The TSU's 50th anniversary

In 1958, an endowment was given to the University of Oxford by the Chartered Institute of Transport (CIT). Its ambition was to help establish the study of transport as a respectable academic subject. The endowment provided sufficient funds to found the Transport Studies Unit in 1973 with Ian Heggie appointed as the first director. 

Under Ian and subsequent directors, the TSU flourished and became a globally renowned centre of research excellence in travel demand analysis and transport planning. Over time the TSU's research portfolio and strengths have evolved in response to changes in the challenged faced by the transport sector. In 2023 we celebrate both past achievements and the TSU's future.

Our research

Transport has the power to transform lives for better and for worse.


From injustices to impracticalities, TSU research can often uncover the unforeseen consequences of transport innovation, investment and policy. By advancing understandings of the systems, processes and practices that shape the way we move, the TSU hopes to inspire and inform change towards a more sustainable, just and accessible transport system.

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