The role of safety in public transport choices
MUARC PhD student Mohammed Ibrahim's latest research, published in the Journal of Transport & Health, sheds light on how safety influences people's choices of transportation and their willingness to switch to safer public transport options. The study surveyed transport users to understand how they weigh safety against other factors when deciding how to travel.
The survey found that the role of safety in the current modal choice process is limited, but it becomes more considerable for future modal shifts, especially with increased user focus on transitioning towards safer public transport modes.
This, alongside the overall recognition of transport safety, presents an opportunity to mitigate road injuries through modal shift. However, policymakers need to prioritise improvements to public transport that address crucial factors influencing modal choice, as well as demographic variations, to encourage a shift towards public transport. Targeted interventions aimed at promoting safer transportation modes have the potential to alter travel behaviour, potentially leading to a reduction in road fatalities and serious injuries.