Bus Passenger Transportation Quality Indicators: Organization of Instrumental Research of Additional Environmental and Sanitary Factors

Abstract

The increase in vehicle-to-population ratio, in the number of personal cars and of individual travels defines extra requirements to the public transport service quality and safety within the public municipal passenger transport system. However, while specifying such requirements, the relevant regulations do not always consider the factors important for passenger service quality and driver work such as comfort and more general health and environmental standards. The purpose of the research is to identify additional factors that affect the city bus passenger service quality, to dev elop experimental test procedure and to conduct instrumental analysis of the transport service quality in accordance with the social standard as well as of additional parameters that influence it. The article presents the results of the following parameter measurements and sampling taken in the Moscow city buses: pollutants (hydrocarbons, formaldehyde, carbon (II) oxide and nitrogen dioxide) and artificial lighting (total illumination, lux, percent flicker, %), noise level, vibration, micro-climate. Based on measurements of harmful substances in the air of the bus passenger compartment, parameters of the micro-climate, artificial lighting, acoustic noise levels and general vibration, it was stated that they are within the limits of the permissible norms including those set by the European Union and WHO. Hence, the public transport service quality with reference to the proposed group of additional factors complies with standard requirements. It is proposed to extend the researches to other seasons as well as to other types of vehicles.