Transport user personas: understanding different users and their needs
Bringing people to the forefront of the Department for Transport's policies to ensure transport systems work for everyone.
Applies to England
Transport user personas
Users of transport have different needs, preferences and behaviour traits.
To capture this diversity, we have developed 12 different personas to reflect 9 groups of people – also known as segments.
These segments were developed from existing research that was validated and updated by a large-scale survey and ethnographic research in 2022. They break up the population into smaller clusters to define their individual traits when using transport.
Typically, each group is represented by 1 persona (a fictional character) that provides us with an illustration of the people that belong to that segment. But some are represented by 2 personas to display diversity.
The research covers the population aged 16 and over in England only.
To learn more about our 12 personas, read the Transport summary pack.
Less mobile, car reliant personas: Brian and Betty
People in this segment are likely to have a mobility impairment and tend to use a car as their primary mode of transport as it is more convenient and accessible. This also includes mobility cars or vehicles that have been adapted for mobility issues.
See the less mobile, car reliant transport persona pack.
Young urban families persona: Farah
People in this segment are part of young families who live in urban areas in England. They have children in the household and their routines are built around balancing childcare and work responsibilities.
See the young urban families transport persona pack.
Older, less affluent persona: Gina
People in this segment are older – 50 years or above – car owners and live with their partner in 2-person homes, often in rural areas. They are approaching retirement but still working, either in full-time or part-time employment.
See the Older, less affluent transport persona pack.
Comfortable, empty-nesters persona: Jeff
People in this segment are older – 60 years or above – and predominantly from a white background. They may be approaching retirement or recently retired.
See the Comfortable, empty-nesters persona pack.
Suburban families persona: Nigel
People in this segment are in their 30s and 40s and have a university degree. They live with their partners and children in households in suburban areas.
See the Suburban families persona pack.
Heavy car user, frequent flyer persona: Oliver
People in this segment are aged between 30 and 50 years old, are employed and live with their family – partner and children – in affluent small towns or rural areas.
See the Heavy car user, frequent flyer persona pack.
Elderly and low income without cars personas: Peter and Pippa
People in this segment are older, likely to live alone and often have one or more health conditions. They do not own a car.
See the Elderly and low income without cars pack.
Urban professional without a car persona: Rosa
People in this segment are young urbanites who live near bus stops or train stations.
See the Urban professional without a car persona pack.
Young, low income, without a car personas: Zoe and Zahir
People in this segment are younger adults, living in urban areas. They are most likely to be students, unemployed and looking for work. They may be earning a low income, which means they could find it difficult to manage financially.
See the Young, low income without a car persona pack.
Transport personas technical report
The Transport user personas: technical report outlines the approach the Department for Transport (DfT) took to develop the transport user personas.