Volunteer Transport Researcher (Suburbs)

Help rethink transport where it's needed most

Everyone talks about transport in busy city centres.

We're interested in somewhere quite different.

The suburbs.

For millions of Australians, transport choice is limited. Bus services are infrequent, destinations are spread out, and many people have little option but to drive. All children and 1 in 5 adults can't drive because of age, ability, health, income or other reasons.

We're looking for transport planning students, researchers and professionals who enjoy asking big questions and exploring practical solutions to participate in our Suburban Transport Planning Lab.

What you'll do

Choose a transport challenge that interests you and investigate it.

Possible projects include:

• New models for suburban public transport
• On-demand and flexible transport
• Bus network redesign
• Mobility hubs
• Walking and cycling connections
• First and last kilometre solutions
• School travel
• Transport disadvantage
• Transport equity
• Future suburban growth areas
• AI and transport planning
• International examples that could work in Australia

The project is flexible. Together, we'll shape a question that matches your interests, experience and the time you have available.

You might enjoy this role if you

• Are studying transport planning, urban planning, civil engineering or geography
• Work in transport, planning or infrastructure
• Enjoy solving complex real-world problems
• Like researching innovative ideas from Australia and overseas
• Want to contribute to better transport outcomes for outer suburban communities
• Enjoy writing about your ideas in a way that others can understand

What you'll gain

• Experience researching a transport policy question
• The opportunity to publish your work
• Mentoring and discussion with like-minded volunteers
• Experience contributing to a growing body of transport policy research
• A flexible volunteer role that fits around your studies or work

Location

This is a flexible volunteer role that can be completed remotely from anywhere in Australia.

We don't have a shopfront or office. Most volunteers contribute from home, with occasional online meetings to discuss ideas and share progress.

About Get Around Caboolture

Get Around Caboolture is a community organisation working to create more transport choice in the outer suburbs.

Our focus is practical, evidence-based solutions that help people remain independent throughout their lives.

One report that has inspired this work is Jonathan Bray's Decarbonising Suburban Transport: Ways of Thinking and Acting, which explores innovative approaches from cities across Europe. We'd love volunteers to build on ideas like these and explore what could work in Australian suburbs.