Integrated Transit System Research Articles

Composite Accessibility Index: A Novel and Holistic Measure for Evaluating Transit Accessibility

The accessibility of public transport is a vital factor for the overall success of transit operations. It determines whether people choose to use and rely on public transport by assessing the ease of accessing opportunities. Accessibility, as a measure of the system’s performance, encompasses various travel segments and can be evaluated from different perspectives. Evaluating transit accessibility in data-constrained environments, particularly in developing countries, requires an optimal framework. The present study proposed a framework by modifying available accessibility measurement indices and trying to encompass all affecting variables in a single composite index. The integrated transit system comprising the bus rapid transit system and city bus in Surat city, India, is selected to demonstrate the proposed framework. The results of the ranked-based correlation coefficient test exhibit the comprehensive assessment capabilities of the proposed composite index in evaluating transit performance. Surat city’s transit network shows better coverage based on the gravity model theory, that is, moderate performance in local coverage offered capacity per population. However, it exhibits poor accessibility with respect to reaching destinations, resulting in below-average transit accessibility. Except for the city center and eastern part, 65% of the city area experiences inadequate accessibility of public transport. These findings align with the city’s low transit mode share of 2.5% and stagnant daily ridership of 0.25–0.28 million passengers in the last half decade. The composite index map serves as a planning tool for optimizing the utilization of available resources and guiding future policy implementations.

Exploring the travel behavioral differences for the elderly mobility on public transit

ABSTRACT Developing an integrated transportation system has required strategies to improve mobility in public transportation networks. This study aims to construct a route choice model incorporating heterogeneous travel behaviors and suggest policy improvements considering travel behavioral characteristics for the elderly in transportation planning. A stated preference survey has been established to explore the travel behaviors on public transit. The behavioral differences of elderly travelers are compared with young adult travelers by the parameters of travel time attributes. Travel time multipliers are developed to compare the time impedance for the travels on public transit using the concept of willingness to pay. Travelers are reluctant to increase the transfer time for all types, resulting in multipliers ranging from 1.91 to 2.11. The results provide the implications of transport policy for the elderly considering a convenient transfer on the integrated transit system in an aging society.

Evaluating transit-oriented new town development: Insights from Seoul and Tokyo

This study evaluates 7Ds (density, diversity, design, distance to transit, destination accessibility, demand management, and demography) from a transit-oriented development (TOD) perspective for four large-scale new towns (NTs) in the suburban areas of Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo, Japan. The analysis revealed variations in self-sufficiency and travel behavior based on these differences, leading to four main policy implications. First, Seoul’s NTs demonstrated high-density mixed-use development, promoting localized short-distance travel within these areas. This highlights the importance of encouraging high-density mixed-use development to foster commuting self-sufficiency. Second, Tokyo’s NTs feature housing development centered on rail transit, resulting in a greater utilization of rail transit modes. This emphasizes the positive impact of rail-transit-oriented development on sustainable mode choice. Third, demand management strategies such as firm-based subsidies and an integrated transit system were identified in the Tokyo and Seoul NTs, respectively. These strategies aimed to provide incentives for choosing public transit over private cars. Additionally, it is crucial to consider the relationship between NTs and their neighboring areas to prevent wasteful commuting resulting from continuous decentralization trends in jobs and housing. This study offers valuable insights for policymakers and planners by highlighting the significance of integrating TOD principles into NT planning and development.

A spatiotemporal analysis of metro‐stop based accessibility to bus services in Shanghai, China

AbstractGround‐level bus offers flexible services with relatively inexpensive fares and high‐level accessibility, thus is the dominant feeder mode for metro in the majority of metropolitan areas in China. Intermodal transfer between the metro and bus networks is therefore a crucial element in the successful operation of an integrated transit system. In this circumstance, a key challenge is lack of appropriate methodologies to evaluate the spatial–temporal disparities of intermodal transfers between metro and bus. To address this issue, this research aims to promote an existing two‐step floating catchment area (2SFCA) model by incorporating the temporal variability of service supply, demand, and travel time to provide a more realistic estimation of accessibility using smart card data and automatic vehicle location data. The proposed methodology was applied in a case study of the metropolitan area of Shanghai in the specific context of metro‐stop based accessibility to bus services. The results of the case study show that the daily fluctuations in output metro‐to‐bus transfer accessibility values are highly sensitive to temporal dynamics of transfer time, service supply, and demand. It is hoped the results output here could give planners and policymakers greater insight into spatiotemporal dynamics on transfer accessibility, and help to establish an effective and efficient integrated transit system.

