Abstract
After attaining great prevalence from the end of 2013, customized bus (CB) transit services have experienced a huge decline in China. The feasibility of this new bus sharing system is thus being questioned. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the actual role of CB services in the overall transportation system based on successful cases, as the role of the CB service determines its primary service object, system construction, marketing orientation, and even government function. To examine the role of CB services, this study investigates the practical performance, advantages, and spatial and temporal coverage of a successful CB system based on practical subscription data for more than two years. The results illustrate that the CB service is an eclectic choice that can balance service quality and cost between traveling by traditional public transportation (PT) and private cars/taxis. Even though the travel cost increased to a limited extent, the CB service significantly improved the travel experience in terms of the travel time, travel speed, number of stations, and difference arrival time compared to PT services. The multinomial logit model and regression models demonstrate a significant positive relationship between the relative advantage and amount of demand for the CB services. Furthermore, the CB service primarily serves trips generated during the peak traffic hours of the city and supplements traditional PT service in areas with poor coverage levels.
Highlights
With the rapid urbanization and motorization in developing countries in recent decades, the population of urban areas has increased dramatically, as has the number of vehicles in use
Developing a customized bus (CB) system before being perfectly clear regarding its role in the overall transportation realm can lead to a huge waste of resources in those cities that experience a drastic decline in customers
It is imperative to investigate the actual role of CB services in the overall transportation realm based on successful cases, as the role of the CB service determines its primary service object, system construction, marketing orientation, and even government function
Summary
With the rapid urbanization and motorization in developing countries in recent decades, the population of urban areas has increased dramatically, as has the number of vehicles in use. Developing an advanced, appealing PT system appears to be the best option (or, perhaps, the only real solution) to tackle the above issues and is in line with policies introduced by governments to restrict the use of private cars based on the number of license plates, including implementing a license plate lottery system for vehicle purchasing, imposing road tolls, raising parking fees, and promoting implementation of electrical buses. These policies were developed to encourage more drivers to use PT system, reduce traffic congestion and vehicle exhaust emissions, and further develop the PT system to promote sustainable transportation system [5,6,7,8].
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