistical analyses to enable detailed examination of some important aspects of the service planning trade-offs.

The results suggest that the trade-offs can be more complex than they may seem. For instance, stop spacing is commonly debated and assessed as a trade-off between travel time and spatial coverage. However, the results of this thesis demonstrate that stop spacing on regional bus services is not so much about travel time as it is about reliability. This is particularly evident for rural bus stops where buses rarely need to stop to pick up or drop off passengers. Also, the coverage aspect of the trade-off is complex, as higher service quality extends the catchment areas around the stops, not least by increasing the use of bicycles and cars as access modes. Regarding the distribution of departures between peak and off-peak periods, the results of this thesis show that reasonable off-peak service levels are valuable not only for providing possibilities to access activities beyond school and work, but also for attracting new patronage. Despite low patronage levels on some off-peak departures, such departures may contribute substantially to the overall patronage.

The main contribution of the thesis is twofold. First, it sheds light on the balancing act that public transport service planning entails. Second, it highlights the regional perspective and shows that the differences between local and regional public transport affect the trade-offs that exist at the core of service planning. 

Other

Experimentation for sustainable transport? Risks, strengths, and governance implications

Kelsey Oldbury, Karolina Isaksson & Greg Marsden (Eds.), 2022.

The overarching ambition of this book is to generate dialogue between research and practice around the phenomenon of experimentation, its prospects, and limitations in terms of sustainable transport transformations. It seeks to communicate key insights, themes, and questions from current research for public actors with key roles in governing the transport system to reach goals of sustainable transport and mobility.

The book seeks to highlight and discuss the following questions:

  • What are the strengths of experimentation? What prospects can it bring for sustainable transport and mobility?
  • What are the limits of experimentation?
  • What can it not bring, and what are the risks involved?
  • What are the governance implications, in light of the need for a rapid transformation to sustainable transport and mobility systems?

To realise this aim we include chapters from researchers from Sweden and the UK researching various aspects of experimentation as well as key take aways from current research to practitioners.

Other

Information flows in Demand Responsive Public Transport: Interactivity, information, and flexibility in a modern ridesharing service

Oscar Askfelt and Karl Hamnebo, Malmö University, Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), spring 2021.

The focus of this thesis is to study what and how information flows can be used to improve Demand responsive transport (DRT) systems by understanding potential users and how they could be willing to participate in DRT to a higher degree. The viewpoint of this thesis tends to lean towards a DRT service of a public transport type. This thesis studies users in relation to what interaction and information they perceive to be needed in dealing with a DRT service and the different pros and cons with various approaches. The study gathers information by performing adapted qualitative interviews with a select number of users between the ages of 20-35. The participants give their views on three DRT scenarios and reflect on DRT in general as a concept presented to them through a tangible mocked-up interactive prototype. 

The thesis makes several distinct findings. The importance of pricing a DRT service correctly is vital to the users, as several participants in the study relied on pricing for decision-making. It also finds that the usage of zones as nomenclature is confusing to many users. The services must be dependable and punctual to both attract users, keep users, and build trust among the general populace.

This study shows that DRT services could be a difficult concept to introduce to users. DRT could be introduced as a complement or as an alternative to conventional public transport. An important factor is a well-designed flow of information in the application to keep the user engaged and involved. It is shown that the usability of the application is a cornerstone for a theoretical DRT service to excel. Context is important where DRT and ridesharing would have a higher success rate. Nighttime in urban areas could be a niche market, due to the irregularity, delay, or interruption of regular public transport services at these hours.

Other

An Individual-based Simulation Approach to Demand Responsive Transport

Sergei Dytckov, Fabian Lorig, Johan Holmgren, Paul Davidsson, and Jan A Persson. Conference paper. 4th International Conference on Intelligent Transport Systems, Virtual Event, December, 2020

This article demonstrates an approach to the simulation of Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) – a flexible transport mode that typically operates as a combination of taxi and bus modes. Travellers request individual trips and DRT is capable of adjusting its routes or schedule to the needs of travellers. It has been seen as a part of the public transport network, which has the potential to reduce operational costs of public transport services, to provide better service quality for population groups with limited mobility and to improve transport fairness. However, a DRT service needs to be thoroughly planned to target the intended user groups, attract a sufficient demand level and maintain reasonable operational costs. As the demand for DRT is dynamic and heterogeneous, it is difficult to simulate it with a macro approach. To address this problem, we develop and evaluate an individual-based simulation comprising models of traveller behaviour for both supply and demand sides. Travellers choose a trip alternative with a mode choice model and DRT vehicle routing utilises a model of travellers’ mode choice behaviour to optimise routes. This allows capturing supply-side operational costs and demand-side service quality for every individual, what allows for designing a personalised service that can prioritise needy groups of travellers improving transport fairness. By simulating different setups of DRT services, the simulator can be used as a decision support tool. 

