This thesis addresses a hypothetical scenario in which all flights within most of Europe are substituted by rail and estimates the resulting additional rail demand, with a focus on night train demand. Routes, cities and countries with high potential for (night) trains under maximum air-rail substitution are highlighted, and rolling stock requirements are estimated. Several research gaps regarding long-distance travel behaviour and mode choice are shown to require assumptions in the modelling approach; the results are indicative of areas with higher demand potential for night trains than others.

When considering elderly individuals in the context of transportation, qualitative research seems to focus rather on mobility and the problems related than on the actual achievement of access. Additionally, certain bias and misconceptions about this diverse group still influences accessibility studies for elderly. This paper therefore explores the accessibility challenges faced by elderly individuals, particularly focusing on urban environments like Rotterdam. Interviews in a semi-structured format using the approach of microstories were conducted in May 2024 among elderly residents of Rotterdam, aged 67 and above. The Capability Approach was used as a framework to categorise the findings of these in-depth interviews. This study with its findings underlines the inherently heterogeneity of this group. Further it presents barriers as well as enablers of accessibility for this group and how this influences the way participants move and access activities within their city. These findings show how important it is to develop specific policies not just for ‘the elderly’ but for various sub-groups of them, as they show very different characteristics and abilities. Furthermore it challenges the typical view at accessibility, usually simplified by the land use and transportation system and time or distance-based thresholds, and whether these are really usable for this group.

Integrating bike-sharing programs with public transport enhances car-independent mobility, yet a comprehensive societal cost-benefit analysis of this integration remains scarce. This study addresses this gap by conducting an ex-post analysis of the OV-fiets program in the Netherlands, a station-based round-trip bike-sharing system designed to improve last-mile connectivity for train commuters. Spanning from 2004 to 2023, the analysis identifies 19 critical factors through an exhaustive literature review and expert consultations, with 14 factors subsequently quantified and monetized. The findings reveal a positive net present value (NPV) for the OV-fiets scheme, with benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) ranging from 1.1:1 to 2.4:1 and a median ratio of 1.5:1. Primary benefits include enhanced accessibility, reduced road congestion, and improved health outcomes, while significant costs are associated with initial investments and road safety impacts. This research underscores the considerable societal value of the OV-fiets program, warranting continued investment in the program and emphasizing the need for ongoing safety measures and infrastructure improvements. Additionally, it provides a robust framework for future assessments and improvements in similar urban contexts.

This thesis explores the impact of transport disadvantage on the unemployed's participation in out-of-home activities beyond the labor market. It delineates eight distinct groups primarily based on transport accessibility and car availability among the unemployed, assessing how these factors are shaped by socio-demographic characteristics and influence engagement in various activities, such as shopping, social visits, and recreational activities.

Latent class cluster analysis is employed to identify distinct patterns of transport accessibility and car availability among the unemployed, avoiding arbitrary definitions and incorporating socio-demographic determinants. This approach reveals a broad spectrum of transport accessibility and car availability patterns, ranging from low to medium to high, organized into groups or clusters.

The research contrasts out-of-home activity participation between unemployed and employed individuals with similar socio-demographic profiles to identify relative deficits, using propensity score matching. This method isolates the combined effect of employment status and non-socio-demographically determined transport disadvantage on activity participation and travel behavior. The study then conducts a comparative analysis of deficits in activity engagement across the eight groups, allowing for the separation of the direct impact of transport disadvantage from direct effects related to employment status.

A key discovery of this thesis is a compensatory mechanism among unemployed individuals who tend to increase their participation in non-work-related activities. However, this compensatory behavior is not uniformly realized across all groups, particularly not among those with low car availability, who exhibit significant deficits in out-of-home activity participation. Surprisingly, accessibility does not seem to influence the differential in activity participation between the unemployed and their employed counterparts, suggesting that car availability is the primary dimension through which compensatory behavior is enabled.

This finding challenges the hypothesized compensatory relationship between transport accessibility and car availability and suggests that individuals with higher car availability, regardless of their level of accessibility, are at a lower risk of transport-related social exclusion, whereas those with low car availability exhibit a higher risk, irrespective of their accessibility levels.

