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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way how the people live, work and move, and naturally the transport sector became one of the most affected by this global crisis. Beyond the sudden fall of mobility at the beginning of the pandemic, it is important to understand how people are regaining trust in travelling, even if it is still unpredictable if and when the transport sector will recover to the pre-pandemic levels. This study focuses on the analysis of commuting trips and the changes of travel mode preferences over the first eight months of the pandemic in Germany. A survey with an orthogonal design based on sets of cards containing different transport mode alternatives and attributes was conducted in three waves (April, June, and October 2020). The individual characteristics and the preferences of around 4800 commuters were collected through the survey and modelled using a conditional logit approach. The results show that commuters have regained some trust on public transport since the April-May 2020 lockdown, but this has occurred at a slow pace. The reduction of public transport ticket fares can be the most effective strategy to recover some of the users lost to other modes.

As artificial intelligence driver monitoring systems gain momentum in intelligent mobility, it is critical to analyse how distraction is defined and induced. This systematic review was specifically focused on studies conducted in driving simulators. A Boolean query was iteratively developed to retrieve articles from Scopus that fulfil the following criteria: (1) being an empirical study, (2) addressing driver distraction, (3) using a driving simulator, (4) aiming at developing an artificial intelligence monitoring system. After screening, 34 articles remained and were analysed according to four general themes: definition of distraction, characteristics of the scenarios used in the driving simulator, sampling of participants, and procedures. Results showed that the most common definitions of distraction consider it as a shift in the driver’s attention towards a secondary task, which implicates in a degradation of the execution of the primary task (i.e., driving the vehicle), and, consequently, a reduction in driving safety. Most articles described the scenarios used in the simulator in greater detail and, in some cases, variations in traffic density, visibility, and environmental conditions were observed. Furthermore, scripted critical events in the scenario (e.g., car in front of the participant breaking) were also used. Recruitment and samples varied greatly between studies, with the smallest population consisting of two and the largest of 97 participants. Despite the sample size, participants still needed to meet eligibility criteria such as having a driver’s license, possessing minimum driving experience, health prerequisites, being part of a specific group, age, and gender. Procedures and tasks were not always described in detail. However, several studies described an initial moment where participants could familiarize themselves with the simulator without taking measurements, while fewer reported that participants were allowed to familiarize themselves with the tasks. Session length varied from eight to 90 minutes. Regarding the operationalization of distraction in experiments, some studies required drivers to perform a single type of distraction-inducing task (mental calculations, use of In-Vehicle Information System (IVIS), cell phone operation, and manual tasks) with varying difficulty levels. Still, most studies relied on a combination of different tasks, such as cell phone use, physical tasks (e.g., drinking, moving objects, and applying makeup), and IVIS use. Results showed studies favour the description of the digital systems over the experiment design and procedures and a preference for locating the studies at the individual level of analysis, precluding a broader understanding of human behaviour as socially constructed and signified. We argue that articulation with higher levels of analysis would bring relevant explanations for actual road behaviour and personal and social factors should be considered when developing driver monitoring systems aimed at reducing distraction. Our results may assist future studies within the same scope, guiding the definition of effective experimental designs to test artificial intelligence driving monitoring systems, while contributing to a more holistic understanding of driver’s behaviour.

A transit network design frequency setting model is proposed to cope with the postpandemic passenger demand. The multiobjective transit network design and frequency setting problem (TNDFSP) seeks to find optimal routes and their associated frequencies to operate public transport services in an urban area. The objective is to redesign the public transport network to minimize passenger costs without incurring massive changes to its former composition. The proposed TNDFSP model includes a route generation algorithm (RGA) that generates newlines in addition to the existing lines to serve the most demanding trips, and passenger assignment (PA) and frequency setting (FS) mixed-integer programming models that distribute the demand through the modified bus network and set the optimal number of buses for each line. Computational experiments were conducted on a test network and the network comprising the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London.

A utilização do Método Eletromagnético no Domínio do Tempo [TDEM], contribui de uma forma significativa para localização de estruturas geológicas em profundidade e definição da sua geometria. Os modelos geológicos/estruturais obtidos por processamento dos dados da prospecção geofísica complementados com a integração de outra informação e metodologias, permitem identificar e localizar estruturas geológicas com potencial para a exploração de águas subterrâneas. A elaboração de modelos obtidos através do método TDEM permite ter uma perspetiva das estruturas geológicas, assim como identificar e interpretar a relação espacial entre elas, contribuindo desta forma para um melhor conhecimento da subsuperfície da cratera do vulcão da Ilha do Fogo. Em Cabo Verde, arquipélago com precipitações na generalidade fracas, cujos valores médios não ultrapassam 300mm/ano para as zonas situadas abaixo de 400 metros e 700mm/ano para as zonas situadas a mais de 500 metros de altitude (INGRH, 2000, Lima e Garcia, 2011), os recursos hídricos subterrâneos desempenham um papel fundamental, constituindo a principal fonte de abastecimento de água de pequenos aglomerados populacionais. Após processamento dos dados adquiridos, foram criadas seções obtidas a partir da inversão das sondagens 1D extraídas do modelo de distribuição de valores de resistividades que contribuem para a compreensão da distribuição espacial e tipologia do sistema aquífero existente na área de estudo. No local foram efetuadas 21 sondagens eletromagnéticas verticais com o TDEM na localidade de Chã das Caldeira, Ilha Fogo, Cabo Verde. Para o efeito foi utilizado o equipamento TEM-FAST, com antena de geometria quadrada e dimensão de 200 metros (m) de lado, de modo a alcançar o maior número de estruturas geológicas em profundidade e a cobrir uma vasta área a partir da superfície do terreno. A partir do modelo tridimensional resultante da interpretação das 21 sondagens TDEM é possível verificar a existência de uma relação directa entre as anomalias geofísicas detectadas com as estruturas geológicas observáveis à superfície, assim como a existência de anomalias, subhorizontais, com baixo valor de resistividade (

