Negotiating the Transport System

User Contexts, Experiences and Needs

By combining focus groups and interviews with innovative research techniques, such as web-based discussions and Q methodology, this book provides insights into the daily experiences of those using the British transport system. Despite an entitlement to a basic level of mobility, travel decision-making can be more complex for members of marginalised groups - this book therefore examines the complexities of travel amongst different social groups. The complex nature of travel for different social groups is the starting point for this book's investigation of the experiences of the extremely socially marginalized, compared to those who are fully included. By comparing the impacts of transport on individuals at different points on a scale of social inclusion/exclusion, the book reveals the nuanced and textured ways in which transport is embedded in people's lives and lifestyles. By analysing people's lived experience of transport, rather than focussing on economic or engineering factors, the book provides useful new insights into future transport needs. It makes a compelling case that transport-related social exclusion has been neglected by local and regional policy makers and puts forward suggestions for best case practice for the future.