Measuring the transit benefits of accessibility with the integration of transit systems

Transit systems create various benefits for society and the economy, which are commonly reflected in their accessibility. However, transit accessibility is not necessarily distributed fairly over space, resulting in spatial disparities in transit benefits. This study empirically examines the spatial distribution of transit benefits using accessibility measures specifically designed for public transit systems. To achieve this, a series of standardised transit benefit accessibility measures are developed and applied to the integrated transit systems in Seoul, South Korea, where bus and subway systems are seamlessly integrated via smartcard technology. Our measures assess the distributional impacts of transit integration. Our analysis revealed that transit benefits of accessibility have improved significantly in most areas of Seoul due to the integration of transit systems. However, these benefits have been realised as spatially disparate in Seoul. The findings stress the need for more equitable public transit policies to mitigate the identified spatial disparities.

Evaluating Public and Private Transport of Lahore

Increase in population is a dominant problem that is taking place throughout the whole world and its main cause is rapid urbanizations. Urbanized growth, consequently, has led to a higher number of motorized vehicles, because of which there has been a considerable increase in the number of traffic volume in the recent years. The existing road capacity and level of service does not fully cater the present traffic and transportation needs of commuters. Urban transportation concerns are hampering the growth of sustainable transportation system across the country. Along with the provision of fixed route service, an integrated transit system with this service is the need of a community. The design of the research includes the selection of case study area that is Lahore. The systemized means that has been adopted for accomplishing the objectives of the study conducted include topic selection, comprehensive literature review in context of local along with international scenario, data collection which includes both primary and secondary, data analysis using Excel and SPSS software, data interpretation and laying down suitable proposals. Report writing is being carried out side by side with all other tasks. The major outcomes of the study is by improving the security of public transport and management of public transport the preference of people to use public transport will increases. Also the cleanliness and level of service of public transport will improve then the preference to use public transport will increase. The solution that research recommended for Lahore city is one that has been locally designed to meet the majority's problems, as the solution should be low-cost, environmentally sustainable, and responsive to the social demands of the local people.

University Traveler Value of Potential Real-Time Transit Information

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) have become common in public transit systems, particularly providing real-time transit information. For new implementations, it remains difficult to predict and quantify system and user benefits of technology implementation. Although previous studies have quantified the operational benefits of real-time transit traveler information systems, a gap in knowledge exists around passenger benefits of such systems. The objective of this research was to create a refined method for evaluating transit rider benefits from real-time traveler information and predict changes in traveler behavior. The study was conducted on a rural university campus, isolating the impacts of the system from the multiple influences that often affect transportation in larger metropolitan areas. This study uniquely integrated transit system performance, pedestrian travel times, and traffic simulation to determine travel times and predict mode split. Findings indicated that reducing passenger waiting anxiety was the most significant measure of traveler benefit from such a system. While the benefits found were specific to the study site, the methodology can be used for other transit systems evaluating real-time transit technology investments in rural or urban environments.

Examining Day-to-Day Dynamic Transit Accessibility Using Functional Data Analysis

Measurements of transit accessibility have been used to evaluate the interactions between transit networks and land use and, more recently, to identify marginalized neighborhoods in need of transportation services to support urban policymaking, transportation planning, and the evaluation of transit systems. Because transit systems are dynamic and their weekly use patterns have high temporal variation, their accessibility is also highly variable across days. In this study, we propose a set of dynamic transit accessibility measures that examine the temporal fluctuations of accessibility by public transit modes. To this end, we employ a novel approach of the functional data analysis that takes cross-area time-dependent curves fitted from the daily accessibility values. We examine Seoul’s intermodal integrated transit system to measure dynamic transit accessibilities to capture the heterogeneity of day-to-day fluctuations in accessibility over the course of a week across neighborhoods. The spatial representation of the dynamic transit accessibilities and the clusters based on the measures reveal an urban structure on which neighborhoods are differentiated by temporal fluctuations of accessibility, not just by a traditional concentric urban pattern of accessibility.

