Share Of Public Transport Research Articles

A method for evaluating the effectiveness of improving public transport services, parking fee policies, and park-and-ride facilities in order to encourage the use of public transport

Enhancing the quality of public transport services, implementing effective parking fee policies, and developing park-and-ride facilities are common solutions that urban planners and city governments apply to encourage public transport use. However, estimating the impact of these measures on increasing public transport usage during the solution design process is challenging. This article proposes an approach to assess the effects of these measures in the solution design process, which policymakers or city governments can apply to formulate suitable policies and feasible measures aligned with the local context. The approach begins with a survey on travel behaviour, followed by formulating a mode choice model to assess the sensitivity of the mode share to factors affecting mode choice. This approach is applied to Da Lat city, and the research results indicate how to enhance public transport services, determine appropriate parking fee levels, and establish park-and-ride facilities to achieve a public transport share of 5%, 10%, 15%, or higher. One of the main research results shows that the Park and Ride solution is feasible. Additionally, to achieve a growth rate of public transport volume up to 10%, it is necessary to improve public transport quality services combined with an increase in car parking fees in the downtown area

Cycling or Ropeway – Two Choices of Environmentally Friendly Urban Modes

Ropeways have proven to be a suitable extension to public transport in Latin American cities. Numerous ropeway projects are being discussed in Europe. These have not yet progressed beyond the planning stage because, among other reasons, no assessments of potential demand have been carried out. Current travel demand models do not consider mode-specific properties of ropeways and cycling competing with public transport. Based on a stated choice experiment, a mode choice model for people without car availability was estimated. Besides standard attributes like travel times and costs, the impact of mode-specific attributes like service rates, crowding, reliability, personal attitudes and weather conditions were tested. A Mixed-Logit model was estimated showing significant influence of these attributes on mode choice in Graz, an Austrian city with a mode share of 20% each for cyclists and public transport. The introduction of a ropeway can increase the share of public transport, as the high capacity and reliability of ropeways have a positive effect. However, it is unlikely that some groups of cyclists will use the ropeway, as travel time and cost are factors that are more important. The database and the modeling approaches can also be applied to other ropeway projects.

Studying Spatial Unevenness of Transport Demand in Cities Using Machine Learning Methods

The article discusses the issues of spatial unevenness of transport demand in the city by various transport modes. It describes the creation of models using an artificial neural network to estimate the travel time and share by private and public transport in a large city that does not have off-street transport. The city transport macromodel in PTV Visum (V.18) was used as a data source, from which data were obtained on 50 basic parameters taken into account in the specialized software during the development of the transport model. In total, 50 factors act as independent variables that do not have linear relationships with each other and with the dependent variable, which significantly complicates the use of other models. These models allow assessing the influence degree of the most important factors. Further, the article shows the uneven spatial distribution of the shares of trips by private and public transport across the areas of a city. Using machine learning methods, the transport areas of Tyumen were clustered into nine classes belonging to the central sector, where the share of public transport is significantly higher than at the city border. The dependence of the trip share by cars and shuttle buses on the average travel time and distance by private and public transport for each class of transport areas has been established. The research results can be used when creating new transport areas in the city macromodel and when adjusting transport planning documents. The methods used for analyzing big data on the operation of the transport complex can be implemented in the digital twin of the city and the Intelligent Transport System.

A multi-objective optimization model of urban passenger transportation structure under low-carbon orientation considering participating subjects.

The optimization of urban passenger transport structure can effectively save energy and reduce the carbon emission of transport. However, the carbon emission and energy consumption generated by the construction of transport projects are worthy of attention. In this paper, a multi-objective optimization model of urban passenger transport structure oriented to low carbon is proposed considering passenger, operator, and construction. The optimal solution of the model is obtained based on the NSGA-II algorithm, and the validity of the model is verified with a case of Qingdao. The optimal ratio of Qingdao passenger traffic structure considering only the passenger perspective (PS), considering the passenger and operator (POS), and considering the three parties together (POCS) is obtained, respectively. The results show that the optimal structures obtained by the PS, POS, and POCS models increase the public transport passenger share by 12.74%, 20.74%, and 23.70%, compared with the actual values. From both the supply and demand sides, there has been an increase in the passenger share of public transport. The POS model is more suitable for solving structural optimization problems that do not involve construction carbon emissions in the short term. The POCS model is more suitable for long-term comprehensive structural optimization problems. The results of the study provide a reference basis for optimizing the urban passenger transport structure.

