Understanding Passenger Flow - How gender shapes mobility needs

Many cities have a wide range of local transport services, including numerous buses and trains. But how do passengers actually use these services? Studies are currently investigating this question and have come to a surprising conclusion: The service is generally planned for mobility needs that most passengers do not have. In planning, a passenger goes directly from A to B, for example to work and back home. But the practice shows that many passengers travel differently: They travel with several stops, shorter routes, in more variants. Sometimes they are accompanied and sometimes with luggage or maybe strollers on the way. These passengers are mostly female. They use public transport much more often than men and they use it differently than thought.

In this episode of our DILAX Lab we talk about this difference between planning and reality with Viktoriia Betina, Transport and Mobility Consultant at Ramboll Germany. Together with a team of different authors she worked on the study "Gender and Smart Mobility" by Rambol which was published in spring 2021. The Rambol team interviewed researchers, transport associations and passengers in seven markets and analyzed extensive data to understand how women travel on public transport and other mobility, what they miss, what they need, what they want.

Julia Beumer, Head of Sales at DILAX, discusses the results of the study with Viktoriia Betina. What mobility services do women use differently from men and why? What are the similarities and differences in usage behaviour in Asia and Europe? How can transport companies work with these findings? What needs to be changed to make public transport more attractive to women? How would all passengers benefit?