Integrating transit systems with ride-sourcing services: A study on the system users’ stochastic equilibrium problem

Ride-sourcing services are continuously gaining popularity among urban travelers. Due to their flexibility and responsiveness, transit agencies spot chances of collaborating with Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) in order to improve service quality, promote transit usage, and meanwhile lower their operational cost. In this paper, we studied an integrated transit system where ride-sourcing services complement the transit service as an efficient and economical access mode. The users of the integrated system consist of not only transit riders but also drivers for TNCs. Riders maximize their utilities by choosing whether and how to use the integrated system, and drivers maximize their payoffs by deciding how to serve riders. More importantly, in this two-sided system, their decisions are unfolded to each other and mutually influence one another such that an equilibrium is reached where no one can improve their outcome. We modeled the stochastic mode choice of riders and zone choice of drivers and captured the interactive attributes in a fixed-point problem. The existence of such an equilibrium was proved, and an iterative solution algorithm that utilizes network algorithms was proposed to find an equilibrium pattern of the stochastic demand-supply problem. A real-world case study using the Twin Cities’ data was carried out, and insights into the mechanism of the integrated transit system were developed. Various aspects of the system including user perception, demand estimation, pricing strategy, and subsidy strategy were investigated through the proposed model. These research outcomes contribute to a better comprehension of this promising mobility system and provide valuable knowledge on the planning and design of such systems.

Unraveling Latent Transfer Patterns Between Metro and Bus From Large-Scale Smart Card Data

Intermodal transfer patterns could provide a better understanding of urban mobility in an integrated transit system. However, the existing literature is still limited related to in-depth data-driven investigations of transfer patterns, particularly between metro and bus. In this study, we propose a generic framework to unravel latent transfer patterns at both aggregated and disaggregated levels. K-means clustering method is first used to classify metro stations based on surrounding built environment. We then introduce the cube technique which allows hierarchical aggregations for each dimension and cross-tabulations of massive ridership data. Last, we redesign the generative mechanism of the structural topic model that is capable of capturing the variability and interdependence in transfer patterns with passenger-level attributes. An empirical study is conducted with large-scale metro and bus smart card data, as well as built environment data in Nanjing, China. The results indicate intermodal transfers exhibit significant heterogeneous patterns in different transfer types over space and time. Although transfers per station in central business district (CBD) areas rank the highest, urban sprawl helps increase the utilization rate of transfer services in inner suburbs with most types of transfer behaviors. Strong correlations are identified among commuting transfer patterns, while correlations remain weak for pattern pairs between commuting and non-commuting activities, reflecting high consistency among commuting activities. Adults play a dominant role in commuting patterns in CBD areas and inner suburbs. Yet, students and the elderly are found to influence the pattern prevalence more effectively in outer suburbs and periphery areas.

BESLEYİCİ OTOBÜS ROTALARININ ÖN PLANLAMASI İÇİN İKİ DÜZEYLİ BİR ALGORİTMA ÖNERİSİ

A sustainable urban transportation system uses different classes of transportation modes whose services should be well integrated. The Feeder Bus Route Network Problem (FBRNDP) is an important part of this integration. FBRNDP primarily deals with the provision of access to an existing mainline movement through feeder transit system usually to expand it’s the service coverage. The multiple traveling salesman problem (MTSP) has similar properties with FBRNDP, thus, making the formulation of MTSP to be adoptable for feeder bus routes. In this study, a bi-level heuristic algorithm is developed to solve this problem by clustering demand nodes around nearest destination and using genetic algorithm (GA) based on fixed start MTSP to optimize the shortest distance the salesmen will have to travel to cover the service area. The algorithm compares well to the results of a case study found in literature and shows a promising way of designing feeder bus routes strictly based on the shortest distance and variation of the number of routes required. The proposed method can be useful in the initial planning of an integrated transit system and it may serve as a seed solution in a multi-objective optimization.

Evaluating Hong Kong’s Spatial Planning in New Towns From the Perspectives of Job Accessibility, Travel Mobility, and Work–Life Balance

Problem, research strategy, and findings: From the 1970s to the 1990s, the Hong Kong government developed several new towns to alleviate pressure on contemporary urban areas and provide housing for a rapidly growing population. Although self-containment is a key objective in building new towns, no research has assessed residents’ behavioral outcomes, limiting the objective assessment of the spatial planning of new towns. In this study, we hypothesize that adequate job accessibility would offer residents shorter commutes and hence more time for noncommute travel and activities and better work–life balance. Drawing on census and household travel survey data, we assess the spatial planning of new towns by investigating the effects of job accessibility on commute and noncommute travel durations. We find that a) there is a disparity in self-containment and access to job opportunities between these towns and urban areas, b) job accessibility strongly influences commute duration, and c) prolonged commutes can reduce noncommute travel duration, particularly for public transportation users, suggesting that this may harm work–life balance for workers with long commutes.Takeaway for practice: Building a self-contained new town requires strategic spatial planning and a concrete plan to develop the local economy. To cultivate local employment, planners should develop a regional plan that differentiates main industries in different new towns. A good starting point would be a thorough understanding of the history, spatial distribution of existing industries and firms, and skills of local workers in these towns. We recommend more proactive efforts to a) establish more self-contained new town communities, b) relocate jobs in certain sectors (e.g., government offices) to new towns, c) strengthen an integrated transit system, and d) adopt alternative work schedules (e.g., telecommuting, flexible work hours) in certain industries to relieve commute burdens, improving both commute experience and work–life balance.

