Evidence and Collaboration Drive TU Dublin Transport Planning at Blanchardstown Campus
Ahead of a planned re-tender, TU Dublin’s Campus & Estates and Societal Engagement teams collaborated to gather insights and evidence to inform proposed improvements to the Blanchardstown Campus shuttle bus service. Campus & Estates manage transport operations, while Societal Engagement manage TU Dublin’s participation in the NTA’s Smarter Travel programme and the Green Campus Living Lab, with expertise in stakeholder engagement and evidence-led approaches to decision making.
An initial scoping meeting helped to clarify the core challenges around the current service and shaped a collaborative approach to gather insights and evidence from the TU Dublin community of students and staff. Building on this, Societal Engagement developed a structured engagement process that combined quantitative and qualitative insights to ensure student and staff experience was central to decision-making.
Evidence building
In practical terms, this began with the development of a survey targeting the wider student body and existing shuttle bus users, designed by Campus & Estates with input from Societal Engagement. The questionnaire captured key data on usage patterns, origins, preferred stops and service gaps. To deepen this evidence base, Societal Engagement facilitated an in-person engagement workshop on the Blanchardstown Campus, recognising the value of interactive and place-based discussion in understanding commuting behaviour. To support this, tailored mapping materials were created to prompt participants to reflect on their actual journeys to campus, the routes they take, and the barriers they encounter.
The on-campus workshop, held in the spring, brought together students, and operations and academic staff in both structured and drop-in formats. Through facilitated discussions and map-based exercises, participants identified challenges in accessing the campus, highlighted inefficiencies in the current service, and explored opportunities for improvement.
This engagement was complemented by ongoing collaboration with TU Dublin Students’ Union, including coordinated input from Class Representatives, ensuring a broad and representative student voice. Insights from TU Dublin’s Sustainability Action Research and Innovation Lead, Lorraine D’Arcy, contributed a longer-term perspective on transport planning and alignment with regional infrastructure developments.
The hybrid approach including survey data, stakeholder engagement, and a facilitated session provided a robust evidence base. Analysis highlighted key themes including route effectiveness, service frequency, cost considerations, and the wider impact of transport on student experience, as well as implications for recruitment and retention.
Findings were synthesised and shared with Campus & Estates to inform the procurement process, and to help ensure that the next iteration of the shuttle service aligns with students’ needs and patterns of demand.
Climate Action Roadmap
The collaboration also supports the delivery of TU Dublin’s Climate Action Roadmap, which prioritises improved access to public and shared transport. Enhancing the shuttle service is expected to support more sustainable commuting options for students at the Blanchardstown Campus.