Socio-spatial and temporal dimensions of transport equity for London's night time economy

Does night-time public transport contribute to inclusive night mobility? Exploring Sofia's night bus network from a gender perspective

“…Two different publics were constructed in officials' rhetoric on the topic -the hard-working morning commuter on a crowded bus, versus the night club customer who could afford a taxi if they wished. This rhetoric mirrored previous findings from other cities, which have generally shown that local governments can be reluctant to provide night transport services: ridership levels at night are perceived as too low to justify investment, and night bus budgets are consequently often framed as a drain on the resources needed for peak times (Jones et al, 2003;McArthur et al, 2019). However, a sustained civil society campaign, starting in 2015, has helped somewhat in shifting and expanding the debate on the possible societal benefits of night-time transport in Sofia (see further discussion in Section 3 below).…”

“…Night-time public transport raises important questions about processes of inclusion and exclusion in nocturnal cities and all that they have to offer. As McArthur et al (2019) demonstrated in their analysis of the introduction of the London Night Tube, the addition of a new transport service at night does not in itself promote transport equity. Instead, the organisational, spatial, economic and social specifics of the service, often operating in highly situated ways, shape its uneven impact on the inclusion and exclusion of different groups.…”

“…As of early 2019, 26 of the 28 capital cities in the European Union had some form of nighttime public transport (the exceptions being Nicosia, Cyprus and Tallinn, Estonia). However, this number masks a complex and uneven situation: for example, the London Night Tube operates all night, but only on a limited number of underground lines, and on Friday and Saturday nights only, alongside a more comprehensive night bus service (McArthur et al, 2019). By contrast, Rome has 20 low-frequency night bus lines every night of the week.…”

“…through greater reliance on taxis (Plyushteva, 2019). However, to the extent that local governments provide night-time transport services, their planning continues to be based overwhelmingly on economic considerations rather than 'social' aspects such as inclusion, affordability, or personal and road safety (see Levy, 2013 on the social vs. economic distinction in transport planning; McArthur et al, 2019). Research on how different policy agendas result in different approaches to planning night-time transport remains scarce.…”

Exploring Equity in Public Transportation Planning Using Smart Card Data

“…Socio-spatial equity: equitable access to transport services in terms of spatial and land-use patterns [28,29], such as transport accessibility in urban area vs. sub-urbans or rural area, as well as in CBD (central business district) area vs. non-CBD area; • Temporal equity: equitable access to transport services considering the time-critical nature of accessibility needs [24], such as transport accessibility for users with low trip frequency or high trip frequency (regular users) during peak-hour or off-peak-hour.…”