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Over 50 years of transport studies at the University of Oxford

Thinking differently about transport

Electric vehicles. Autonomous cars. E-scooters. New technological developments or big infrastructure projects are often sold as the silver bullet solution to our problems – whether those are carbon emissions and climate change; mobility for those who are elderly or disabled; or the need to increase access to housing, jobs and trade.
The TSU, however, believes that the answers to global challenges in transport lie not only with vehicles and technology, but also with people. 

Transport – the flow of information, goods and humans – is central to our society and affects each and every one of us. 
Transport is about getting the things done that you need to do, in your everyday life. It can be a cause of friction, stress and damage, but also brings social opportunity, access and wellbeing.

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 - Infrastructures
Image: Juan Pablo Orjuela

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IN THE MEDIA

E-cargo bikes could help households reduce car use – and even replace a second car, Oxford research finds

E-cargo bikes could play a significant role in reducing household car use, with new research showing that 60% of journeys made by participants in domestic trials across three UK cities replaced a car journey. The study, led by Environmental Change Institute (ECI) and Transport Studies Unit (TSU) researcher Labib Azzouz, examined how e-cargo bikes (ECBs) were used by households in Oxford, Leeds, and Brighton.