Furthermore, the results suggest that socio-demographic factors compound with employment status and transport disadvantage to inhibit the full expression of this compensatory mechanism among low car availability groups. These groups, representing 61% of the unemployed sample, typically have higher accessibility and comprise younger people, individuals living in single-person households, those with lower household incomes, and individuals with a non-native (parental) birthplace, predominantly residing in highly urbanized areas.

This study, informed by existing literature on affordability limitations, recommends enhancing affordable transport accessibility for unemployed individuals with low car availability, advocating for subsidized public transport fares and travel allowances for low-household-income groups. It supports promoting mixed-use developments and enhancing infrastructure for active transportation modes to increase activity options within reachable distances for those with limited car availability. Future research should explore physical and digital in-home activities, subjective experiences of social inclusion, and the role of transport and housing expenses in shaping transport affordability.

Recent research studies have been focused on the adoption of shared cars and mobility hubs separately. Which is why there exists a knowledge gap regarding the influence of a mobility hub on the adoption of shared cars. This qualitative research study aims to fill the knowledge gap by answering the main research question: To what extent could a mobility hub play a role in the adoption of shared cars located at the mobility hub? Multiple angles had to be researched as unilateral answering the main research question was not possible. Therefore, a literature study provides insight in which aspects that are related to the use of a shared car could be influenced by a mobility hub (sub question 1). Next, expert interviews contribute to the knowledge regarding the mutual influences between mobility hubs and shared cars (sub question 2). Finally, a case study captures what stimulates residents to use a shared car at their nearby mobility hub (sub question 3).

In the extensive literature study 50 relevant articles were collected. The Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) that followed identified reoccurring themes. This resulted in subthemes that are related to: financial aspects; functional requirements; personal requirements; aspects of the journey; the attitude of potential users; psychological influences; challenging characteristics of potential users and aspects of a mobility hub. By analysing their influence, it became apparent that the identified themes (i.e. the independent variables) have a causal relationship with shared car usage (i.e. the dependent variable) and that certain aspects of a mobility hub (i.e. the moderator variable) could influence this relationship. These relationships have been presented in a conceptual model. Based on the influence of the identified subthemes, suggestions have been made for the guidelines that a mobility hub should fulfil in order to influence these relationships. By fulfilling the guidelines, a mobility hub can be developed in such a way that it considers the tangible and intangible aspects potential users value to attract more potential users to the hub and lower the barrier of using a shared car located at the mobility hub. Therefore, this qualitative research study showed that there are indeed factors of a mobility hub that can influence the adoption of shared cars located at the hub.

Urban Speed Limit Reduction (USLR) policies, aimed at enhancing road safety and reducing emissions, pose substantial implications for public transport (PT) operations. This study evaluates the impact of implementing a USLR policy in The Hague, Netherlands, reducing speed limits from 50 km/h to 30 km/h on select streets. A multimodal simulation model was employed to quantify changes in PT travel times, operational costs, and modal share. Results indicate a modest average increase of 1.2% in PT travel times, with corresponding timetable hours (TTH) rising by 0.9% and no increase in PT modal share. This would lead to elevated operational costs without increased ridership or revenue. On a city level, the modal share of bikes increases with 0,2% while the modal share of cars decreases with 0,2%. Locally, the results show changing trip destination choice, mode choice, and route choice to circumvent the USLR policy. The findings underscore the need for targeted mitigation measures, such as traffic flow optimizations and speed segregation, to offset increased costs and maintain PT efficiency. This research highlights the nuanced trade-offs of USLR policies, providing actionable insights for urban policymakers and transport operators.

This research explores how shared bicycles can enhance the modal shift from cars to public transport for commuter trips in suburban areas, focusing on South Holland. The study combines a literature review with a survey, comprising revealed and stated preference components, to assess travel behaviour and quantify the effects of shared bicycle attributes. A multinomial logit model is applied to estimate behavioural responses, with 105 respondents commuting to Drechtsteden and Leiden as case studies.

Results underline the critical role of competitive public transport travel times in fostering shared bicycle adoption. In areas where public transport significantly lags behind cars in travel time, the potential for shared bicycles is diminished. Shared bicycles are most effective for last-mile distances between 500 and 3,000 metres, but availability issues and reliance on private bicycles limit their adoption. Cost measures, including employer subsidies and reduced shared bicycle fees, significantly encourage uptake, while car parking charges predominantly shift commuters to public transport. A combination of free shared bicycles and paid parking achieves a potential modal shift of 10 percentage points, though inclusivity remains essential.

