29. How effective are initiatives at influencing transport user behaviour and achieving mode shift - for example towards active travel, buses or rail – and under what conditions are they most effective?
Background
DfT’s ARI identifies 40 broad research questions that reflect areas of strategic importance to the department, where further insight and collaboration could enhance our evidence base, challenge assumptions and strengthen future decision-making. The ARI is organised around four complementary themes, and this question sits within the Cross-cutting Systems, Enablers and Uncertainty theme.
Delivering outcomes across growth and place, journeys for people, and green and healthy transport depends not only on what interventions are pursued, but on how the transport system behaves, adapts and changes under real world constraints.
The questions in this theme focus on system level dynamics that underpin all outcomes, particularly how risks, costs and change are managed in complex and uncertain contexts, including governance and public trust. Together, they reflect the reality that uncertainty is an enduring feature of the transport system, and that understanding these system level factors is essential to achieving progress across all strategic outcomes.
Within this theme, the questions are organised into four sections that reflect different system level dimensions — decision making under uncertainty, system resilience and risk, how change happens in practice, and the role of innovation, data and finance.
Section 1: How are transport decisions really made under uncertainty and competing objectives? This theme brings together questions that cut across all strategic outcomes, focusing on how the transport system behaves, adapts and changes under real world constraints.
Section 2: How resilient is the transport system to shocks, stress, risk and failure? This section focuses on the transport system’s ability to operate safely, securely and affordably under increasing pressure, risk and uncertainty.
Section 3: What drives change in the transport system in practice? This section focuses on the people, institutions and system capabilities that determine whether evidence, policy and innovation translate into real world change.
Section 4: How do innovation, data, finance and new technologies reshape the transport system, and with what consequences? This section examines how innovation, data, finance and new technologies influence system behaviour, risk and outcomes over time.
Next steps
If you have research relevant to this topic, are planning work in this area, or would like to discuss potential collaboration, please get in touch. For our monitoring and evaluation purposes, we are also keen to hear if the ARI has informed or influenced your research.
To get in touch and report the use, please fill in the form https://submit.forms.service.gov.uk/form/264718/dft-areas-of-research-interest-ari/
Link to DfT ARI: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dft-areas-of-research-interest/areas-of-research-interest-2026
Topics
Related UKRI funded projects
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DRT for DRT: Developing Relevant Tools for Demand Responsive Transport
The rise in private car use in the UK has major implications relating to how transport more generally is provided. One problem is that conventional public transport (i.e. bus, light rail and heavy rail) is steadily becom...
Funded by: EPSRC
Lead research organisation: Loughborough University
Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it focuses on Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) rather than broader transport user behavior and mode shift.
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Research Hub for Decarbonised Adaptable and Resilient Transport Infrastructures (DARe)
Our Vision is for climate resilient, net zero development of the transport system to be guided by systems analysis. When this vision is realised, decision-makers will have access to (and visualisation of) data that tells...
Funded by: SPF
Lead research organisation: Newcastle University
Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it focuses on decarbonisation and resilience of transport infrastructures, not directly on influencing transport user behavior and mode shift.
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Providing insights into multi-day traveller behaviour to inform sustainable transport policies and practices
A good understanding of traveller behaviour underpins all policies which are effective in influencing travel behaviour to reduce congestion, increase activity levels, improve air quality and/or reduce carbon emissions. I...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: University of the West of England
Why might this be relevant?
Fully relevant as it provides insights into multi-day traveler behavior to inform sustainable transport policies and practices.