Topics for theses / bachelor

Numerous federal states are currently planning to reactivate railroad lines for local rail passenger transport (SPNV). For lines whose reactivation is not planned until a later date, the question arises as to how the ongoing maintenance of the infrastructure can be financed without significant traffic in the meantime, particularly in view of the decline in single wagonload traffic.

One possible interim solution is the ordering of seasonal leisure and tourism services as regional rail services by the federal states or the responsible authorities. On the one hand, these services can contribute to the financing of basic operations and, on the other hand, strengthen acceptance among the population for later reactivation. Initial approaches in federal states such as Baden-Württemberg or Rhineland-Palatinate show that such models are already being tested in practice.

The following questions will therefore be examined as part of the bachelor thesis:

1. What financing options exist in principle for the maintenance and operation of railroad infrastructure in the interim period until reactivation?
2. How high is the concrete financing requirement, either on the basis of standardized cost rates or on the basis of selected case studies?
3. Which federal states or regional rail transport authorities are already relying on tourist regional rail transport services as bridge financing, and what experience has been gained there?
4. To what extent do these models succeed in generating a relevant contribution margin for maintaining the infrastructure?

The aim of the work is to systematically analyze existing approaches, evaluate their effectiveness and derive recommendations for the design of transitional financing in the context of future reactivations.

The RASt deal with the design and layout of access roads as well as attached main roads and attached main roads with intersections of the same plan. They apply to the VS, HS and ES category groups of the RIN.

For sidewalks along roads, the RASt specify a standard width of 2.50 m if there are no additional requirements for the side space. This study is intended to investigate the extent to which past road construction and reconstruction of a selected area complies with the RASt specifications for bicycle and pedestrian traffic. In the event of deviations from the regulations, the reasons for these deviations should be determined as far as possible (e.g. through expert surveys).

Members of the University of Kassel are responsible for a relevant share of traffic in Kassel and the surrounding area. The mobility behavior of the university's students and employees was and will be surveyed in 2022 and 2025. By comparing the data, it is possible, for example, to examine changes that have resulted from different framework conditions (pandemic, Germany ticket, etc.). We already have some interesting questions regarding the student survey, but you are also welcome to develop further ideas and contribute to the process if it suits you.

In March 2025, the results of the current "Mobility in Germany" survey (MiD 2023/24) were published, which provides representative data on the mobility behavior of the German population. The MiD 2023/24 provides interesting comparisons with the 2017 survey, for example, as well as insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and current measures such as the Deutschlandticket. We want to offer them the opportunity to analyze this data as part of their final theses, whereby they can work on the following questions as well as their own proposed topics. It is also possible to combine the MiD data with other panels (e.g. SOEP or SrV).

Question: How does mobility behavior on home office days differ from that on presence days? What modal shift effects arise and how does working from home affect different travel purposes?

In March 2025, the results of the current "Mobility in Germany" survey (MiD 2023/24) were published, which provides representative data on the mobility behavior of the German population. The MiD 2023/24 provides interesting comparisons with the 2017 survey, for example, as well as insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and current measures such as the Deutschlandticket. We want to offer them the opportunity to analyze this data as part of their final theses, whereby they can work on the following questions as well as their own proposed topics. It is also possible to combine the MiD data with other panels (e.g. SOEP or SrV).

Question: How do mobility restrictions affect transport behavior and social participation? What different reasons for mobility restrictions (financial, health-related, supply-related) can be identified?

In March 2025, the results of the current "Mobility in Germany" survey (MiD 2023/24) were published, which provides representative data on the mobility behavior of the German population. The MiD 2023/24 provides interesting comparisons with the 2017 survey, for example, as well as insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and current measures such as the Deutschlandticket. We want to offer them the opportunity to analyze this data as part of their final theses, whereby both the following question and their own topic suggestions can be worked on. A combination of MiD data with other panels (e.g. SOEP or SrV) is also possible.

Research question: A behavioral-psychological analysis of the discrepancy between availability of means of transport and actual use as an indicator of preference structures. How can implicit preferences and decision heuristics be derived from usage patterns (frequency, regularity, situation specificity)?

In March 2025, the results of the current "Mobility in Germany" survey (MiD 2023/24) were published, which provides representative data on the mobility behavior of the German population. The MiD 2023/24 provides interesting comparisons with the 2017 survey, for example, as well as insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and current measures such as the Deutschlandticket. We want to offer them the opportunity to analyze this data as part of their final theses, whereby both the following question and their own topic suggestions can be worked on. It is also possible to combine the MiD data with other panels (e.g. SOEP or SrV).

Research question: How do accompanying persons and household constellations influence gender-specific mobility patterns? An analysis of trip chains, accompanying patterns (number/type of accompanying persons) and their connection with trip purposes such as 'bringing/picking up people', taking into account household type and employment status.

In March 2025, the results of the current "Mobility in Germany" survey (MiD 2023/24) were published, which provides representative data on the mobility behavior of the German population. The MiD 2023/24 provides interesting comparisons with the 2017 survey, for example, as well as insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and current measures such as the Deutschlandticket. We want to offer them the opportunity to analyze this data as part of their final theses, whereby they can work on the following questions as well as their own proposed topics. It is also possible to combine the MiD data with other panels (e.g. SOEP or SrV).