Other

Constructing Transit Corridors: The Politics of Public Transport Policy and Planning in Malmöhus and Skåne 1970-2020

Jens Portinson Hylander, doctoral thesis, Lund University, December 2021

Planning local and regional public transport in so-called ’transit corridors’ – i.e., to concentrate infrastructure and resources to few, but more attractive corridors in a city or a region – is commonplace in contemporary public transport planning. This has not always been the case, however.

In this thesis I analyze how transit corridors have come to dominate the policies and planning practices of public transport governance through a case study of Malmöhus County and Region Skåne between 1970 and 2020, and show how the organization of decision-making, planning practices and the spatial configuration of public transport have been central sites of an ongoing struggle between different actors and levels over influence over ideas and resources. Understanding the fundamental values and processes that shape public transport system and the conflicts that arise when values and actors collide can contribute to increased possibilities to shape a just and inclusive public transport system that enables sustainable mobility for people.

The research is based on qualitative analyses of archival records and interviews with individuals who were involved in the planning and politics of public transport in Malmöhus County and Region Skåne. Through an analysis of how change and permanence in the public transport system have been motivated and turned into institutional practice, the thesis shows how the transit corridor paradigm evolved in through an interplay between the regional political dynamics and the wider societal context. A recurring tension exists in public transport policy and planning between values of equity and efficiency on the one hand, and how these values are translated into the organization of public transport governance through policies of coordination and competition on the other. These values and policies have been decisive for the motivations to the organizational and spatial re/configurations of public transport since the introduction of regional public transport authorities in Sweden since the end of the 1970’s.

Initially, spatial and economic equity were leading principles that motivated a rapid expansion and distribution of the regional public transport system. At the turn of the 1990’s, a set of interlinked policy processes assisted the formulation of transit corridors as a strategic development policy for public transport in Malmöhus County. These ideas were institutionalized through a reorganization of public transport governance with a stronger regional mandate and a more peripheral role for the municipalities and was materialized through infrastructure investments in train and express bus systems at the expensive of areas with weaker demand. When Region Skåne was formed in 1999, the transit corridor paradigm was fully developed and contributed to shaping spatial relations in the new region and has continued to be a core in public transport policy in Skåne. However, despite (or perhaps because of) the dominance of transit corridors, conflicts persist between the parts of the region that have gained the most from transit corridor planning, and those that remain concerned over declining public transport supply from the planning orientation.

Other

Passengers’ choices in multimodal public transport systems - A study of revealed behaviour and measurement methods

Ulrik Berggren, doctoral thesis, Lund University, November 2021

The concept of individual choice is a fundamental aspect when explaining and anticipating behavioural interactions with, and responses to, static and dynamic travel conditions in public transport (PT) systems. However, the empirical grounding of existing models used for forecasting travel demand, which itself is a result of a multitude of individual choices, is often insufficient in terms of detail and accuracy. This thesis explores three aspects, or themes, of PT trips – waiting times, general door-to-door path preferences, with a special emphasis on access and egress trip legs, and service reliability – in order to increase knowledge about how PT passengers interact with PT systems. Using detailed spatiotemporal empirical data from a dedicated survey app and PT fare card transactions, possible cross-sectional relationships between travel conditions and waiting times are analysed, where degrees of mental effort are gauged by an information acquisition proxy. Preferences for complete door-todoor paths are examined by estimation of full path choice models. Finally, longitudinal effects of changing service reliability are analysed using a biennial panel data approach. The constituent studies conclude that there are other explanatory factors than headway that explain waiting times on first boarding stops of PT trips and that possession of knowledge of exact departure times reduces mean waiting times. However, this information factor is not evident in full path choice, where time and effort-related preferences dominate with a consistent individual preference factor. Finally, a statistically significant on-average adaption to changing service reliability is individual-specific and non-symmetrical depending on the direction of reliability change, where a relatively large portion of the affected individuals do not appear to respond to small-scale perturbations of reliability while others do, all other things being equal.