Research Projects

First-and last-mile trips form a critical component of urban mobility systems, connecting users to mass transit services. Yet these trips continue to be the weakest links in achieving seamless journeys. In India, this segment is largely dominated by informal Intermediate Public Transport (IPT) offering door-to-door accessibility, high availability, and flexible routing, making them indispensable to urban mobility. Despite their widespread use, IPT services remain largely informal, fragmented, and difficult to regulate, accompanied by several challenges, including fare volatility, safety concerns, traffic congestion, and rising emissions—particularly in dense urban cores. These challenges disproportionately affect marginalized and transit-dependent groups, often facing higher per-km travel costs for first- and last-mile trips compared to their mainline metro journeys. For many low-income commuters, unaffordable IPT fares leave walking as the only viable option to access public transport. While previous studies have largely focused on IPT’s role in bridging last-mile gaps, there is limited understanding of how equitably these services are distributed across diverse socio-economic and demographic groups. A key research question is how to facilitate equitable first-and last-mile travel service to intersectional demographic groups? The main research gaps are i) Lack of data-driven equity assessment frameworks for evaluating IPT service distribution, ii) Limited understanding of barriers (policy, spatial, social) faced by different demographic groups, iii) Lack of actionable planning tools for integrating IPTs into formal mobility plans. This research consists three major tasks: • Assessment of equitable IPT services across intersectional demographic groups. This includes development of a composite Equity Index integrating socio-demographic indicators (e.g. gender, income, age, occupation, and ability) with spatial accessibility and service quality metrics (e.g. frequency, reliability, and affordability). The index will enable a spatial and data-driven understanding of who has adequate access to IPT services—and who is left behind. • Identification of root cause for gaps in equitable distribution of first-and last-mile services. Through empirical analysis and stakeholder engagement, the research will explore the socio-spatial and policy-level barriers that inhibit inclusive access to IPT services. • Development of an integrated equitable IPT framework aiming to address the identified gaps in transport plans. The proposed framework is intended to empower transport planners and policymakers in designing interventions that ensure IPT services are accessible, affordable, and safe for all demographic groups—especially for transit-dependent groups. Key contributions: Advancement of Equity Frameworks in Transport Planning, Intersectional Urban Mobility Studies, Empirical Foundations for Inclusive Transport Policies, Actionable Framework for IPT Integration