Articles

Articles

Articles

Making apps, owning data: Digital sovereignty and public authorities’ arrangements to “byte” back

Alexander Paulsson & Mats Fred, Organization, 2024
This study tells the story of two public transport authorities (PTA) in Sweden who developed their own apps. Although this might seem trivial and far-detached from the critical issues discussed in organization studies, this story raises questions of great relevance for this field, namely how digital sovereignty is organized. Digital sovereignty refers to governments trying to take or regain power and control over “the digital,” which a small group of large tech companies have monopolized. Drawing on a 3 year qualitative study of app making, and using assemblage theory, this study shows that digital sovereignty is not only about controlling software development or data ownership, but also about re-configuring the organization in relation to digital artifacts such as apps. By bypassing procurement procedures and paralleling their IT-departments, the PTAs here display how digital sovereignty comes from “below,” originating from frustrated civil servants within the public authorities who literally tried to “byte back” in a digital world run by large tech companies.
New ways of dealing with social consequences and needs in public transport planning?: A review of methods and research gaps
Articles

Dwell time delays for commuter trains – An analysis of the influence of passengers on dwell time delays

Ruben Alaric Kuipers, Doctoral thesis, Lund University, 2024

Recent years have seen increased efforts to improve the punctuality of trains. One of the reasons for this is that punctuality is a key performance indicator concerning passenger satisfaction and punctuality can thus be seen as important to both retain current passengers as well as to attract new users. Punctuality is closely related to delays, indeed when a train is not delayed it will most likely be punctual. Trains can suffer from a delay for various reasons and one type of delays are the so-called dwell time delays. Dwell time delays arise when a train is stationary at a station for longer than scheduled. The thesis presented here focuses on why dwell time delays occur, the impact of passengers on dwell times, how dwell time delays can be measured, and finally how the risk of dwell time delays can be reduced.

Several years of passenger counts collected on board trains in Stockholm and the region of Skåne in Southern Sweden were used to study and analyse the impact of passengers on dwell times. The results of these analyses indicate that, although the volume of passengers is often seen as
the main cause of dwell time delays, this is not necessarily the case. Instead, the findings from the studies show that the volume of passengers acts as an accelerator for other aspects such as an uneven spread of passengers or passengers queuing up in front of doors. A high volume of passengers on its own is not sufficient to increase the risk of dwell time delays, but this will happen when there is a high volume of boarding passengers that are unevenly spread between the doors.

Dwell time delays for commuter trains – An analysis of the influence of passengers on dwell time delays
Articles

Rural mobility in later life; counteracting accessibility poverty with digital service solutions

Vanessa Stjernborg & Gustav Lopez Svensson, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, January 2024

 

Norrbotten region is one of the most sparsely populated areas in Europe, with often long distances to services. This paper aims to gain a deeper understanding of the everyday mobilities in later life in rural areas, and to assess to what extent digital service solutions (DiSS) can contribute to reduced accessibility poverty. The study focuses on how DiSS contribute to more equitable accessibility by means of a case study in two villages, selected due to implemented DiSS (store with digital locks, digital hubs, etc.). Interviews with older people and other informants show the potential of DiSS to counteract accessibility poverty by bringing services nearer to home and reducing the need for longer trips, while contributing to the creation of healthier and more resilient environments. If implemented carefully, DiSS can have the potential to contribute to the development of more transport-efficient and socially just societies.

Rural mobility in later life; counteracting accessibility poverty with digital service solutions
Articles

Triggers for feelings of insecurity and perceptions of safety in relation to public transport; the experiences of young and active travellers

Vanessa Stjernborg, Applied Mobilities, February 2024

A key aspect of an attractive and accessible public transport system is that passengers feel safe and secure, not least from a travel chain perspective. The aim of this paper is to provide an increased understanding of triggers for feelings of insecurity and perceptions of safety in relation to public transport, with a special focus on larger public transport nodes in the city of Malmö, Sweden. The study draws on a map-based online survey (public participatory GIS) which was designed to allow people to contribute their experiences and reflections. An online survey was distributed through social media, and the collected data is of both a quantitative and a qualitative nature. The sample consists of 290 students and workers between the ages of 21–35 who frequently use public transport. The findings show that one in ten respondents have often to very often avoided public transport because of feelings of insecurity. Thematic analysis revealed a variety of triggers, covering aspects from the physical dimension to the social dimension. Some examples include the design of bus stops, the surrounding traffic environment, and other people. The presence of guards and the police force seems to increase the feelings of insecurity for some, while the opposite was true for other respondents. The findings emphasize the importance of further research to illuminate different parts of a journey at a micro level, i.e. from the person-environment relationship, as well as to further highlight the issue of who transit environments are planned and designed for.

