New Small-Scale K2 Projects
During late spring, K2 approved funding for seven new small-scale projects. The projects granted funding are as follows:
User acceptance of personalized passenger information in public transport
Project leader: Michelle van Ardenne, KTH
This study explores the demand for personalization in public transport and identifies how which factors influence the acceptance of personalization. The findings aim to support operators in making informed decisions about investing in personalized features in passenger information systems (PIS). Personalization can move beyond standardized solutions by offering tailored routes, schedules, and services, improving both resource efficiency and user experience. The study also considers privacy and perceived intrusiveness, which are important factors in user acceptance.
Research perspective: Improve
Duration: April 2025 to December 2025. Total project budget: 615 000 SEK.
LLM-assisted Travel Behavior Analysis for Eldery Mobility: New Approach for Decision Support
Project leader: Arezoo Sarkheyli-Hägele, MAU
This pilot project explores how large language models (LLMs) can help overcome current limitations in combining diverse and multimodal data sources. The aim is to deepen understanding of travel behavior and strengthen data-driven insights for planning, policy, and sustainable urban development. A framework will be developed to analyze travel patterns among specific social groups, with a focus on older adults (65+) in Malmö.
Research perspective: Improve/renew
Duration: September 2025 to August 2026. Total project budget: 704 986 SEK.
More money, more power? Investigating the Role of Municipal Buy-ins in Regional Public Transport Amid Regionalization Processes
Project leader: Malin Henriksson, VTI
This pilot project aims to build knowledge about municipal by-ins in regional public transport, using three strategically selected municipalities as case studies. The project focuses on public transport governance, particularly how municipalities balance regional and local needs, and how responsibilities for planning are distributed across organizational levels. It addresses broader issues of transparency in decision-making and examines how communication between municipal and regional actors functions in practice – and how it can be improved.
Research perspective: Deepen
Duration: September 2025 to December 2026 Total project budget: 762 415 SEK.
Rethinking public transport contracts: towards value-based KPIs for reliable bus services
Project Leader: Zhenliang Ma, KTH
The main purpose of the project is to critically evaluate and empirically demonstrate how effective regularity-based KPIs are compared to traditional punctuality-based KPIs in public transport contract management. Using extensive and diverse operational data from Region Stockholm (SL), the project aims to assess the current performance of punctuality-based KPIs by analyzing their relationship to actual passenger experiences, operational efficiency, and capacity utilization. Based on this, the project will propose evidence-based recommendations for transitioning to regularity-based KPIs that better reflect user experiences and operational objectives.
Research perspective: Improve
Duration: June 2025 to June 2026. Total project budget: 800 000 SEK.
Using Green Financing Mechanisms for Funding Efficient and High-Capacity Public Transport
Project Leader: Lina Olsson, Malmö University
This research project explores how green bonds (GBs) are used to finance light rail transit (LRT) systems in three Nordic midsize cities: Aarhus, Lund, and Tampere. While LRTs offer sustainable mobility solutions, their funding through GBs introduces new actors, decision-making processes, and financial risks. The project investigates how GBs affect investment efficiency, institutional practices, and the environmental, social, and economic outcomes of LRT projects. By comparing the three cases, it aims to identify patterns, challenges, and success factors in green financing of public mobility investments. The findings contribute to emerging research on infrastructure financialization, green finance, and public transport funding, offering insights for planners, policymakers, and investors working toward sustainable and financially resilient mobility systems.
Research perspective: Renew
Duration: January 2025 to February 2026 Total project budget: 714 817 SEK.
More and faster or less and slower – assumptions in and consequences
Project Leader: Claus Hedegaard Sørensen, VTI
The project explores how the prevailing “more and faster” discourse influences transport policy decision-making and highlights its consequences. The overall aim is to address a knowledge gap by using public transport development in Region Västra Götaland as a case study. Västra Götaland is particularly relevant, as the region has shifted its focus over the past five years—from public transport and sustainable travel to improved and sustainable accessibility.
Research perspective: Deepen/Renew
Duration: August 2025 to July 2026. Total project budget: 896 090 SEK.
Measuring objective and subjective effects of pedestrian congestion (MOSEPC)
Project Leader: Fredrik Johansson, VTI
The project aims to combine methods for assessing objective effects of pedestrian congestion with approaches that capture subjective experiences, in order to develop a more nuanced understanding of which aspects of congestion at public transport stations different traveller groups find problematic. The project addresses an important research gap, and the results may inform improved station design. The long-term goal is to initiate research that supports better planning of pedestrian areas at public transport stations, with a particular focus on the relationship between subjective perceptions and quantitative metrics.
Research perspective: Improve
Duration: January 2025 to December 2026. Total project budget: 699 445 SEK.