AET Transport and Mobility Forum

We are delighted to continue the collaboration between AET and Elsevier's Journal of Urban Mobility (JUM) with the co-hosting of this fourth annual webinar, which will give a flavour of the quality of discussion and debates to be anticipated at ETC 2026 in Porto 9-11 September. 

Satisfaction and equity play a critical role in shaping transport-related well-being because they determine not only whether people can travel, but how that travel is experienced in everyday life. Research shows that individuals with similar levels of accessibility can have vastly different journeys depending on factors such as safety, comfort, reliability, and emotional strain. When travellers consistently feel stressed or unsafe, their ability to participate in daily activities is diminished, ultimately affecting quality of life. Satisfaction therefore acts as a bridge between transport provision and lived experience, revealing whether systems truly support autonomy, dignity, and meaningful access to opportunities.  

From an equity perspective, disparities in travel satisfaction often mirror broader social and spatial inequalities. Lower satisfaction is frequently concentrated among groups facing structural barriers, such as low-income households, women, older adults, disabled travellers, or residents of underserved areas. These patterns signal unmet mobility needs and capability constraints rather than personal preference, indicating where transport systems may be failing to provide fair conditions. Improvements that enhance safety, predictability, and usability have been linked to gains in life satisfaction, underscoring that equitable mobility is closely tied to broader well-being outcomes. This means that evaluating transport success should extend beyond infrastructure and efficiency to include how journeys feel for users, ensuring that mobility systems are not only functional but inclusive and supportive of human flourishing. 

Webinar information

This session is co-hosted by the Journal of Urban Mobility. It is chaired by András Munkácsy (Chair of the Transport and Mobility Forum) and moderated by Hannah Hook (Aalto University, JUM Associate Editor). The AET Transport and Mobility Forum webinars are FREE to attend and are hosted on the Zoom platform. 

Presentations

‘Co-Designing Connectivity: New Strategies and Tools for Inner Area Access’ - Giovanna Montoro & Matteo Scamporrino (TPS Pro, Italy) 

‘The influence of perceptions and equity on travel satisfaction’ - Jonas de Vos (University College London)