Research into transport apps for disabled passengers
Take part in our joint research into transport apps that could help disabled passengers plan our travel and assistance bookings
Transport for All is looking for disabled people in the Solent area to take part in our research with the Transportation Research Group at the University of Southampton. We’re trying to find out more about the potential of journey planning apps for disabled passengers.
Apps and websites that help us plan journeys are sometimes called ‘Mobility as a Service (MaaS)’. They are systems that show information about lots of different kinds of transport in one place, often an app eg CityMapper.
Using the app, people can buy tickets and plan complicated journeys, using different types of transport, all in the same place. For example, you could buy one ticket to a destination, and use a bus, a train and walking to get there. The app can also give up-to-date information on the journey.
The research project is called “MaaS for Disabled Travellers”. It is funded by the Motability Foundation.
Why are we doing this research?
Limited research has been done about disabled people’s experiences of travel planning services, and it is not clear if they can make our journeys easier. The project explores:
- The barriers that disabled people face when we make journeys using different types of transport in one trip
- How travel planning apps / MaaS might help overcome these barriers
- How apps should be designed to help disabled people travel sustainably
When and where will the research take place?
The project will take place in the Solent Future Transport Zone (FTZ). It will include interviews, workshops, and questionnaires with disabled people who live and/or travel in the Solent region: Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Isle of Wight, New Forest, Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester and South Hampshire.
The project is running from February 2025 to July 2026.
How can you take part?
We are looking for people to take part in interviews and workshops from June 2025. Any disabled person can take part, if you are disabled by barriers which stop you from making the journeys you want to, with freedom, dignity, ease, and confidence. Impairments include:
- Mobility impairments
- Visual impairments
- Chronic illness / long-term health conditions
- Deaf / deaf / hearing impairments
- Neurodivergence
- Learning disabilities
- Mental health conditions
- Other kinds of impairments
The cost of your time for taking part will be covered, we anticipate this will be around £30 – £60 plus travel expenses. Your thoughts and experiences will help to make MaaS and travel planning apps in the Solent area better.
To take part in the research email J.McKay@soton.ac.uk
To ask for Transport for All’s assistance with your organisation’s research or involvement work email consultancy@transportforall.org.uk