Policy-driven strategic transport planning for the Western Province, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s transport sector strives for efficient and effective mobility solutions in terms of the quality and quantity of services provided. However, the modal share of public transport continues to decrease with increasing personal incomes, resulting in the deterioration in service quality of all transport systems in the Western Province. This occurs despite significant government investments in expressways and plans for rapid transit projects. The recent economic crisis in Sri Lanka and the consequent fuel crisis have forced the government to limit investment on transport projects that would be sustainable and bring maximum return on investment. Such selection requires careful consideration of appropriate transport policies and plans. Based on a critical review of existing transport policies and programs, this paper proposes selecting policy-based projects found to be best suited to the Western Province. Several proposals to improve the service quality in different transport modes through better regulation integration of IT and other modern technologies are discussed in terms of selecting policy parameters.

Understanding Influencing Factors of Travel Mode Choice in Urban-Suburban Travel: A Case Study in Shanghai

After the rapid expansion of the subway system over the past two decades, some cities are preparing to build more suburban railways. The emergence of suburban railways is bound to change the choice of suburban passenger transportation. This paper studies the factors that affect the choice of travel mode at the construction stage of suburban railways, aiming to design a more rational suburban railway network and urban public transport service system. Taking Shanghai as an example, this study first surveyed revealed preference (RP) and stated preference (SP) among urban-suburban travelers. Then, we used discrete choice models (DCM) and machine learning algorithms to build a travel mode choice model based on data collection and analysis. Furthermore, the importance of each factor was analyzed, and the effects were predicted under several traffic demand management schemes. Finally, this study proposed some strategies for increasing the share of public transport. On the one hand, it is suggested that Shanghai should continue to develop suburban railways and maintain low pricing of public transport services. Considering the construction and operation costs, the government needs to provide certain subsidies to stabilize prices. On the other hand, as passengers are very sensitive to the “last mile” trips in their suburban railway travel, transport planners should strengthen the connection from and to the suburban railway stations by developing services such as shared bikes and shuttle buses. In addition, the results indicated that some traffic demand management measures can also contribute to a larger share of public transport.

An Integrated Quality Function Deployment and Multichoice Goal Programming Approach for Sustainable Transportation: The Case of Eskişehir

Limiting individual transportation and increasing the share of public transportation has an important place in planning a sustainable transportation system in the urban environments of today. The most important goals for city governments include the ability to attract automobile users to public transportation. At this stage, there is a need for a public transportation system that aims to optimize the criteria of cost, safety, organization, and comfort. It is highly important to measure, assess, and improve the satisfaction of those who use public transportation for sustainable transportation. This study used an integrated quality function deployment (QFD) and multichoice goal programming approach to assess the satisfaction of people who use public transportation and to improve the transportation systems quality. The proposed approach was implemented for the tram system that is currently operational in Eskişehir in Turkey. According to the results that were obtained, with a low cost, it was seen that customer priorities could be met to a great extent as 93.1%. The results of the study are helpful for the decision makers to develop incentive policies regarding public transportation systems.

Транспортный фактор в субурбанизационных процессах Иркутской агломерации

The paper deals with the problems of the Irkutsk agglomeration associated with the increasing role of personal motor transport in the interaction of the city with suburban settlements. The study area includes a number of suburban municipalities most involved in the agglomeration process. The dynamics of the growth of personal vehicles in the context of municipalities is considered. Measurements of the intensity of traffic on the main highways leaving the city, and the ratio of personal and public transport, providing communication within the agglomeration, were carried out. The most intensively developing suburban settlements and the busiest highways - Kultuksky and Baikalsky, connecting the city with the nearest settlements on the coast of Lake Baikal and the waters of the Angara bays, along which there is an increase in cottage and garden-dacha construction, have been identified. At the same time, the share of public transport in the structure of flows is directly proportional to its intensity, which contributes to congestion and traffic jams at the exits from the city. The factors and reasons influencing the development of different areas of suburban areas are considered. Based on the results of the analysis, recommendations are given for optimizing the transport network in order to minimize existing problems and further systematic development of the agglomeration.

Пространственная неравномерность распределения по районам города Тюмени транспортного спроса на передвижение индивидуальным и общественным транспортом

The article considers the unevenness of the spatial distribution of the shares of transportation by private and public route traffic in the districts of the city of Tyumen. According to the results of clustering of transport districts of Tyumen, all districts are divided into 9 classes. In areas belonging to the central sector, the share of public traffic transportation is significantly higher than in areas located on the city border. There are specified the dependences of the share of trips by cars and shuttle buses on the average travel time and transportation distance by individual and public transport for each class of transport areas.The results of the study can be used to create new transport areas in the macro-model of the city.

