Analysis of user perception towards a key set of attributes related to Bicycle-Metro integration: A case study of Hyderabad, India

Abstract

Presently, there is no consensus on the factors which might influence a metro-commuter towards choosing the bicycling as a last mile connectivity option in Indian context. Hence, a broader understanding of the end-user preferences towards key set of determinants related to bicycle-metro sharing is necessary to formulate effective policy measures, which would subsequently lead to sustainable cities and improved well-being of commuters. This article is an attempt to demonstrate a scientific approach to prioritize among an important set of determinants influencing commuter’s decision to use bicycle as an access or egress mode to metro rail. The demonstrated methodology also makes an effort to understand the sources of heterogeneity towards user perception as well. Hyderabad, an Indian metropolitan city, which has recently introduced metro-rail, has been selected as the case study city.Initially, a set of key determinants related to bicycling in general and bicycle-metro integration in particular is identified and commuter’s perception towards these determinants is collected based on a typical five-point likert scale item. Subsequently, the sources of heterogeneity among user responses were explored by using Kruskal Wallis H test, a non-parametric statistical measure. Results clearly indicate that user perception towards several determinants were significantly influenced by trip-specific characteristics such as trip frequency, trip purpose etc. Overall, a clear evidence of heterogeneity among user perceptions on the factors indicates the need for conducting separate analyses for different socio-economic sub-groups. Prioritization of the identified determinants was carried out by an established MADM technique, namely, RIDIT-analysis for different categories of commuters.