Freitagnachts unterwegs im ÖPNV: Muster und Motive anhand des Fallbeispiels Karlsruhe

Urban centers play a central role in night-time leisure activities in the city. They combine the offerings of the night-time economies, such as bars, restaurants or clubs, which are often concentrated in separate hotspots. To get to these hotspots, routes have to be travelled and means of transport have to be used. In this context, spatial mobility at night, especially in the field of local public transport, differs in many respects from that during the day. Against this background, the article analyzes the nocturnal mobility processes that take place for leisure purposes on public transport, using Karlsruhe as an example. The basis of the analysis is a data set that was created as part of a student workshop during a nightly survey of the trains of the Karlsruhe public transport system. The results show, among other things, that stops located in the immediate vicinity of night-time economies are used more frequently than average by public transport passengers during the night. Despite some points of criticism, the public transport service at night is largely perceived positively. Nevertheless, the article identifies fundamental potential for improvement and presents suitable scope for action and optimization measures. Finally, recommendations for further research approaches to the topic of night-time mobility are given.