An Optimal Plan of Transportation Terminals in Metropolitan Area

Development of metropolitan area in China has attracted a lot of attention. At this stage, planning of transportation terminals focuses on cities, rather than metropolitan area. In order to achieve the goal of transport integration, it is crucial to propose an optimal plan of transportation terminals in metropolitan area. This paper proposes a coherent set of method to optimize transportation terminals in metropolitan area, including classification of cities and planning of transportation terminals. Classification of cities is based on hierarchical clustering method, and planning of transportation terminals is based on classification standards of the multimodal transportation terminal. Then a case study in Jingjinji metropolitan area has been verified. This method has advantages of less data, simplicity and compatibility of existing terminals. On the basis of exiting and planning terminals, the integrated transit system can be built.

Extended Methodology for the Estimation of a Zonal Origin-Destination Matrix: A Planning Software Application Based on Smartcard Trip Data

A key planning consideration when designing transit services is the projected demand on each route, as this is a necessary input to determine frequencies and vehicle capacities. Predicting demand changes in complex networks requires a thorough modelling of the public transport system and its users’ decisions. Aiming to help in this process, a new transit planning tool (STEPTRANS) is being developed, seeking to predict the reactions of public transport users to network changes, allowing better design and operation of the transport system. This tool needs a reliable origin-destination (O-D) matrix for the city of interest, which is assigned to the transit network, using state of practice route choice models. This work presents an extension of the former methodology implemented in STEPTRANS, which allows a zonal O-D matrix for a city to be estimated, given a stop-to-stop matrix obtained from smartcard trip data. The methodology and extension were applied to estimate models and O-D matrices for Santiago de Chile’s integrated transit system, Transantiago. The extension focuses on three improvements: (1) addressing data limitations by using the latest large scale O-D survey available for Santiago; (2) updating the zonal system, including a new methodology for access links construction; and (3) enhancing the model formulation, incorporating trip pattern corrections and reformulating cost measures using route choice models. The inclusion of the resulting matrices in STEPTRANS will allow the evaluation of major changes to the transport system, as a zonal O-D matrix allows modelled users to choose their initial and final stops.

Subway Service Down Again? Assessing the Effects of Subway Service Interruptions on Local Surface Transit Performance

Cities around the world are keen to offer modern urban transit systems that connect various locations in an efficient and reliable manner with the highest degrees of riders’ experience. These systems may consist of various modes such as buses, streetcars (or trams), and rapid transit systems (e.g., subways). In both research and practice, the quality of transit service has traditionally been measured and investigated on a mode-by-mode basis. Therefore, it is rare to find studies that investigate the impacts of poor performance or breakdown of one transit mode on other functioning modes in multimodal integrated transit systems. This research aims at understanding the impact of subway service interruptions on the speed performance of surface transit in Toronto, Ontario. To do that, a detailed data set of subway service interruptions collected in 2013 by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the public transit provider in the City of Toronto, was used. In addition, another data set was obtained from the TTC’s automatic vehicle location system for 51 bus and streetcar routes that are within a short walking distance of some subway stations. Using two statistical models, the paper results indicate that subway service interruptions have a statistically significant negative impact on bus and streetcar service operations in terms of slower speeds, with more immediate and intense impacts on streetcar service.

Workshop 1 report: Integrating rail and bus based modes (including BRT) into a user-relevant transport system

This paper synthesizes evidence from Workshop 1 ‘Integrating rail and bus based modes (including BRT) into a user-relevant transport system’ of the 15th International Conference on Competition and Ownership in Land Passenger Transport. The paper outlines key findings from 13 research papers presented at the workshop which was structured into five separate issue or challenge areas including A. Perspectives on Intermodal Integration B. Perspectives on Intermodal Competition, C. User and Operational Perspectives on BRT System Performance, D. BRT Design and Development Challenges and E. BRT Implementation and Future Pathways. Based on the three-day collaborative workshop thinking, this paper synthesizes the outcomes of discussions around these topics. Overall despite a wide diversity of participants an overwhelming support for continued development of integrated transit systems was supported to better address the growth, social and environmental challenges of cities into the future.

