The Transport Studies Unit was founded in 1973 when an endowment by the then Chartered Institute of Transport allowed Dr Ian Heggie to be appointed as Reader in Transport Economics at Nuffield College. 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 will 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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Making the Connection: Education and Outreach

TSU's Executive Education Courses

The TSU's Global Challenges in Transport: Oxford Leadership Programme provides executive online and residential courses which can be taken independently or as a series. Each course draws together transport professionals and researchers from around the world to share insights as they reflect on their own practice and wide-ranging experiences.

Taught by world-leading experts, participants explore the broader social, environmental and political questions around transport in a lively two-way dialogue. The course content is regularly updated to focus on the most relevant complex issues and challenges around sustainable transport and provide the most updated and rigorous research.

Global Challenges in Transport Programme Global Challenges in Transport Programme: Health and wellbeing

News

All news

NEWS

Oxford researchers awarded £880,000 to conduct innovative research into active travel and the everyday mobilities of children with non-visible disabilities

New ESRC-funding will see Oxford researchers examine how active travel can be more inclusive of children with non-visible disabilities.

30 May 2023

How a plan to limit cars in one city became a fake news battleground

TSU Director, Professor Tim Schwanen, comments on Oxford's plans to restrict private car traffic from entering the city centre during central daytime hours in the future. Starting in 2024, the measure will have a trial period of a few months to promote the use of public transportation, cycling, and walking.

24 Mar 2023

IN THE MEDIA

COVID-19 Inequalities: How do income and network centrality impact lockdown effectiveness?

While governments across the globe implemented strict lockdowns at the outset of COVID-19, these were unrealistic measures for individuals who could not work from home or survive on insufficient and often untimely cash transfers. New research by TSU's Shiv Yucel explores how these inequalities relate to the effectiveness of lockdowns to slow the spread of disease. Mobility inequalities compound the exposure risks to vulnerable individuals who already face greater risks of hospitalizations and death due to low healthcare access and greater rates of co-morbidities.

21 Mar 2023