The stated preference model reveals that shared bicycle costs are perceived as three times more negative than travel time, particularly among younger and low-income travellers. Women and lower-educated individuals are more sensitive to public transport travel times, while frequent car users show less aversion to longer car journeys. Furthermore, hybrid systems such as Donkey Republic meet the needs of frequent commuters, while e-bikes provide limited added value in suburban areas due to car dominance over longer distances.

This study concludes that optimising public transport competitiveness, improving shared bicycle availability, and introducing cost incentives are vital for achieving a sustainable modal shift. Recommendations include integrating shared bicycles into public transport cards, reallocating bicycle parking, and enhancing hub locations to strengthen the synergy between shared bicycles and public transport.

Urban areas such as The Hague face traffic congestion and environmental issues due to frequent car usage, especially for short trips up to 5 kilometres. To address these challenges, combining cycling with public transportation (PT) offers a promising alternative. This study examines the potential of bicycle parking facilities at public transport stops in The Hague, aiming to encourage multimodal travel and discourage short car trips.

The qualitative part of the research involved structured interviews with residents of The Hague. The results showed that people are open to considering the bicycle-PT combination but have not yet adopted it. The main barriers are the lack of safe, accessible, and well-maintained bicycle parking at public transport stops. Respondents emphasized the need for more bike parking and cited bad weather and convenience as common reasons for choosing the car.

The quantitative analysis, based on a stated preference survey and a multinomial logit model, confirmed the interview findings. Residents are more likely to opt for the bicycle-PT combination if certain bicycle parking facilities, such as bike racks or lockers, are available. These specific facilities could shift up to 2 percentage points of trips toward the bicycle-PT combination and reduce short car trips by up to 3 percentage points.

Additionally, the results indicate that cost and travel time are important factors in transport choice. Increasing car-related costs and reducing public transport fares were tested and could further contribute to a modal shift from car to bicycle-PT. Tested scenarios showed a potential increase of up to 5 percentage points in bike-transit usage and a reduction of up to 6.5 percentage points in car trips.

Based on these findings, it is recommended to invest in user-friendly and more abundant bicycle parking at transit stops, particularly bike racks, which are cost- and space-efficient. Policymakers are also advised to explore pricing policies that make public transport more financially attractive compared to car use.

These findings are not only relevant for The Hague but also offer insights for similar cities striving to create a more sustainable mobility system by better integrating cycling with public transport.

The relation between sociodemographics and travel behaviour (TB) patterns is relevant to understand to devise policies that can direct people towards more sustainable travel options as well as to be aware of people’s possibly restricted mobility for the sake of mobility justice. Especially in the Netherlands, both of these interests are relevant to the aim of broad welfare which has been formulated in 2019. In this research Latent Class Analysis was performed on the Dutch National Travel Survey combined datasets from 2018 and 2019 to uncover TB patterns. This analysis was conducted for necessary travels and leisure travel purposes and resulted in 7 distinct classes (8 for necessary travels) which each showed clear associations with specific sociodemographics. The results could be related to axes of disadvantage previously identified in a literature study and were subsequently assessed with 7 experts from the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. It was found that people who conform to many of the disadvantaging factors identified, such as low income, low education levels and women travel with active modes as well as public transit more often, possibly due to general modal disadvantage (i.e. difficult or no access to a car). Travellers who travel with children but besides that have other advantaging factors (high income, older age) or travellers who live in rural areas and thus have spatial disadvantages, travel by car more often, also for very short distances. Against initial expectations, the research did not necessarily show extensive difference in distance travelled for travellers with disadvantaging factors. Recommendations concluded from these findings include the need to detach car use from car ownership, by e.g. promoting car-sharing more as well as enabling travelling with young children to be possible on public transit (physically as well as information wise).