Integrating ridesourcing services with public transit: An evaluation of traveler responses combining revealed and stated preference data

Inspired by the success of private ridesourcing companies such as Uber and Lyft, transit agencies have started to consider integrating ridesourcing services (i.e. on-demand, app-driven ridesharing services) with public transit. Ridesourcing services may enhance the transit system in two major ways: replacing underutilized routes to improve operational efficiency, and providing last-mile connectivity to extend transit’s catchment area. While an integrated system of ridesourcing services and public transit is conceptually appealing, little is known regarding whether and how consumers might use a system like this and what key service attributes matter the most to them. This article investigates traveler responses to a proposed integrated transit system, named MTransit, at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus. We conducted a large-sample survey to collect both revealed preference (RP) and stated preference (SP) data and fit a RP-SP mixed logit model to examine the main determinants of commuting mode choice. The model results show that transfers and additional pickups are major deterrents for MTransit use. We further applied the model outputs to forecast the demand for MTransit under different deployment scenarios. We find that replacing low-ridership bus lines with ridesourcing services could slightly increase transit ridership while reducing operations costs. The service improvements offered by ridesourcing mainly come from reductions in wait time. Though relatively small in our study, another source of improvement is the decrease of in-vehicle travel time. Moreover, we find that when used to provide convenient last-mile connections, ridesourcing could provide a significant boost to transit. This finding verifies a popular notion among transit professionals that ridesourcing services can serve as a complement to public transit by enhancing last-mile transit access.

Organism's responses to a long-term inhalation of silica-containing submicron particles of an industrial aerosol

In this study we seek to understand the relation between travel information, transit use intentions and night travel. We hypothesize that transit use is related to the perceived usefulness and the ease-of-use of the system, which are related to information quality and real-time information availability. The hypothesized relations are anchored theoretically in the Technology Acceptance Model and validated empirically in two case-studies: (i) Copenhagen (Denmark), characterized by a highly integrated transit system with an advanced web-based information system; (ii) Recife and Natal (Brazil), characterized by a lower perceived level-of-service and non-integrated information sources. Data from a tailor-made survey of 1123 university students were collected. Structural equation models were employed for explaining the use of transit as a function of the observed respondent characteristics and the latent constructs. The results show that: (i) information search quality and source explain transit use; (ii) information quality underlies level-of-service and familiarity; (iii) the use of real-time information links to information quality and familiarity; (iv) general transit use and non-routine use during night and to unfamiliar places are correlated; and (v) the behavioral framework is confirmed with the two case-studies.

¿Hacia una movilidad sustentable? Desafíos de las políticas de reordenamiento del transporte público en Latinoamérica. El caso de Lima

Durante las últimas dos décadas varias ciudades latinoamericanas han reorganizado sus servicios de transporte público, que presentaban bajos estándares de calidad, para establecer sistemas integrados de transporte con mayores niveles de planificación y regulación estatal. Ello ha coincidido con la creciente acogida del enfoque de movilidad sustentable, que busca superar las políticas urbanas centradas en el automóvil y fomentar formas de desplazamiento con una mayor sostenibilidad social y ambiental. Teniendo en cuenta el contexto descrito, el presente artículo analiza la experiencia de reordenamiento del transporte público en la ciudad de Lima. Asimismo, la contrasta con procesos precedentes de reordenamiento de la movilidad urbana en Curitiba, Santiago de Chile y Bogotá. Se concluye que el proceso de reordenamiento del transporte público de Lima, actualmente inconcluso, requiere una serie de ajustes en su diseño e implementación a fin de que el mismo propicie efectivamente el establecimiento de un modelo de movilidad sustentable en la capital peruana.

Competition and regulation in a new integrated transit system across jurisdictional borders

SummaryIt is often argued lately that some regional transit systems should be integrated to improve the transit services across jurisdictional borders. One of the important issues concerning this integrated transit system is how to make proper use of the competition and regulation to improve its performance and to increase relevant benefits to the authorities, the operators and the passengers. This paper deals with this problem in a new integrated transit system across jurisdictional borders. An optimization model is used to investigate the competition of transit operators in oligopolistic competition transit market (OCTM). An optimization model with nonlinear complementarity constraints is proposed to guide the competition of transit operators using transit subsidy as the regulation means in system optimum transit system (SOTM). By analyzing and comparing the performances of the integrated transit system in two markets, numerical studies show that the competition mechanism should be made full use of and transit subsidy is an important regulation means that should be valued by the transit authorities in the integrated transit system. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.