Measuring and valuing convenience

Abstract

The term is often used in relation to transport; the assumption being that a service will be more attractive. Hence those responsible for the specification and supply of public transport have an interest in optimising the level of convenience provided to passengers. However, what makes a service convenient is generally neither well defined, nor understood. Basic attributes such as network size, service frequency, journey time and pricing alone cannot explain passenger demand for public transport modes. Other factors of convenience play a key role in influencing demand and mode choice but they are often more complex and harder to define, measure and value. In this paper we first consider the meaning of the term convenience in transport, and urban public transport in particular, including the attributes which it encompasses. We argue that the good measurement of public transport convenience and service quality is a prerequisite to its valuation and ensuring more optimal policy decisions and management actions to maximise convenience and hence demand. We focus on the urban public transport operator and its measurement of convenience by reviewing the practical experience gained from over 20 years of international benchmarking with more than 50 metro, bus and suburban rail operators in large cities around the world. Specifically, we review the current standards and practices from the urban railway industry in measuring convenience and provide examples of how such performance in metro operations varies globally. It is demonstrated that current practice in many cities remains too operationally based, despite there being an opportunity for much more customer focused measures using the greatly increased data availability from new technologies. The experience of the UK railway industry in valuing convenience related attributes is discussed. Here, a common framework for demand forecasting has been developed combining service quality and convenience measures with other service attributes to effectively measure the attractiveness of the service to customers. The paper concludes by considering the implications and opportunities for public transport operators, authorities and regulators worldwide in better measuring, valuing and managing public transport convenience in order to better meet mobility needs.