Factors influencing independent travel of pre-driving adolescents through public transport: a systematic literature review

Before they can drive, encouraging adolescents to use public transport can be an important strategy to support their independent travel. Yet, to date, most research on children’s independent mobility focuses on school or active travel and rarely considers adolescents’ unique needs and constraints. This paper uses a systematic literature review to update a theoretical framework of factors influencing public transport use for pre-driving adolescents (aged 9–18 years). A systematic literature search uncovered 36 studies published between 1994 and 2023. Based on these results, three broad factors following the Social Ecological approach were proposed that exerted effects on adolescents’ use of public transport: individual characteristics, family/social environment, and physical characteristics. However, this conceptual framework is a start, and there are still many issues that remain unresolved. Future research should take time to explore adolescents’ travel behaviour, particularly in their travels to other destinations except for school, outside peak commuting periods and on weekends. If we choose not to consider exclusively adolescents’ viewpoints, we risk further marginalising potentially vulnerable populations and possibly missing out on a burgeoning market for more environmentally friendly transport solutions.