The Basics of a Human-centric Approach to Public Transport Projects
© Coonamble Shire Council
What is essential for people to enjoy and regularly use sustainable transport, whether it be a bus, taxi, shared e-scooter, or cable car?
On paper, there are clear requirements: reliability, affordability, security. In practice, key elements can be missing which impact the overall experience and chance of long-term success. To build a project that truly serves its end users, you need a human-centric approach.
What is a Human-Centric Approach?
Human-centric design revolves around creative problem-solving which places people and their lived experience at the core of every design step. In short, a strategy built not on technology and processes, but on human needs, contexts, and limitations.
In public transport terms, better considering our passengers allows them to feel more ownership over their local stations, stops, and hubs. From branding that reflects the community identity to wayfinding, rolling stock design, and infrastructure development, human-centric design affects everything.
Given that public transport projects are complex, it’s easy to think mainly about cost, feasibility, and keeping to a timeline. But success depends on our strategies staying focused on the well-being and experiences of people.
It should be restated – public transport affects more than just its passengers. From public transport employees to local business owners and the community at large, our sector has a huge impact. Public transport provides access to jobs to nearby residents. We are an anchor point and a custodian of the community space. And of course, our sector is amongst the largest employers at local level. Everything we do affects people – it’s in our name: public transport.
To advance human-centricity, the UITP Committees for Design & Culture and Transport & Urban Life held a joint meeting. Together, global public transport professionals heard the inspiring case studies of human-centric public transport in Australia.
Read the full case studies and see the guidelines, tools, and models in detail.
Melbourne
Dubbed the Melbourne Metro Tunnel, five new stations opened for service in November 2025. As a part of the Melbourne 2030 framework, the tunnel is a success story of integrated planning. Its goals include reducing car dependency, increasing housing supply close to transport hubs, and encouraging walkable neighbourhoods.
Take just Anzac station as a great example of human-centric design:
- Melbourne’s first integrated platform-to-platform tram/train interchange, improving seamless mobility
- A timber canopy with skylights to channel natural sunlight onto the underground concourse, reducing reliance on artificial lighting
- Albert Road nature reserve expanded by over 5,000m2, creating green corridors to the station with shared-use pathways and increase biodiversity
- First Peoples culture represented throughout, including indigenous vegetation, wetland features, and use of the Boonwurrung language
Sydney
Let’s look at Sydney Metro – or “Australia’s biggest public transport project”. Today, the network serves 21 stations. Once construction finishes, locals will be able to board metro services from 46 stations.
Some extensions have already opened, featuring modern, multimodal stations with urban and development integration. That approach has come to define the project, present and future. Much of that comes from Sydney Metro’s vision of what it calls precinct development:
In other words, housing and other facilities are designed and built together with the station on government-owned land, based on tenders. This allows the city to take advantage of new projects to alleviate housing pressure. At the same time, existing stations across eight high-priority growth areas are also being developed and rezoned.
The stations themselves act as high-quality public spaces, anchoring the local area. For one, all stations were shaped to fit the preferences of user personas, developed during workshops and focus groups. That’s just the start – take Gadigal station, opened in August 2024.
In Gadigal Station, artwork celebrates the Aboriginal community of the region, featuring footprint sculptures modelled by the local community. As well, its architecture and design simply makes the place attractive. Gadigal’s interior was even awarded a special prize by Prix Versailles, among many other awards.
The results of the project are spelt out clearly: making a wider range of places and services more accessible in a 30 minute journey and the delivery of some 15,000 homes on Metro-owned sites. In short, the Transport Priorities:
- Connecting people safely and reliably
- Communities and places are sustainable, healthy and resilient
- Enabling a prosperous and inclusive New South Wales
- Thriving people doing meaningful work
The success of this strategy – as well as those from Melbourne and other Australian cities – depends on models and guidelines aimed to keep projects human-centric from concept to construction.
