Living Lab 3:2: Understanding how public transport can contribute to social sustainability

Public transport is rarely matched with working hours. It is particularly noticeable for those who work within healthcare and other care services and who are often scheduled early mornings, late evenings or weekends. For those who do not have a car, it often results in long and difficult working days. What if instead there was a form of public transport that could be pre-booked at the time that suits and takes the traveler all the way to the final destination, making the journey to and from work both quick and efficient as well as reduces stress in everyday life?

A prototype of the future of public transport

This is a reality in Riksten during the spring 2023 where the SAMSAS shuttle runs for selected employees in the area. The shuttle is a taxi, but can be described as a prototype of the future of public transport, as well as a concrete solution to an accessibility problem experienced by groups dependent on public transport.

"Being scheduled for work at hours when public transport rarely runs, can lead to a form of transport-related vulnerability that can result in a lack of quality of life. We hope that the results of the experiment can partly facilitate the life puzzle for individuals who try out the service, but also that the results raises questions about what responsibility employers and public actors have for work trips, as well as how public transport can contribute to social sustainability", says Malin Henriksson, senior researcher in the research program Mistra SAMS.

A time-saver and stress reducer

Those who have tried the service, the project's co-researchers, are so far are very satisfied. The shuttle is a real time-saver for them, saving the them between 20-40 minutes per one-way trip. The ride thus contributes to a better quality of life by reducing stress, not least when it comes to reduced anxiety about being late for work. The participants also experience the ride as more reliable than the current public transport.

Part of the Living Lab in Riksten

The SAMSAS shuttle is available during the spring for selected employers in Riksten and runs between Riksten and Tullinge commuter train station in the early mornings and late evenings, both weekdays and weekends, and can be booked in a special app. The launch of the shuttle is part of Mistra SAMS' Living Lab research which investigates different ways to travel sustainably in the future.