Have perceptions of crowding on public transport, including rail, changed following COVID-19? How and to what extent is this likely to change passenger behaviour?

Background

The improve transport for the user strategic priority is critical in ensuring the department delivers and maintains a transport system that meets the needs of the public and addresses what they care about most. It puts the needs and expectations of current and potential users (both passengers and freight customers) at the heart of the operation of the transport system and considers about end-to-end journeys, not just individual transport modes. It is focused on ensuring that our infrastructure and the services which use it meet the varied needs of businesses and the public, are attractive, affordable, sustainable, and resilient is a crucial goal for the department.

Next steps

Get in touch with bridgetoresearch@dft.gov.uk

Source

This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:

DFT-Areas of research interest 2023 GOV UK

Related UKRI funded projects


  • Improving Passenegr safety through the provision of Crowding information on all British RailwayTrains

    RASIC Ltd has been researching how to predict rail demand to improve operational responses to train delays and long-term timetable planning to better meet passenger needs. Even in today's technological world that rail op...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: RASIC LIMITED

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project aims to improve decision-making in real-time and in the future by gathering data and predicting demand and crowding on trains, which is likely to change passenger behavior following COVID-19.

  • Increasing rail transport throughput while avoiding incentives to compromise social distancing: agent-based quantification leading to guidelines

    Public transport is crucial to economic activity, functioning cities and access to work, but presents many pinch-points (doors, confined areas of queuing, ticket gates) where social distancing is easily compromised. Thes...

    Funded by: COVID

    Lead research organisation: University of Sheffield

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project focuses on optimisation of passenger flow to avoid compromising social distancing, providing guidelines on effective timetabling and COVID safe station operation, which partially addresses the question.

  • Save-a-Space for social distancing in transport services

    This project addresses the urgent need for transport operators to be able to efficiently implement social distancing on their tram/rail services amid current COVID-19 restrictions and to optimally manage demand, access a...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: ACCELOGRESS LIMITED

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project addresses the urgent need for transport operators to implement social distancing on tram/rail services and manage demand and transport capacity, which partially addresses the question.

  • CCTV-based passenger density sensing & optimisation

    CCTV-based passenger density sensing & optimisation uses AI and machine learning to deliver accurate and real-time platform and carriage occupancy insights directly to passengers on platforms. Allowing informed decis...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: DYNAMIC CROWD MEASUREMENT LTD

  • Measuring Impact of Social Distancing on Transportation (MISDT)

    Social distancing policies have been imposed in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Citizens are being advised to keep a two-metre distance on streets, at stations, within shops, and on public transportation. These recommen...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: HUMANISING AUTONOMY LTD

  • TRAFFIC – TRAin Footfall From Intelligent Counters

    Rail passenger numbers in the UK doubled between 1996 and 2016 (currently 1.7billion p.a.) whilst the supply of train kilometres rose by ~50%, with implications for overcrowding on services and associated impacts on trai...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: BLOCK DOX LIMITED

  • Personalised Transport Messaging and Key Worker Analytics to Help Bus, Tram and Metro operators during the Covid 19 Outbreak

    We propose to develop a toolkit to support bus, tram and metro operators as they react to a rapidly changing transport landscape and need to provide support to key workers - both during the current disruption and then su...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: ZIPABOUT LIMITED

  • COUNTER: Computing train Occupants Using Novel sensing Techniques to Enhance Rail services.

    **CONTEXT**: Understanding realtime passenger rail service use is crucial, because overcrowded rail services (annually published as Passengers in excess of capacity, with maximum allowable PiXC of 4.5%) lead to more dela...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: BLOCK DOX LIMITED

  • Real time measurement of UK Rail Passengers to enable social distancing during a pandemic

    The UK is currently experiencing severe disruption due to the Covid-19 lockdown, and ending the lockdown in a controlled way is vital to the UK's economic future. Public transport is critical to getting key workers to th...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: RAZORSECURE LIMITED

  • Proteus - Flexible Rail Interior System

    This project responds to the rapidly changing landscape in rail, post COVID-19\. It aims to bring innovation to rail carriage interiors that will offer benefits and reassurances to passengers and bring commercial opportu...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: PRIESTMAN GOODE LIMITED