Urban Public Transport Service Research Articles

Distribution justice and regional equity of urban public transport Services: Evidence from China

This study gathered empirical evidence of the spatial distribution characteristics of urban public transport services and their impact on regional equity. We used the entropy weighting analysis method to calculate the urban public transport service index based on multi-source geographic and transportation services data in China. QAP (Quadratic Assignment Procedure) regression was used to explore the factors affecting differences in traffic service. Our results showed a significant gap among regions. Prefecture-level cities with highly-developed economies, large geographical areas, or special status (such as province capitals) had high transportation service levels. Transportation services inequity was caused by the economic base of different local governments, resulting in differences in their financial support for public services. We also found that the disparity in transportation services narrowed over time, indicating that transportation service investment has long-term effects. The study's findings show the impact of urban development on transport service equity in developing countries.

Developing electric bus driving cycles with significant road gradient changes: A case study in Hong Kong

Battery electric buses have been increasingly being deployed to replace traditional diesel buses in providing urban public transport services. Accounted for over 30% of daily passenger trips, the franchised bus system in Hong Kong only retained a few battery electric buses after its trial programme. Under the unique bus driving environment in Hong Kong, more evaluations are anticipated for further deployment of electric buses. Driving cycle is a widely adopted platform for the assessment of vehicle fuel economy, energy consumption, emissions and driving range. Therefore, it is necessary to have a purposely developed driving cycle for battery electric buses. A comprehensive review of bus driving cycles developed elsewhere shows that the impacts of road gradients are seldom considered. Therefore, in this study, the only remaining battery electric bus route with significant gradient changes was selected for speed data collection and synthesis for a set of driving cycles. Results shown that driving characteristics of this route were comparable to urban bus cycles developed in other cities, but were slightly different from bus cycles developed for other conditions. It was also observed that battery electric buses appeared to be less responsive to drivers’ acceleration activities than that of a supercapacitor bus.

Urban Public Transport Services in Selected Czech Towns

Urban Public Transport Services in Selected Czech Towns

Optimization of Urban Public Transportation Considering the Modal Fleet Size: A Case Study from Palestine

We introduce a simple yet efficient approach to optimize the modal fleet size of urban public transportation services, considering both user- and operator-oriented factors. This is envisaged to enhance the potential for achieving sustainable urban transportation systems and, eventually, opportunities to create sustainable cities. The presented constraint optimization approach can be described as follows. First, the expected passenger demand and the cycle time for the public transportation service are estimated. Next, the desired constraints and parameters, such as those related to the headway and seat supply, are determined. Finally, the optimal combination of different vehicle classes and the number of trips satisfying all the defined constraints are determined. The case of an urban area in a developing country is considered. The resulting solution determines the optimal numbers of public transportation trips and vehicles, by mode, required to meet the expected passenger demand, provide a high-quality service with acceptable headways for passengers, and, at the same time, reduce the service providers’ costs as well as the environmental impacts. It is also concluded that a fleet composed of different modes can better facilitate the achievement of the optimal solution for passengers and service providers compared with the one-mode fleet.

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.

Unequal periurban mobility: Travel patterns, modal choices and urban core dependence in Latin America

Latin America is a highly urbanized region characterized by remarkable inequality levels, also reflected in an uneven distribution of opportunities, making socio-economic segregation quite visible. Since the individual possibility to travel and therefore access to urban opportunities strongly depends on socio-economic status and the distances to overcome, highly unequal patterns of mobility and accessibility emerge. The continuous expansion of Latin American cities originates specific mobility-related inequalities visible in periurban areas, which tend to lack some key urban opportunities and public transport services usually available in cities. Due to established and new patterns of territorial segregation, these areas may generate new forms of marginality in relation to mobility, posing challenges for public action and territorial governance. Our paper considers if and how periurban areas experience different forms of mobility-related inequalities in three Latin American metropolises in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia (São Paulo, Santiago, and Bogotá, respectively). We do so by examining the differences among urban core and periurban zones based on four elements: socio-demographic features, access to the public transport system, spatial continuity, and functional dependence. Our analysis shows that the three metropolitan regions have different structures: while Bogotá and Santiago appear to be more dependent on the urban core, São Paulo shows more autonomous and self-sufficient periurban zones. The analysis also highlights different forms of peripherality, defined by differentiated mobility patterns and modal choices that suggest that city-specific lines for public action might be needed.

