Better Business / Member news
International study on smarter transport apps for women and carers
A UWE Bristol researcher is helping lead an international project to develop a new mobility app designed around the needs of women and carers.
Dr Eda Beyazit is the UK lead on the two-year DigiCaRe project, which will explore how transport apps can better reflect real-world challenges such as safety concerns, accessibility and travelling with children or older relatives.
The two-year study will focus on the transport system in Istanbul, Türkiye, and will consider how a new mobility app might be able to suggest safe routes, less crowded buses, accessible railway stations, playgrounds en route when travelling with children and rest areas when needing a break or accompanying an older relative.
Dr Beyazit, an academic in the School of Architecture and Environment, said: “While these features may seem basic, they are not integrated into digital mobility platforms that optimise routes for an idealised user.
View this post on Instagram
“This highlights a gap between digital transport technologies and the everyday realities of diverse users, which this project seeks to address by exploring what needs to be optimised, and for whom.
“Navigating a city can be challenging, especially for individuals with intersecting social and demographic disadvantages, whose mobility needs are often overlooked by authorities.
“Women are disproportionately affected due to social reproduction burdens, concerns around transport safety and personal security, cultural codes, and physical constraints during pregnancy.
Backed by the British Council, the project aims to address gaps in existing digital transport platforms, which often overlook the needs of diverse users.
It will produce a new data set on gender and care-related travel and develop a prototype app to demonstrate more inclusive urban navigation.
Researchers from UWE Bristol are working alongside partners at Gebze Technical University, with the wider goal of creating solutions that could be adapted in cities beyond Istanbul.
UWE Bristol are member of the Bristol24/7 Better Business network, an initiative to help businesses thrive while creating a positive impact on Bristol and the people who live here. As part of their membership, businesses can publish member news stories like this. For more information, visit my.bristol247.com/better-business
Main photo: UWE Bristol
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
