Cooperative, Connected, Automated Mobility (CCAM) - this is what transport experts believe the future of our mobility will look like. But what do technological innovations in the field of mobility ultimately mean for people using the transport system? The SINFONICA research project focuses on the social factors of mobility change and looks at the needs of public transport users.

SINFONICA stands for Social Innovation to Foster Inclusive Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility.

“Public transport should be there for everyone. So if, for example, we start to make our buses automated and connected, then we might have to redesign them and that is an opportunity that we can now seize,” says Dr. Madlen Ringhand, one of the project managers at the Chair of Traffic and Transportation Psychology, describing the aim of SINFONICA.

Mobility systems of the future are inclusive

Availability, affordability, acceptance, accessibility - public transport is already subject to a wide range of requirements today. To ensure that all demographic groups continue to have access to public transport in the future, the researchers want to incorporate the diverse needs of people with and without mobility restrictions into the development of innovative and intelligent mobility concepts:

“This should also take into account people who have otherwise received less attention in research to date. To this end, we have focused on eight characteristics that can lead to mobility restrictions, including age, living with a migration background, living with a disability, living in rural areas or a low income, for example,” Madlen Ringhand continues.

Interviews and focus groups were conducted in four different regions of Europe in order to ascertain the attitudes, usage intentions and requirements of people using the transport system with regard to cooperative, connected and automated mobility (CCAM). In addition to stakeholder surveys in the West Midlands (United Kingdom), Trikala (Greece), Noord Brabant (Netherlands) and Hamburg, quantitative questionnaires were used to collect data on the mobility needs of transport users throughout Europe.

“Based on a theoretical framework model we developed for CCAM mobility needs, the questionnaire went online in eight different languages in spring 2024. In addition to the requirements of potential users, we were also interested in the extent to which different groups of people intend to use cooperative, networked and automated public transport services,” describes Dipl.-Psych. Juliane Anke, one of the project managers at the Chair of  Traffic and Transportation Psychology, the surveys, which have now been completed.

An interactive knowledge map shows the users´ needs

The result will be a digital tool, the “SINFONICA Knowledge Map Explorer”. This interactive knowledge map will contain the requirements of the different user groups of public transport and thus be used as an intelligent orientation guide for future transport planning.

The SINFONICA project is funded by the European Union as part of the “Horizon Europe” research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 101064988). Partner institutions from universities, research institutes, transport companies and public administration are working together on an international level in an interdisciplinary network. The project coordinator is UNIMORE - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy. The three-year project will end in autumn 2025, when the “Knowledge Map Explorer” will be made available to cities, municipalities, transport companies and vehicle providers in order to put the formulated requirements into practice and achieve greater fairness in public transport for connected and automated mobility.