Question: What gender-specific differences can be seen in the choice of means of transport, trip lengths and trip purposes, and how do these vary according to household type and employment status? Have these differences changed since the last MiD survey?

In March 2025, the results of the current "Mobility in Germany" survey (MiD 2023/24) were published, which provides representative data on the mobility behavior of the German population. The MiD 2023/24 provides interesting comparisons with the 2017 survey, for example, as well as insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and current measures such as the Deutschlandticket. We want to offer them the opportunity to analyze this data as part of their final theses, whereby they can work on the following questions as well as their own proposed topics. It is also possible to combine the MiD data with other panels (e.g. SOEP or SrV).

Question: How has the mobility behavior of 18-29 year olds changed between the MiD surveys? Can the often-discussed loss of importance of the car be empirically confirmed on the basis of reduced daily use while availability remains the same?

This work covers national and international road safety education measures. Through a structured analysis of target groups, didactic concepts and skills taught, it closes an important research gap in road safety work. Existing measures will be evaluated, compared and categorized. For the implementation as a master's thesis, expert interviews will supplement the literature analysis, whereby practical experience and overarching mobility aspects will be incorporated. Your contribution creates a sound basis for comparing different approaches and provides a valuable foundation for the evidence-based further development of modern road safety education concepts.

This thesis aims to develop a standardized methodological framework for the systematic collection and evaluation of eye-tracking data from various road users. The focus is on the conception of a survey design, the definition of relevant parameters and the development of protocols for data processing and statistical analysis. The validation is carried out by pilot application on selected data sets, whereby methodological limitations are reflected. The aim is to derive practical guidelines for road safety research that are both scientifically sound and relevant to practice.

The number of cars in a household is heavily dependent on the size of the household. This household size changes in certain situations (birth of a child, a child moving out, death of a parent requiring care). In this thesis, the existing literature on the relationship between household size and car ownership will be presented. A regression analysis with data from the MiD will be used to quantify the influence of the age of household members. Subsequently, structured interviews will be conducted with exemplary selected households after a change in household size (1-2 households/situation).

Road users are exposed to various stressors, which can also have a negative impact on individual health in the long term. Exceptionally high traffic demand, for example, can lead to conflicts or time losses in all traffic systems and cause stress. As part of the work, a concept for the use of a "stress sensor" available on the market is to be developed in order to test its suitability for measurements in the field (preliminary study). The sensor can be provided for one month and is to be used in various situations. The aim is to achieve a comprehensive picture of the possible measurement results through a high variability of possible stressors, but also other possible influencing factors, such as physical activity. Depending on the time constraints, the work can also include the one-month field test and the corresponding evaluation or deal exclusively with the creation of the concept. The aim of the field test is to make statements about the possible use of the sensor technology for stress measurements with test persons in public transport and possibly in other transport systems.

In cooperation with the VDV, key decision-makers in the public transport sector are to be interviewed about their choice of transport. The focus is on their everyday lives, their strategies and how they deal with cognitive dissonance.

On the basis of a comprehensibly justified selection of prime-time television programs (such as Tatort etc.), the aim is to examine how the choice of means of transport of the respective protagonists is staged, which characteristics of the means of transport are portrayed and how, and what conclusions can be drawn from this for social narratives.

The large commercial car-sharing providers continue to concentrate on the big cities. Nevertheless, cars are also lent to each other and shared in rural areas. However, these lending processes are not recognizable as such by outsiders and have hardly been researched scientifically. In the context of this work, the example of a rural community will be used to investigate how often, due to which circumstances, according to which decision criteria and for which purposes private cars are currently informally lent between households.

For this purpose a questionnaire is to be developed on the basis of a literature research, which determines the everyday practices and attitudes to informal car sharing with differently familiar groups of persons. With this questionnaire a pretest is to be carried out and evaluated with simple statistical procedures. On the basis of the response behavior, the suitability of the questionnaire for the research objective is to be reflected, including concrete suggestions for changes. The questionnaire can be filled out by the target group in presence or online.

Similar to car sharing, the large commercial ridesharing providers also concentrate on the big cities. Nevertheless, even in rural areas, people are given rides in their private cars or something is brought to them on demand. However, these ridesharing and bring-along practices are not recognizable as such by outsiders and have hardly been researched scientifically. In the context of this work it is to be examined on the example of a rural municipality, how often, due to which circumstances, after which decision criteria and for which purposes at present informally private people take others or bring them certain goods.

For this, a questionnaire is to be developed on the basis of a literature research, which determines the everyday practices and attitudes to the informal taking along and bringing along with differently familiar groups of persons. A pretest is to be conducted with this questionnaire and evaluated with simple statistical methods. On the basis of the response behavior, the suitability of the questionnaire for the research objective is to be reflected, including concrete suggestions for changes. The questionnaire can be filled out by the target group in presence or online.