Urbanization, a desire for a reduction of CO2 and a need for a more efficient use of space are likely to greatly increase demand for rail travel in the coming decades. To improve railway capacity, extra infrastructure can be built, or existing track can be optimized. A silo analogy provides an interesting idea for an integral approach to network development that combines the demand of heavy-rail and bus, tram, and metro: either obtain more demand for the heavy-rail system and thus validate expensive infrastructural investments or reduce demand. Both options require a broadening of the analysis so that it includes bus, tram, and metro networks. To explore the practical implications of this analogy, the research question is set up as follows:
“Does integrated public transport network development in the form of a simultaneous consideration for infrastructural investment in both heavy-rail and hierarchically lower public transport modes offer a better solution for fulfilling transportation needs, compared to a segregated approach?”
To answer the research question, literature review has been used to gain insights in public transport integration from a technical and a governance perspective. Literature has also been used to form integration strategies that could be applied in network development. The formed strategies consist of using network hierarchy as a guideline for either applying bus, tram, and metro to take over lower hierarchy services from the heavy-rail and vice versa. A case study on the corridor Amsterdam – Lelystad in The Netherlands was used to apply the integration strategies on and to analyze the effects of the development following the different strategies in a real-life situation.
The results show that the variant following the strategy of assigning lower hierarchy services to heavy-rail appears best in terms of generalized travel time, synthetic demand, and investment costs. It scores well on fairness of the offer, but lowest on ambition fulfillment and operational costs. It turned out that each variant needed investment in more heavy-rail infrastructure to allow for completing of the heavy-rail ambitions. The variant with more tasks assigned to bus, tram, and metro scored the worst, except for ambition fulfillment. Furthermore, the multicriteria analysis, although useful for providing insights in the qualities of the different variants, does not give a definitive answer on what the best variant would be. Using external input to assign weights to the multicriteria analyses would have been a good improvement in getting to that answer. Instead, a stakeholder reflection is done to give insight in possible stances regarding the criteria from the stakeholder’s perspective.
The research suggests that it is worth considering ambitions and problems outside of just the bus, tram, and metro or just the heavy-rail system. The process of brainstorming based on expertise, using qualitative multicriteria analyses for making decisions with supporting arguments in the design phase, planning a plausible timetable and analyzing and comparing several variants forms a good skeleton for investigating the possibilities of public transport network development in places where heavy-rail capacity becomes problematic.

The planning of railway operations is a very complex process, in which timetables and other logistical plans need to be both reliable and robust to effectively prevent and cope with disturbances. However, research in the robustness of initial stabling plans, designed in an earlier planning phase, during the following planning phases, has been lacking, with the models created in research in the Train Unit Shunting Problem (TUSP) being generally deterministic in nature, even though stabling plans could quickly become infeasible when the stabling demand in the form of arriving and departing trains changes.
This thesis therefore proposes a definition of the robustness of an initial stabling plan to changes in the stabling demand, such as changes in train lengths, as well as provide an assessment method of said robustness. The created Robustness Assessment Model (RAM) first generates an initial stabling demand and stabling plan, then performs a Monte Carlo simulation to generate a set of stabling plans created for variations of the initial stabling demand, based on changes in stabling demand such as train length. Finally, the RAM estimates the robustness of the initial stabling plan by analysing the differences between the initial and these generated stabling plan variations and how efficiently the initial plan is able to change to these plans to optimally facilitate the variations of the initial stabling demand.
Running this model across three locations, each with three capacity utilisation scenarios, has shown that the model is able to estimate the robustness of an initial stabling with acceptable confidence, and furthermore is able to give insight into how capable the stabling plan creation method is in generating a robust solution. Furthermore, the RAM can also be used to investigate patterns in stabling plans which could predict the robustness of said stabling plans. Current shortcomings to the RAM are its relatively long runtime, the simple stabling plan creation process used in the RAM, and that only one-sided stabling yards without servicing scheduling have been incorporated. Further research is therefore recommended for extending the RAM with other stabling yard layouts and the scheduling of services, as well as improve the stabling plan generation process to take more constraints into account.

This research aims to understand the influencing attributes of passengers and station layout elements on transfer walking times for metro transfers. Little research has been performed to include passenger-related attributes to model transfer walking time besides station layout elements. Through a literature review, the effect of gender, luggage size, group size and level of crowding are potential attributes. Furthermore, the vertical transport mode choice, including the lift, the waiting condition to board a vertical transport mode and the alighting location, are also part of the influential attributes besides the transfer length. The walking time and passenger characteristics have been collected through a covert observation. In the data analysis, the effect of group size, vertical transport mode choice, waiting condition to board and the alighting location significantly impact the transfer walking time and the walking time on a transfer segment level. These attributes have been captured in walking time and passing speed models for various transfer segment types. The walking time models can predict a lower, mean and upper bound of the walking time for each combination of attributes. The case study for the walking time collection was metro station Beurs, Rotterdam.

