... who recently participated in the Thredbo16, International Conference Series on Competition and Ownership in Land Passenger Transport, in Singapore. Why were you there?
"I presented a conference paper with focus on perceived accessibility in daily travel and how it deteriorates in situations where the private car is not available as a mean for daily travel. I attended workshop no 4, "Realising the potential benefits of Demand-Responsive Travel", led by Graham Currie from Monash University in Australia. Among other things, we discussed new mobility solutions, such as Demand-responsive transit (DRT) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS), as replacement alternatives for the private car."
Can you tell us more about the conference?
"The conference is held every two years, and brings together researchers, traffic operators and decision makers on sustainable transport solutions. The conference is very interactive as the contributions are presented and discussed in workshop format."
What do you bring from this year's conference?
"Social impact, individual perspectives and travel behavior are being lifted alongside the conventional economic perspectives on transport planning, implications and benefits of different transport solutions - an important development. The workshop format is very rewarding, and inspiring. Some topics that were raised were mobility/accessibility "for everyone" - how to include rural areas, what barriers exist, and for whom, with old and new mobility solutions. We also discussed the confidence that is put into new technology as the solution to various problems. Overall, the conference gave me several new perspectives on current issues that I will consider in my future work."
In conclusion, what do you want to contribute with your research?
"Today, accessibility of existing transport systems and new mobility solutions is evaluated primarily through objective location- and time-based measurements. Our research has resulted in, among other things, the PAC method, Perceived Accessibility Scale, where we can evaluate whether a new transport alternative provides better perceived accessibility, and if so, for which groups in society. Knowledge of different types of travelers' perceived accessibility, when access to cars is restricted, is important in order to be able to develop attractive and accessible transport systems for all groups of travelers."
