Overview of the project

European cities increasingly face problems caused by transport and traffic. The question of how to enhance mobility while at the same time reducing congestion, accidents and pollution is a common challenge to all major cities in Europe and at the same time is one of the most important factors that motivated partners of this effort to propose this work. Efficient and effective urban transport can significantly contribute to achieving objectives in a wide range of policy domains.

A key factor for all transport operators, regardless the mode, is the quality of the passenger experience as this particularly, affects the up take of the service. Removal of barriers and improving access to public transport for all citizens is key to providing the modal shift in transport behaviour which, if large enough, can lead to reductions in congestion and carbon emissions.The focus of attention in METPEX is the quality of the whole journey (door-to-door) passenger experience, including private or individual forms transport such as walking, bicycling and car sharing.

In order to improve transport services, vehicle design and transport infrastructure (including pedestrian and cycle routes and stations) it is important to know how existing services are perceived by passengers and their current and future expectations in order that the journeys be faster, more convenient, safer, comfortable and enjoyable.

Specific objectives of METPEX include:

1. the development of an integrated approach to the measurement of the whole journey passenger experience that takes into account human (physiological, perceptual, cognitive, sensory and affective) socio-economic, cultural, geographic and environmental factors,
2. the assessment of the costs of ‘inaccessible transport’ for different sectors of society,
3. the assessment of the extent to which the measurement of the passenger experience can be used to drive innovation and attention to transport quality from the customer’s perspective in the transport industry,
4. the evaluation of the passengers experience from different regions of Europe and support the integration of regional transport networks into an European transport network and
5. the facilitation of the harmonization of travel behaviour research and analysis across EU countries.