The number of digital systems that is used for business processes in many organizations is increasing. These digital systems can be used to support decision-making in the maintenance process. In this research the effects of digitalization on the maintenance process are evaluated. This is done by focusing on five aspects: actors, agreements, approach, applications and availability. By comparing the recent knowledge described in the literature with the experiences from practice, a maintenance aspect framework is designed. The experience from practice is obtained from conducting interviews at four organizations. These organizations are: NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen), Port of Rotterdam, Rijkswaterstaat and ProRail. At each of the organizations, one specific asset is selected for which the effects of digitalization are evaluated. The findings of
the comparisons are reflected on the features of the asset and the organization to generalize the conclusions. Furthermore, an implementation plan and recommendations on how to use the framework to ensure that all the relevant aspects are included in future policies, are derived from the findings. The implementation plan is designed to be applicable in general, and the recommendations are made for NS specifically. In the recommendations, advice is provided on which aspects should be prioritized more and which aspects are
already well formulated in the long-term plans. Lastly, a time line is presented in which the phases of the digitalization transition process are represented. The implementation plan can be used as a guideline to determine in which phase an organization is currently in, and what steps should be taken to proceed to the next phase.

In light of growing environmental challenges, the need to reconsider how we approach personal transportation is becoming increasingly evident. A shift from a private car-focused mobility system towards a more sustainable and equitable transportation system is desired. Car sharing is considered a means to achieve this. However, car sharing use and its related impact are not entirely understood, as many studies do not consider the car sharing motives of individuals and treat the car sharing population as a homogeneous group. This study aims to reveal distinct car sharing usage profiles to gain a thorough understanding of car sharing utilisation and its related impact. Six distinct user profiles are uncovered using a Latent Class Cluster Analysis (LCCA) based on station-based car sharer data gathered through an online survey (N=1281). This segmentation underscores the diversity in car sharing motives and reveals that the impacts associated with car sharing use differ across the identified user groups. The cluster profiles show that environmentally motivated car sharers use the shared car as a complete replacement for their private car, causing a substantial decrease in car ownership and use. More utility-focused car sharers, and especially initially carless individuals, show a less substantial decrease in car ownership and sometimes even an increase in car use. This study concludes with recommendations based on these findings and discusses its limitations.

Limiting transport poverty is consequential in improving well-being and employment levels, which play meaningful roles in deciding public policy. We analyze how different socioeconomic and built environment factors are related to the transport poverty environment for car and public transport in terms of strength, significance, and direction for neighborhood zones within the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area—our study area. Additionally, we provide policy recommendations for the study area.

To this end, we use spatial distributions of environmental transport poverty indicators and perform weighted least-squares regression analyses, where we regress each transport poverty indicator on all built environment and socioeconomic variables. Our regression analyses are preceded by a combination of logarithmic variable transformation, insignificant variable elimination, and data normalization.

The environmental transport poverty indicators consist of average travel times, average single-trip travel costs, and the number of accessible jobs within thirty minutes. Regarding the built environment; we include inhabitant density and job density, whereas the socioeconomic characteristics in our analyses consist of household size, five age cohorts (0-18, 18-34, 35-54, 55-64, and $65^{+}$), gender, car ownership, and income.

Our results indicate that levels of environmental car transport poverty are fairly low over the whole study area when compared to the public transport poverty environment—the highest car transport poverty levels among all zones correspond with the lowest levels of public transport poverty. Regression results demonstrate that differences in the transport poverty environment are substantially correlated with differences in the zonal built environment and socioeconomic characteristics only for public transport travel times and public transport job accessibility, which are also the only transport poverty indicators to exhibit considerable variation among the study area zones in general.

Furthermore, the strength and significance of job density almost invariably greatly exceed those of inhabitant density and the socioeconomic variables—in relation to the transport poverty environment indicators. Inhabitant density is, despite being overshadowed by job density, also deemed to exhibit a marked correlation to the public transport measures of travel time and job accessibility. Both built environment variables are related to favorable transportation conditions. Remarkably, all socioeconomic variables display either insignificant or rather weak correlations to the transport poverty environment.

