Project Updates

Authors: Dr Melisa Williams Higgins, Dr Satadru Mukherjee, Dr Yue Yin

The Empirical Analysis and Data Mapping Group (EADMG) investigated how transport issues affect residents across Bristol, focusing on which wards are most impacted and whether these areas also face socioeconomic challenges. Our research reveals a strong overlap between transport difficulties and broader inequalities.

Key Concepts

We define Transport Inequality as unequal access to transport infrastructure and services, which varies by socioeconomic status. This includes:

• Transport poverty (lack of affordable options),
• Transport deserts (areas with minimal transport services),
• Transport exclusion/disadvantage (barriers to using available transport).

The EADMG data analysis at the ward level helped us to identify additional areas of concern beyond those already documented in the existing literature and community sources. The Bristol wards of concern are highlighted in Figure 1.

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Over the past year, the Bristol Transport Project has been working closely with communities, policymakers and transport providers to understand how Bristol’s transport system affects everyday lives, and how it can be improved to better serve everyone. This phase of the project has now drawn to a close. To mark this milestone, we recently hosted a Policy Symposium to share our findings, gather further feedback, and reflect on priorities for action.

We’re pleased to share here the slides from the symposium, which summarise the key insights, themes, and community-informed policy proposals that emerged from our research. Below you can browse the presentation to explore what we learned and what the next steps might look like for achieving more equitable transport in Bristol.

View the Slides

We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this research and joined us at the symposium (both in person and online0 to share their experiences and perspectives. Your feedback is helping to shape the next steps, ensuring that transport policy recommendations reflects the realities of the people who use it every day. If you have thoughts or suggestions after viewing the slides, we welcome you to get in touch with us via our feedback form or by email.

Thank you for being part of this ongoing work toward a more just and accessible transport system in Bristol.

One of the most powerful things about research is what happens when you stop speaking for people, and instead hand over the tools for them to tell their own stories. This is exactly what we did over the past few weeks with a group of first-year economics students from the University of Bristol. As part of a project exploring transport inequality in Bristol, we asked four student research teams to look closely at their own lives, and the lives of their peers, to answer a simple but surprisingly complex question: How well does transport in Bristol actually work for students and young people?

Produced by 1st year University of Bristol Econ students

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What does it really mean to be connected in Bristol?

How easy is it to get to work, school, hospital, or the cinema, not just from the city centre, but from Lawrence Weston, Hartcliffe, or St George? And how do patterns of bus coverage, walking infrastructure, and route viability shape our ability to participate in the economic, social and cultural life of the city?

These are the kinds of questions at the heart of the Bristol Transport Project, a policy-engaged research initiative led by the University of Bristol. Funded by the Research England Research Culture fund, this project brings together researchers, local communities, policymakers, and transport providers to better understand transport inequality across the city, and co-produce responses to it.

Why We Started This Project

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Getting around Bristol isn’t always easy, especially if you live in one of the city’s underserved neighbourhoods. Whether it’s unreliable buses, expensive fares, or the simple fact that some areas are just harder to reach, transport is more than just a way to get from A to B. It shapes who gets to access jobs, healthcare, education, and culture. And it’s not working equally for everyone.

The Bristol Transport Project (BTP) is a research and community engagement project led by a group of researchers based at the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England. We’re also working in partnership with community organisations and civic partners across the city. Together, we’re asking: how can we make Bristol’s transport system more equitable, accessible, and inclusive – particularly for communities that are currently underserved? In other words, what happens when getting around becomes a barrier, and what could it look like to change that? (more…)