About the project
Mobility hubs integrate transport and community services to promote active, sustainable travel. Despite growing UK adoption, evidence on their impacts is limited. This PhD will combine data analysis and community engagement to evaluate current hubs and develop guidance on optimising them to equitably maximise social, health, and environmental benefits.
Mobility hubs are compact public spaces that integrate public transport, bike and e-scooter hire, car share bays, bike parking, seating, live travel information, wayfinding, and community services. International evidence suggests that mobility hubs can encourage a shift from private car use to active and sustainable travel, improving physical health, mental wellbeing, and environmental outcomes.
However, robust evaluations of their impacts remain limited. Over 25 UK local authorities have implemented or plan to install mobility hubs, yet research on how they affect travel behaviour is scarce.
This knowledge gap has important equity implications. Active travel uptake remains uneven across demographic groups, reinforcing social, economic, and health inequalities. We still know little about how different sociodemographic groups use, or could use, mobility hubs. There is also limited understanding of how design and location influence engagement and impact. To maximise benefits, we need to work with users and potential users to identify which service combinations and spatial placements best meet diverse community needs.
This PhD will use a mixed-methods approach, combining transport behaviour data analysis with qualitative engagement with end users and community groups.
Working with CoMoUK, the UK’s shared transport charity, and several local authorities, the research will generate robust evidence on how current mobility hubs perform and deliver practical guidance on how to design and locate them to equitably maximise economic, health, and environmental sustainability benefits.
The School of Engineering is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.