Consequently, we suggest focusing mainly on public transport measurements of travel times and job accessibility when analyzing differences in the transport poverty environment at a neighborhood level and the roles of job density and (to a lesser extent) inhabitant density herein. We visualize the combined spatial distributions of both job density and average public transport travel times, and inhabitant density and average public transport travel times for our study area. Areas potentially interesting for public transport improvement are identified based on the simultaneous occurrence of both relatively high levels of job or inhabitant density and relatively high travel times.

The popularity of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has been growing rapidly over the past years, where more and more cities add BRT to their public transport systems. Roundabouts are also growing and are popular intersection designs because they are one of the safest types of intersections and improve traffic flow. It is, therefore, likely that in some cities a BRT route will go through a roundabout.
To keep the priority of BRT and the safety effects of a roundabout, the evaluation of roundabouts with BRT based on safety and level of service (performance) of all modes is investigated. Some countries have already developed and built solutions for roundabouts with BRT, where the priority of the buses can differ. One solution, often called throughabouts, is where the exclusive bus lanes go through the centre island of the roundabout, giving full priority to the buses. However, few guidelines have been developed on roundabout solutions with BRT and there seems to be a disagreement about the effectiveness of these types between some countries.
This thesis aims to reduce this research gap by developing an evaluation methodology that compares and evaluates different design solutions of roundabouts with BRT based on the safety and level of service of all modes. The evaluation methodology is also able to determine which design solution is the most optimal.
The methods used to compare and evaluate the designs in the methodology are literature review, multicriteria analysis (MCA), microsimulations and calculations, and a case study.
A case study of a roundabout in Reykjavik, Iceland is used to illustrate and test the methodology. Three design solutions are compared and evaluated where the priority configuration of the BRT is changed for each design. Design 1 is a regular roundabout where the buses drive through the intersection in mixed traffic. Design 2 is a throughabout where there are traffic signals for all entering traffic, and design 3 is a throughabout where there are traffic signals for the conflicting traffic. These designs are evaluated based on the traffic performance indicators of total throughput, travel time, and variation in travel time, and the safety indicators of number and types of conflicts for vehicle – vehicle conflicts and active mode – vehicle conflicts, and costs. These indicators are obtained by the output of a VISSIM model and using SSAM for the safety calculations. MCA is used to compare and evaluate the designs.
This results in that throughabouts with traffic signals for conflicting traffic prove to be the most optimal designs for roundabouts with BRT. They are also both the safest and best performing design solution.
This thesis addresses the research gap of disagreement of the effectiveness of the roundabouts by showing that throughabouts are effective, however, to determine their full effectiveness, further research is recommended on comparing throughabouts with other types of intersections. This thesis developed an evaluation methodology which can be used to evaluate and compare different design solutions which can be used to decide which design is the most optimal for intersections.

The aim of this study is to capture heterogeneity in travel behaviour during unplanned train disruptions focusing on the rise of teleworking due to the COVID-19 pandemic to improve train services and help predict passenger flows during disruptions. To perform the analyses, a dataset is elicited from 815 Dutch train commuters by distributing an online questionnaire. A labelled stated choice experiment was designed and a latent class choice model was estimated. The biggest indicators of travel behaviour are the moment of discovering the disruption, the disruption length and job characteristics. Four latent classes were uncovered: the ’Trade-off teleworkers’, ’Sceptic returners’, ’Trusting workplace travellers’ and ’Endless waiters’. Each class has a different initial preference for a travel option and different sensitivities to the travel attributes as well. Individual
characteristics such as age, necessity to arrive at the workplace, ability to telework, telework attitude and the amount of trust in the provided travel information play a role in predicting choice behaviour during unplanned train disruptions. Based on the results advice is given on how the level of service during disruptions can be improved.

