Chapter 9 - Public transport

Abstract

The chapter provides examples of analysis methods, such as factor analysis, discrete choice analysis, and structural equation modeling that have been used in studies and scientific analyses, aiming to uncover factors that affect the demand for public transport and determine users' satisfaction about quality of service. Four examples are described: the use of structural equation modeling to estimate factors affecting modal choice in urban mobility including transit, the use of quadrant analysis to identify public transport characteristics that need improvement, the use of factor analysis to assess the public transport quality implications of users' perceived satisfaction, and the use of ordered regression modeling to predict the behavioral intentions of transit passengers. The chapter also includes guidelines that facilitate researchers to better use the methods in their analyses and to draw recommendations on how their results can help policy and decision makers to use them in an effective way so that public transport services can be improved.