Ending the myth of mobility at zero costs: An external cost analysis

Although transport externalities are known to be substantial, their estimates are uncertain, especially when comparing modes. This paper presents a comprehensive approach to assess the external costs of various modes of transportation, including public transport, motorized individual transport, sharing services, and active mobility. The methodology also covers multiple external cost categories, namely air pollution, climate, noise, land use, congestion, accidents and barrier costs, as well as the health benefits of active mobility. The city of Munich, Germany, serves as a case study to calculate the total external costs of transportation per year. Furthermore, the developed approach allows the assessment of transport policy scenarios to investigate the impacts of changes in the mobility system, such as modal shifts or electrification. In Munich, diesel and gasoline cars cause almost 80% of all external costs. Increasing the active mobility share is more beneficial in terms of external cost reductions than increasing the public transport share or electrification rate.

Predicting the Impact of Demand- and Supply-Side Measures on Bus Ridership in Putrajaya, Malaysia

Putrajaya is a unique Malaysian city from a transport policy perspective because of its explicit goal to achieve a 70 percent share of public transport to its core precincts. A study was recently commissioned with the aim of quantifying travelers’ responses to policy measures to ensure effective strategy formulation. This article describes and discusses the methods, results, and policy implications of the study. Econometric estimation results show that improvement in public transport alone is incapable of inducing sufficient modal shift to achieve the goal of a 70:30 split between public and private transport. Although service quality positively influences ridership, modal split is generally not very sensitive to variation in the quality of public transport service. Thus, demand management measures appear to be indispensable as a policy tool to reduce dependence on private transport.

A comparative economic assessment of urban transport infrastructure options in low- and middle-income countries

Several innovative public transport (PT) projects have been developed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where cars, motorcycles and buses share the facilities. However, there seems to be very little evidence on assessment methods to analyse the feasibility of different PT modes and identify the most cost-effective mixed transport system. To address this issue, this study develops a comparative economic assessment (CEcoA) based on the PT technologies’ characteristics and the conditions of local transport networks. The assessment integrates four models. First, a social cost model (SCM), that calculates the social costs of each mode and mixed transport systems, is the key model in the assessment. Second, an incremental elasticity analysis (IEA) evaluates changes in total demand by using the demand elasticity with respect to a composite cost. The IEA solves the first drawback of the SCM that demand is assumed to be fixed. Third, an incremental logit model (ILM) estimates changes in modal shares with respect to generalised costs. The ILM overcomes the second disadvantage of the SCM, where preferences of users for all alternative transport modes are not considered. Fourth, a microscopic simulation model (MSM) simulates all existing transport modes’ flows on the local network. The MSM solves the third drawback of the SCM, which only considers an isolated corridor without any interaction between the different modes and any junctions. The assessment was applied to compare an existing mixed transport situation and twelve options with an introduction of new PT technologies (Bus Rapid Transit - BRT, elevated Metro and Monorail) replacing the existing bus services; either wholly or partially, and with or without a congestion charge scheme for private transport (PRV) on a corridor in Hanoi, Vietnam in terms of average social cost (ASC), total demand and PT share. The results show that eight options with BRT or Monorail or Metro are feasible, whilst the BRT option that replaces all existing buses and includes congestion charging is the best alternative in terms of ASC. Transport planners and decision makers can draw on the findings of this research. A congestion charge scheme might be considered for the local conditions to meet specific objectives such as a reduction in ASCs and an increase in modal share of PT. The CEcoA can be a strategic tool for not only planning new PT technologies on corridors in the whole network but also retrospectively evaluating investments of PT modes. Moreover, the methodology of the CEcoA might be applied and modified to various transport networks with an abundance of motorcycles to assess the costs and benefits of new PT modes and mixed transport systems with or without the congestion charge.

