Sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – has become a major concern on an international scale. The problem is global, but must be solved locally. Most of the world’s population lives in cities that act as centres of economic growth and productivity, but which – if they develop in the wrong direction – can cause social inequalities, or irreversibly harm the environment. Urban transport causes a number of negative impacts that can affect sustainability targets. The objective of this study is to propose an analysis of sustainability of urban passenger transport systems based on available indicators in most cities. This will serve to benchmark the practices of different cities and manage their transport systems. This work involves the creation of composite indicators (CI) to measure the sustainability of urban passenger transport systems. The methodology is applied to 23 European cities. The indicators are based on a benchmarking approach, and the evaluation of each aspect in each case therefore depends on the performance of the whole sample. The CI enabled us to identify which characteristics have the greatest influence on the sustainability of a city’s transport system, and to establish transport policies that could potentially improve its shortcomings. Finally, the cities are clustered according to the values obtained from the CIs, and thus according to the weaknesses and strengths of their transport systems

The development of autonomous vehicles (AVs) holds a high potential for improving security, reducing congestion, increasing fuel efficiency, and saving time. Various studies conducted on the implementation of AVs predict that fully autonomous vehicles will be available for the public in the 2020s. However, it will take another three decades, at least, for these vehicles and technologies to be accepted among the general masses and become reliable and affordable for use. Nonetheless, while a great deal has been stated regarding autonomous cars, little attention has been paid to autonomous public transport, more specifically, autonomous buses (ABs). The present report analyzed the psychological barriers preventing the complete implementation of ABs through data collected from focus group (FG) discussions. The main objective of the FGs was to determine the factors influencing perceptions regarding ABs and their acceptability. The most important factors from the positive side were the reduction of personnel costs, the potential to decrease congestion, waiting time at intersections, and reduced emissions. On the other hand, the most important negative factors were an increase in vehicle and infrastructure costs, safety risks under certain conditions (e.g., system failures, terrorist attacks, etc.), and the possible reduction of employment opportunities.

Urban areas play a key role in the development of European territories, and it is essential for them to be sustainable and efficient. However, the European cities are facing some challenges related to certain trends that are threatening their sustainable development and operational efficiency. In this paper, we compare the contribution of three policy measures—cordon toll accompanied by public transport improvements, teleworking and re-densification—to address different city challenges. The policy assessment requires a long term simulation tool, i.e., the MARS (Metropolitan Activity Relocation Simulator) model, which is able to consider interactions between land use and transport systems. The simulations of the different policy scenarios were carried out for the case of Madrid in the period 2012–2031. The contribution of the policy measures to address the city challenges was measured through different indicators. The results indicated that the three policy measures contributed to the time efficiency challenge, by saving time for the commute, reducing congestion and improving the traffic flows at peak hours. The most effective policy in this regard is the teleworking measure. Another challenge addressed by the three policies was the accessibility to PT. The three policy scenarios, when simulated, showed higher PT use, especially the cordon toll scenario. However, the only policy that really contributed to the energy, emissions and pollution city challenges was the re-densification measure, which reduced travel distances and encouraged a mobility that relies more on PT and slow modes.

As urban environments pose significant challenges to people of all ages and abilities, ensuring equal accessibility is essential for achieving social inclusion in cities. Authors claim that universal design, initially developed to assist people with disabilities, can also benefit older adults. Despite common assumptions, there is limited evidence to support this claim. This study examines whether the urban mobility needs of people with disabilities (physical, sensory, and cognitive) align with those of older adults, both with regular physiological ageing or age-related diseases. Using an integrative review methodology, this study synthesized 56 references on urban mobility measures and 121 references on the specific urban requirements and mobility profiles for both groups and subgroups. The findings reveal significant overlaps in the mobility requirements of people with disabilities and older adults, particularly regarding inclusive features such as barrier-free crossings, intermediate seating, noise reduction, and improved wayfinding. These measures benefit both groups, with universal design strategies supporting the mobility of people with disabilities while also addressing the needs of the ageing population, which is rapidly increasing. The findings offer valuable insights for urban planners, policymakers, and designers to create inclusive, accessible, and high-quality urban spaces that support people of all ages and abilities.

Mobility in metropolitan rings is often more car-dependent than in urban cores. Buses are emerging as an efficient option to promote sustainable mobility in metropolitan corridors, although they are perceived as being less reliable than rail or the car. The adoption of real-time information (RTI) tools for passengers can mitigate this issue. This paper aims (i) to explore the potential bus demand in metropolitan corridors, and (ii) to understand how bus passengers use RTI public transport mobile applications. Both aims are oriented to attract more passengers toward public transport. A two-step methodological framework has been established to perform this analysis in the Madrid Region. Data from the 2014 Household Mobility Survey reveal that metropolitan bus potential is three times the current bus ridership, and almost double in transport corridors linked to motorways than in transversal and other metropolitan trips. An ad-hoc survey of bus travelers was conducted in one corridor to capture the use of RTI mobile apps. The results show that multimodal commuters tend to consult several apps, since none of the main apps integrates all the multimodal RTI for their trips. Non-regular bus passengers are more likely to consult a general-purpose app such as Google Maps, while frequent bus commuters prefer to use the official public transport authority app. Improving the multimodal information passengers receive through transit apps could ease their trips and help materialize some of the potential bus demand in metropolitan areas.