 
Triggers for feelings of insecurity and perceptions of safety in relation to public transport; the experiences of young and acti
Articles

Integrating shared e-scooters as the feeder to public transit: A comparative analysis of 124 European cities

Aoyong Li a b, Kun Gao, Pengxiang Zhao, Kay W. Axhausen, Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, March 2024

Highlights:

  • Integration of e-scooter sharing with public transit in 124 European cities.
  • Spatial and temporal patterns of integration in different cities.
  • Nonlinear effects of city-level factors on the integration.

E-scooter sharing is a potential feeder to complement public transit for alleviating the first-and-last-mile problem. This study investigates the integration between shared e-scooters and public transit by conducting a comparative analysis in 124 European cities based on vehicle availability data. Results suggest that the integration ratios of e-scooter sharing in different cities show significant variations and range from 5.59% to 51.40% with a mean value of 31.58% and a standard deviation of 8.47%. The temporal patterns of integration ratio for first- and last-mile trips present an opposite trend. An increase in the integration ratio for first-mile trips is related to a decrease in the integration ratio for last mile in the time series. Additionally, these cities can be divided into four clusters according to their temporal variations of the integration ratios by a bottom-up hierarchical clustering method. Meanwhile, we explore the nonlinear effects of city-level factors on the integration ratio using explainable machine learning. Several factors are found to have noticeable and nonlinear influences. For example, the density of public transit stations and a higher ratio of the young are positively associated with the integration ratio to a certain extent. The results potentially support transport planners to collectively optimize and manage e-scooter sharing and public transport to facilitate multi-modal transport systems.

Integrating shared e-scooters as the feeder to public transit: A comparative analysis of 124 European cities
Articles

Has collaboration contributed to goal achievement in Swedish public transport?

Roger Pyddoke och Karin Thoresson,Thredbo 17 Conference - Special Issue: Competition and Ownership in Land Passenger Transport, June 2023

Collaborative contracting between public transport authorities (PTAs) and bus operators has been presented as a successful method for reaching public transport policy goals. This paper examines management processes and outcome data, asking whether this management approach, incorporating more far-reaching collaborative elements, is associated with higher goal achievement in two Swedish regions and two contracts. Stated regional policy goals are ridership growth, reaching set levels of customer satisfaction, and some cost-efficiency. This management approach suggests that PTAs should delegate more planning responsibility to operators. PTA management assessed the approach to be valid but, to our surprise, also said that they frequently reclaimed previously abandoned control to secure desired outcomes. This indicates that more delegation may not necessarily have led to increased goal achievement. Without making claims as to causality, we note that ridership increased in both regions and individual contracts, while customer satisfaction stagnated and costs increased steeply in both regions, but not in one contract. The paper questions whether collaborative contracting, on average, has contributed to ridership increases generally, although it may have in some instances.

Has collaboration contributed to goal achievement in Swedish public transport?
Articles

The Downside of Upkeep: Analysing Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Impact on Train Operations in Sweden

Daria Ivina & Carl-William Palmqvist, applied sciences, December 2023
Efficient and seamless railway operations depend on the systematic and well-coordinated maintenance of both rolling stock and infrastructure. However, track maintenance, or ‘trackwork’, can cause substantial delays if not properly aligned with train schedules. This study comprehensively investigates how trackwork influences train operations in Sweden. It involves an in-depth analysis of an extensive dataset comprising over 225,000 recorded instances of planned trackwork and approximately 32.5 million train passages throughout the year 2017. Multiple logistic and negative binomial regression models showed that train running time delay occurrence is higher in the sections with scheduled trackwork. Trains passing through trackwork are 1.43 times more likely to experience delays compared to trains that do not pass through scheduled trackwork. The likelihood of an opportunity for the train delay recovery passing the section with scheduled trackwork is reduced by 11%. Additionally, the frequency of train delay increase is 16% higher, and delayed recovery is 4% lower in relation to trackwork. With the number of trackwork set to increase over the coming years, these results bring attention to train scheduling and the performance of trackwork.
 