The perspective of automated vehicles (AVs) entering the public space is at the center of the current debate about the “mobility of the future”. Several studies have focused on drivers’ perceptions related to the use of AVs, exploring the “acceptability” and acknowledging that this is not an individual process [1]. Acceptability is constructed in a particular socio-organizational context, whose underlying conditions pose different determinant factors of usage [2]. The debate on the acceptability vs. acceptance of technologies requires the assumption of a psychological standpoint: “acceptability” is a cognitive representation that users have before using technology, i.e., it is an a priori phenomenon [3], whereas “acceptance” is an a posteriori pragmatic evaluation, inasmuch as it is “situated” in a real activity [4]. Hence, the “acceptance” is associated with an “operative representation” developed in and by the action. Bearing in mind such conceptual frontiers between the two constructs, it should be noted a point in common: they are subjective representations related to different sociodemographic characteristics and inscribed in specific conditions (e.g., driving preferences, benefits/concerns associated with AVs). Considering the fact the use of fully AVs is not yet possible, the study we present sought to explore the acceptability of AVs in the frame of a Portuguese research project. The AUTODRIVING project combines an extensive survey on the viewpoints of representative groups of drivers with a driving simulator study to evaluate driver-vehicle interaction under automated driving scenarios. A self-administrated questionnaire was developed aiming at exploring Portuguese users’ representations about the AVs, considering their expectations (e.g., the possibility to perform secondary tasks during automated driving), concerns (e.g., loss of control over the driving), levels of trust, and the benefits and risks users most associate with AVs. 500 portuguese participants (49.3% female), aged 18-81 years (M=42.16, SD=41.39), responded to the questionnaire.AVs acceptability was assessed through four items: “consider to using a fully AV”; “would prefer a fully AV to a non-automated vehicle”; “comfortable with family using an AV”; and “consider using a fully automated bus”.A two-phase cluster analysis approach was used to identify patterns of AVs acceptability. Firstly, a hierarchical method was used to identify possible appropriate solutions for the number of clusters. Secondly, the suitability of the different solutions for the number of clusters was tested with non-hierarchical cluster analyses. Four distinct clusters were identified and named based on the pattern of acceptability and their characterization regarding demographics, self-perception of technology use, driving and AVs experience. The clusters we found are: - Resigned: AVs are convenient… but are they safe? These participants consider using AVs and a fully automated bus more than average, but don’t prefer AVs to non-automated vehicles and are less comfortable than average with family using an AV. - Suspicious: AV… maybe not, we still need to know better this technology These respondents present all acceptability variables slightly below average, but a predominance of automated bus rejection; - Enthusiasts: AV, certainly yes, and benefit to its full potentialParticipants whose acceptability is above average for all the variables; this group has a predominance of higher income participants, that live in predominantly urban areas, are willing to experiment with new technologies and would like to perform all secondary tasks while driving (e.g., reading); - Objectors: No AV… we want to keep driving pleasureRespondents who score below average in all acceptability variables; this cluster has a predominance of participants 50 years old or older, who live in predominantly rural areas, prefer to wait some time to try new technologies and whose car doesn’t have any driving aid system.These quantitative findings were complemented with 7 focus groups, involving both professional and regular drivers, in order to set a “user model” that could be mobilized in the current debate about the conditions that may contribute to the acceptance of AVs. [1] Barcenilla, J., & Bastien J. (2009) L’acceptabilité des nouvelles technologies: Quelles relations avec l’ergonomie, l’utilisabilité et l’expérience utilisateur? Le Travail Humain, 72, 311–331.[2] Dubois, M., & Bobillier Chaumon, M. (2009). L'acceptabilité des technologies : bilans et nouvelles perspectives. Le travail humain, 72, 383-395.[3] Renaud, J. (2020). Évaluer l’utilisabilité, l’utilité et l’acceptabilité d’un outil didactique au cours du processus de conception continuée dans l’usage. Éducation & didactique, 14, 65-84. [4] Bobillier Chaumon, M. (2016). Acceptation située des TIC dans et par l’activité : Premiers étayages pour une clinique de l’usage. Psych Trav. et Organisat., 22, 4-21.