Modelling gamma coefficient in the Gompertz curve to determine the variability of vehicle ownership saturation

Vehicle ownership forecasting models based on the Gompertz curve generally employ per capita Gross Domestic Product as the primary explanatory variable. The γ coefficients in the curves specify the ultimate vehicle saturation level and α, β the profile of the S-curve shape. The γ coefficient is assumed to be the single universal value that all countries will eventually reach. The present research hypothesised that countries could have variable saturation levels and, as such, the γ coefficient would not be a universal constant. On that premise, it attempted modelling the γ coefficient as a function of several other extraneous factors that significantly influence a country’s vehicle ownership and ultimately its saturation level, thus resulting in a country-specific γ; the application of the Gompertz model and the relationship of vehicle ownership would then be influenced by the country-specific characteristics. It was found that, while vehicle ownership is influenced by the GDP as in the case of Gompertz model, the country-specific γ would also be influenced by other identifiable variables such as household size, population density, share of public transport, and percentage of female drivers in each country. The results confirm the globally observable phenomenon that high-income countries do not converge to a universal vehicle ownership saturation level. Singapore and Hong Kong are examples, usually excluded from the Gompertz model, which can now be explained by the new model.

COVID-19 and transportation of India: influence on infection risk and greenhouse gas emissions.

COVID-19 have significant impact on travel behaviour and greenhouse gases (GHG), especially for the most affected city in India, Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR). The present study attempts to explore the risk on different modes of transportation and GHG emissions (based on change in travel behavior) during peak/non-peak hours in a day by an online/offline survey for commuters in Indian metropolitan cities like MMR, Delhi and Bengaluru. In MMR, the probability of infection in car estimated to be 0.88 and 0.29 during peak and non-peak hour, respectively, considering all windows open. The risk of infection in public transportation system such as in bus (0.307), train (0.521), and metro (0.26) observed to be lower than in private vehicles. Furthermore, impact of COVID-19 on GHG emissions have also been explored considering three scenarios. The GHG emissions have been estimated for base (3.83–16.87 tonne), lockdown (0.22–0.48 tonne) and unlocking (2.13–9.30 tonne) scenarios. It has been observed that emissions are highest during base scenario and lowest during lockdown situation. This study will be a breakthrough in understanding the impact of pandemic on environment and transportation. The study shall help transport planners and decision makers to operate public transport during pandemic like situation such that the modal share of public transportation is always highest. It shall also help in regulating the GHG emissions causing climate change.

Effects of COVID-19 on mobility GHG emissions: Case of the city of Lahti, Finland

The coronavirus disease COVID-19 has spread worldwide since early 2020, and it has impacted mobility emissions due to mobility restrictions and e.g. increased remote work. This creates a good opportunity to assess how mobility emissions have reduced due to COVID-19. This research is based on data related to mobility distances and modes that have been automatically collected by using a mobile phone application in the city of Lahti, Finland. The results show that mobility decreased in total by approximately 40% during the first wave of COVID-19 in spring 2020. The global warming potential decreased at the same time by approximately 36%. In addition, a considerable shift in modal shares could be seen. The relative modal share of passenger cars increased by 6 percentage points while the share of public transport decreased by 18 percentage points. Despite the considerable reduction, further reductions in emissions from mobility are needed to meet the 1.5 degree climate targets in the urban mobility sector. However, further reductions can be reached also by increasingly using renewable mobility energy sources.

Impact of degrading air quality on mode choice and emissions – Study of ten global cities

People are most exposed to ambient air quality while travelling. They are therefore likely to change their travel choices to minimize exposure. We assess the impact of degrading air quality on modal shares and equivalent CO2 emissions per capita per trip for ten global cities using a scenario-based approach. The scenarios are based on literature that are used to estimate the likely change in modal share and average trip length by mode for ten global cities. The study shows that the non-motorized transport and public transport (PT) share is likely to decrease and personal vehicle share is likely to increase in the selected cities of high-income countries (HIC). In middle-income countries (MIC), both PT and personal vehicle share is likely to increase. The expected absolute change in emissions per trip is likely to be higher in the HIC cities than in the MIC cities. However, the existing air quality levels are poor in the MIC cities imposing a greater threat on the existing modal shares and emissions per capita per trip. The study also shows that the increase in income in the MIC cities shall result in an increasing impact of degrading air quality on modal share.