The Downside of Upkeep: Analysing Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Impact on Train Operations in Sweden
Articles

How accessibility to schools is not (just) a transport problem: the case of public school choice in the city of Malmö, Sweden

Aaron Nichols & Jean Ryan, European Transport Research, November 2023

There is currently a lack of studies exploring how transport investments and school admission policies in a city can affect the distribution of accessibility to schools. The aim of this study is to investigate if, for whom, and the ways in which, accessibility to schools can change following (1) a change to the city’s public school admission policy and (2) investments in public transport infrastructure and adjustments to the public transport system. We draw on the case of Malmö, Sweden to examine the potential effects of these changes. This study is focused specifically on those in grades 7–9 (aged approximately 13–15), a group whose independent mobility is starting to take form. A geospatial analysis was carried out in order to compare the change in demographic makeup between school catchment areas (real and hypothetical) before and after the changes were made. The geospatial analysis utilises a cumulative opportunity accessibility model that takes into account typical public transport travel times both before and after these new measures were implemented. Findings indicate that the (hypothetical) school catchment areas have been redistributed to a considerable extent following both interventions, but particularly following the change to the public school admission policy. These redistributions have in turn resulted in changes in the socio-economic characteristics of the hypothetical school catchment areas. While the redistribution of school catchment areas could potentially change the socio-economic composition of schools in Malmö, the effects are not equally distributed throughout the city. While the addition of the new train line was the main focus of this study, it was found that other changes in the public transport system between 2018 and 2019 also played a role in determining which schools students could and could not access. The findings from this study highlight the importance of carefully considering the interaction of different effects when assessing policy alternatives.

 

 

How accessibility to schools is not (just) a transport problem: the case of public school choice in the city of Malmö, Sweden
Articles

Spatiotemporal accessibility by public transport and time wealth: Insights from two peripheral neighbourhoods in Malmö, Sweden

Chiara Vitrano &Linnea Mellquist, Sage Journals, 2022
This paper contributes to the understanding of spatiotemporal accessibility inequalities by exploring how the current public transport (PT) provision affects the time wealth of PT users living in two peripheral neighbourhoods in Malmö. The paper investigates time-related resources and constraints that concur in defining accessibility inequalities, identifies forms of temporal disadvantage and privilege and addresses the relevance of recognizing and meeting the multiple time-related needs of (potential) PT users. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the study integrates results from a thematic analysis of interviews and from a GIS spatiotemporal accessibility analysis of PT schedules to understand whether and how the current PT provision (a) allows users to carry out the desired or needed activities by PT in the time available to them, (b) is harmonized with their spatiotemporal access needs and (c) supports or hinders the users’ ability to control their travel time. The paper suggests that, in the observed cases, the PT provision provides unequal opportunities for faster connections and information, exposing some users to time-related transport disadvantage. Also, the current PT provision does not always seem to be harmonized with the participants’ access needs, especially during off-peak hours. The findings highlight the importance of taking into consideration the time wealth of (potential) PT users with different access needs, resources, and constraints, with the aim to both tackle transport disadvantage and support the adoption of sustainable modal choices. The study provides directions for further spatiotemporal accessibility research and for urban time and mobility policies.
 
 
Spatiotemporal accessibility by public transport and time wealth: Insights from two peripheral neighbourhoods in Malmö, Sweden
Articles

The importance of recurring public transport delays for accessibility and mode choice

Aaron Nichols, Jean Ryan, Carl-William Palmqvist, Journal of Transport Geography Volume 115, February 2024

This paper looks at the relationship between recurring public transport delays, accessibility to jobs, and travel behaviour in the region of Scania, Sweden. The difference between potential (scheduled) accessibility, observed (actual) accessibility, and behaviour is an important part of this research. This paper contributes to the growing body of literature that uses GTFS data (for both scheduled and actual services) to provide a deeper understanding of temporal variations in accessibility with public transport. Historic public transport data were used to develop a measure for typical delays in the region. The accessibility analysis shows that, on average, recurring public transport delays result in a 4–9% reduction in accessibility to jobs in the region. The loss in accessibility varied depending on the travel time budget that was considered and the location within the region. The accessibility analysis also shows that areas with higher concentrations of households with a lower economic standard experience a smaller loss in job accessibility caused by public transport delays. However, the concentration of these effects depends on the measure that is used. The measurement of typical delays was also analysed in relation to actual trips from the regional travel survey. The statistical analysis found that recurring public transport delays were associated with a lower likelihood of using public transport compared to other motorised modes.

 
    The importance of recurring public transport delays for accessibility and mode choice