Abstract
Nowadays, travelers can use different modes of transport, and they usually choose the most suitable and reliable mode available. The choice of one mode of transport as an alternative to another is subjective. It is usually built upon passenger attitude toward the advantages and disadvantages of using a particular mode. This article proposes analytical methods for and research results on passenger choices for sustainable train journeys as an alternative to traveling by bus. The rank averages of all criteria and their normalized subjective weights were calculated with reference to new linear (ARTIW-L) and nonlinear (ARTIW-N) methods of average rank transformation into weight. A correlation between sub-criteria rank averages and normalized weights is presented, based on the minimum number of passengers required to be interviewed to provide reliable results. The average ranks assigned by passengers to the evaluation sub-criteria and their global weights were used for determining and describing the most and least important key criteria by applying the inverse hierarchy for assessment of main criteria importance (IHAMCI) method. The analysis shows that the most important key criterion belonged to the sub-criteria characterizing economy, while the less important key criteria included ride comfort. The least important key criteria described safety and environmental protection, whose normalized subjective overall weights were the lowest. Rail transport authorities and companies involved in transporting passengers can make this mode of transport more attractive to people by giving priority to improving the services they provide to passengers.
Highlights
The sustainable development of the European Union (EU) is strongly influenced by transport, which is polluting from an environmental point of view
Passengers usually make a decision to travel by a particular mode of transport by evaluating the criteria describing it, whose weights reflecting their significance seem to be different to them
The selection of a particular mode of transport is based on the significances of the considered criteria, which can be determined by using expert evaluation methods
Summary
The sustainable development of the European Union (EU) is strongly influenced by transport, which is polluting from an environmental point of view. One of the most effective ways of improving the sustainability of the transport sector is the choice to use a less-polluting mode of transport. Passenger satisfaction is an important factor in choosing a mode of transport to travel in municipalities and especially in big cities [3]. Mobility is crucial for the development of a country’s internal market and for maintaining the desired life quality of citizens, as it is important for people to exercise their freedom to travel. This means more frequent travel by bus, rail, and air [4]. Viable options can only be available through better integration of modal networks, which means that airports, railway stations, and metro and bus stations should be increasingly interconnected and transformed into multimodal passenger transport platforms [4]
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