Public Transport in Rural Roads: Measures to Increase Its Modal Share in Iran

The supply and demand management of rural public transport has gained an important place in Iran, given its decreasing trend over the last decade. Accordingly, an effective approach is to analyze stakeholders’ opinions in this field to identify the effective local solutions for increasing the share of this transport method. The used methodology was to design a mixed questionnaire, a part of which included fuzzy pairwise comparison, while, in its first layer, the variables were classified using rotary analysis. In the other two sections of the questionnaire, the respondents were asked to express their opinions regarding the questions in the form of qualitative and words cloud. According to the inquiries made from the users in 20 selected terminals of Iran providing services to more than 85% of rural passengers, the indicators were weighted and divided into two groups based on the rotary analysis. The weighted results obtained from the users’ opinions revealed that the safety, dynamics of incentive policies, and traffic system performance in the rural transport had the highest effects on the micro- and macro-level indicators. In the second section, based on the qualitative questions, a multivariate linear estimation model of the number of rural passengers was constructed. Moreover, in the third section, the users’ suggested keywords focused on policy-making, travel time optimization, quality of services, and safety. Both the second and third sections had an acceptable agreement with the pairwise comparisons. Given the vast area of Iran and the distance between the population centers in the country, the obtained solutions to increase the share of public rural road transport included reducing the desirability of travel with private cars in short rural distances through interaction with industrial towns around metropolises, along with providing such areas with special services to attract passengers to rural transport with occupational goals.

Assessment of the noise level on arterial streets depending on traffic flow indicators

The intensity of traffic flows increases every year and intensifies its impact significantly on urban territory's ecologic situation and natural environment. In Ukrainian cities, the growth of noise pollution is quite a topical problem as it has a significant impact on the environment because of the increase in car numbers. Traffic flow intensity and densification of the built-up area cause the increase of the noise level. As analytical methods of calculation of determination of traffic noise level have several disadvantages, then for assessing the level of noise on arterial streets of Lviv city, research is carried out with consideration of traffic flow indicators. One of the critical criteria that have an impact on noise pollution in the urban environment is traffic flow composition. Conducted research indicates that the speed of traffic flow creates significant noise pollution, especially on those streets where cobblestone is a road pavement. Freight and passenger transport that moves along arterial streets causes the increase of noise level and increases its impact on the city territory. On sections of arterial streets in peak periods of the day with high values of volume-capacity ratio and general share of freight and public transport of more than 30% in a flow, the noise exceeds the acceptable norms and has a harmful impact on the environment. That is why it is necessary to assess noise pollution and the development of protection measures from noise during the planning and construction of some urban regions or residential areas. It is established that to lower the noise level on streets, it is necessary to consider existing intersections of arterial streets and the regime of movement on them. To lower transport noise, it is necessary to distribute freight and transit transport by city streets more rationally, use qualitative public transport, and limit the maximal speed regime on city streets. Further research on the road network will provide an opportunity to assess the noise level distribution of traffic flows in Lviv city. It will help to determine the problem places and propose methods of combating traffic noise.

Pioneers of electric mobility: Lessons about transport decarbonisation from two bay areas

Electric mobility has the potential to spearhead transport decarbonisation. While there is a vast literature on the potential benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) towards sustainability and national policies of EV adoption, regional and local polices are often overlooked. Hence, this paper aims to capture lessons learned from two bay areas, namely the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) in China and the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA) in the United States. These two regions are pioneers in electric mobility within the two largest economies of the world. An integrative methodology of transport decarbonisation and backcasting analysis are applied to analyse the progress achieved so far (2000–2018) and to project future carbon reduction potentials (2019–2050). Regional and local transport CO2 emissions are estimated by a distance-based approach. The results illustrate that electric mobility has led to carbon reductions of 1.73 Mt CO2 and 0.25 Mt CO2 in 2018 in GBA and SFBA respectively, contributing to a relative decoupling status in both regions (e = 0.85 &e = 0.14). Intra-regional variability in decoupling status is observed, with stronger spatial variations in GBA. The backcasting analysis suggests that the EV share needs to reach almost 100% before 2035 so that the 450 Delayed Action vision can be achieved. This requires a proactive policy package of cleaner electricity with emissions performance standards, EV sales mandates, expanded public charging infrastructure, and a range of measures to incentivize EV market uptakes. Major driving forces of decoupling, including vehicle kilometre travelled, public transport share, and regional/local EV policies, are also identified and discussed.

Is taxation being effectively used to promote public transport in Europe?

Public transport is a pivotal utility in increasing the long-term sustainability of cities. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in promoting a sustainable modal shift that reduces dependence on private vehicle use. This strategy has involved several specific actions, among them employing price differentiation between the two substitutes considered in this research – public transport and private cars. Governments can influence fares in different ways. However, fiscal policy governing applicable taxes is one that is often neglected in the literature. This paper investigates the relationship between the market share of public transport and taxation – in particular, value added tax (VAT), which is levied on three main products: public transport fares, fuel, and vehicle ownership. The results show that taxes matter, but not all taxes are determinant. A lower VAT rate on public transport fares and a higher tax rate on vehicle ownership can lead to an increase in public transport's market share. Taxing car utilization through VAT on fuel does appear to be significant.