Cities and regions with access to water infrastructure are actively rethinking the possibilities of expanding the public inland waterway transport, especially since road congestion and pollution are still a reoccurring issue. Their aim is to make water transport more attractive for travelers by allowing the introduction of sustainable water modes to increase the use of the already existing water infrastructure instead of extending the road networks. In parallel with the common used large scheduled passenger ships, supporting on-demand water transport could be offered on a smaller scale in order to cope with fluctuating off-peak demand or to serve a specific target group, such as tourists. One way to set this up is by using on-demand water-taxis, such as Seabubbles. Seabubbles are small zero-emission (hydrogen) hydrofoil ships that can transport four to fourteen passengers depending on the type. The deployment of Seabubbles in water transport can be compared to Uber-taxis that are used in road transport. Since waterborne transport does not usually provide door-to-door transportation, the main challenges of introducing on-demand Seabubbles lie in their safe and practical integration into the surrounding urban area and transport network. The water hubs where the Seabubbles dock should seamlessly connect the waterfront with the landfront and therefore play an important role in connecting the water transportation system with the road transportation system.

Mobility hubs are a promising concept that has been gaining increased attention. Mobility hubs, a place where several (shared) modalities are combined, are seen as an enabler of shared mobility. Shared mobility and mobility hubs could therefore provide attractive alternatives for private vehicles and contribute to municipal policy goals. Like to create more accessible and liveable cities. This study explores the influencing factors for the usage and effects of neighbourhood mobility hubs through an ex-post evaluation of some already existing neighbourhood mobility hubs in the Netherlands. This is examined in a qualitative manner by employing a literature review, applying qualitative system dynamics methodology and conducting semi-structured interviews. A causal loop diagram is constructed that visualises the complexity of mobility hubs and shows the various factors and relations that influence the usage and effects of mobility hubs. The diagram shows that while there is potential, there is also still uncertainty about the precise effects (such as private car usage and ownership), as they may be either positive or negative. The research has contributed to filling the scientific gap on (neighbourhood) mobility hubs, and by mapping influencing factors and effects, provided a framework for further future evaluation of mobility hubs.

Bike-train usage contributes to more sustainable and also more reliable transport. Nowadays, approximately 45% of the train passengers in the Netherlands access the station by bike. Therewith, the focus of policy makers shifts to the total “door-to-door” travel experience. Bicycle usage is stimulated, and the facilities are adapted accordingly. From a lot of perspectives, this can be seen as a positive trend. Unfortunately, it also has negative consequences in terms of capacity problems in parking facilities and costs. To be able to guide a better service to multimodal travellers, more insights should be gathered regarding their experience and willingness to pay for certain aspects. Most studies focus on the characteristics of bike-train users and their behaviour. In consequence, the quality of the parking facility is considered very limited. The impact of this quality on the user experience is considered even less. For example, the impact of a free of charge parking period is not known. More aspects influencing the users’ experience and behaviour might exist as well. Studies also often focus on one station or one area, which makes it hard to draw general conclusions. Lastly, the relationship between the willingness to pay and the expected subscription price is unknown. By getting a better understanding of the attributes influencing the choice behaviour of facility users, an insight is given into the preferences of passengers concerning bicycle parking. The effects of pricing policies on the user experience and utilisation at various facilities are of great interest to NS (Dutch Railways). For a full overview, there has to be differentiated to types of facilities and types of stations. The following research question is answered during this thesis: What is the willingness to pay of various types of bike parking-users at train stations for different types of facilities and at different types of stations? Literature addresses several attributes which are influential when using the bike-train combination. Attributes can be split into user characteristics, parking facility characteristics and station characteristics. Based on an ongoing data collection effort (Keten Belevings Monitor or KBM), user characteristics of guarded bike parking users can be analysed. It can be found that young people, between 18 and 24 years old, are the main bike-train users, while people over 65 are less present. Furthermore, users are often frequent travellers (at least once a week) and going to work or school. Of all commuters, 90% travels frequently. Social and recreational purposes are performed on a less frequent basis and are in general performed by older people. Based on these characteristics, five traveller profiles can be identified which each consist of at least 5% of the current bike-train users. These can be labelled as commuters to work, students commuting to school, youth travelling for leisure activities and adults with a leisure purpose, divided into medium and low frequent travellers (respectively between 1 and 3 times a month and less than once a month). Distribution of users towards different types of stations can be made as well. Suburban stations tend to be more used by commuters to work. This also results in more frequent travellers at suburban stations. Social and recreational travellers tend to be more attracted to intercity stations. Also, long-term parking occurs more often at intercity stations.