Designing demand responsive transport services in small-sized cities using an agent-based model

This paper presents an agent-based model (ABM) to simulate and compare two different operation strategies of a public transport service in small-sized cities, namely a fixed-route transit (FRT) and a demand-responsive transport (DRT) service, under varying demand rates and supply configurations. The ABM builds upon a previous work by the Authors, where flexible and feeder services of a Mass Rapid Transit system were simulated. In this paper, instead of a many-to-one pattern typical of a feeder service, we considered a many-to-many one. The objective is to investigate the conditions that make a DRT more attractive than a FRT in small-sized cities and guide its design considering the demand fluctuation, land-use pattern, service constraints and passenger preferences. A dispatching algorithm for the DRT allows to assign each new trip request to a vehicle, and a couple of origin and destination stops, updating the vehicle schedule in real time. The service includes fixed and virtual stops, allowing request consolidation and balancing operator-related (cost of the service) and user-related (quality of service) needs. The model is applied to Vittoria (Italy), a small city with 60,000 residents in Southern Italy where most trips are made by car, also due to the absence of an urban public transport service. First results highlight the benefits of providing a flexible service compared to a fixed one to minimize detours, waiting times and walking distances experienced by passengers while allowing for a higher shareability and efficiency of the service.

Spatial and social inequalities of job accessibility in Kunshan city, China: Application of the Amap API and mobile phone signaling data

The equity distribution of job accessibility for different traffic modes or different groups of people is a socio-spatial inequalities issue, which analyses and identifies job accessibility gaps. However, few studies have focused on the inequality of accessibility in medium-sized cities of developing countries. This paper aims to determine the spatial gaps of urban public transportation services in Kunshan by analyzing the difference in job accessibility between public transportation and private cars, and social inequalities between different housing price communities. First, resident population and employments data were obtained by mobile phone signaling data, and the travel time of different traffic modes during the morning peak hour were used by the Amap Application Programming Interface (API). This method helps researchers obtain more accurate travel costs because it provides real-time information about traffic conditions. Then we use relative accessibility to identify areas with large accessibility gaps, using the Gini index to evaluate the equity of different housing price communities' job accessibility. The study finds that as the travel time threshold changes, the job accessibility gaps between public transportation and private cars gradually narrow. At the same time, the results of the Gini index show that high house prices communities have a fairer distribution of job accessibility. This research provides a scientific basis for optimizing the socio-spatial distribution of public transportation services in China context.

Kent İçi Toplu Ulaşımın Operasyon ve Bakım Uygulamalarında Yeni Model Arayışları

Kent içi toplu ulaşım gelişmekte olan ülkelerde genel olarak lastik tekerlekli sistemler üzerinden yürütülmektedir. Lastik tekerlekli kent içi ulaşım operasyonlarında en temel modeller, özkaynak modeli ve belirli bileşenlerin piyasadan satın alındığı modellerdir. Türkiye’de kent içi toplu ulaşım hizmeti sağlama görev, yetki ve sorumluluğu belediyelerdedir. Belediyeler, lastik tekerlekli sistemlerin işletilmesi konusunda artan personel maliyetleri, yükselen filo yaşı ve kanuni kısıt gibi nedenlerle son yıllarda yeni model arayışlarına girmiştir. Çalışmada lastik tekerlekli kent içi toplu ulaşımda temel modeller incelenmiştir. Devamında Türkiye’de son yıllarda uygulanmaya çalışılan yeni modellerin detayları ve uygulama sonuçları ortaya konulmuştur. Uygulanan yeni modellerin güçlü ve zayıf yanlarına değinilmiştir. Çalışmanın önemi, kent içi ulaşımda lastik tekerlekli sistemlerin operasyonunda temel modeller ile yeni model arayışlarının kıyaslanması ile ilgili çalışma boşluğunun doldurulmasıdır. Çalışma sonucunda temel modellerde personel aidiyeti ve yüksek maliyetlerin; hizmetlerin piyasadan temin edildiği dış kaynaklara dayalı modellerde rekabet, operasyon istikrarı, ödeme performansı, bakım kalitesizliği ve çalışanların memnuniyetsizliğinin önemli olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Belediye tarafından destekleme ödemesi yapılmasına dayalı modellerde yolcu memnuniyeti, sefer artışı ve belediyenin katlanmak zorunda olduğu maliyetlerin artması ön plana çıkan hususlardır.

Computationally efficient train timetable generation of metro networks with uncertain transfer walking time to reduce passenger waiting time: A generalized Benders decomposition-based method

With more and more interchange stations in a large-scale metro network, passengers tend to transfer between different metro lines from origination to destination, sometimes even more than once. Passenger waiting time is one of the critical standards for measuring the quality of urban public transport services. To support high service quality, this paper proposes a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model for the train timetable generation problem of a metro network that minimizes the transfer waiting times and access passenger waiting times. In the mathematical formulation of the model, the transfer walking times at the interchange stations between two connected lines are treated as uncertain parameters. The robust train timetable generation model is formulated to optimize timetables by adjusting arrival and departure times of each train in the metro network to reduce access and transfer passenger waiting times. A robust counterpart is further derived that transforms the formulated robust model into a deterministic one. Moreover, a generalized Benders decomposition technique based approach is developed to decompose the robust counterpart into a subproblem and a master problem. The subproblem is a convex quadratic programming problem that can be solved efficiently. Finally, two sets of numerical examples, consisting of a small case and a large-scale case based on a real-world portion of the Beijing metro network, are performed to demonstrate the validity and practicability of the proposed model and solution approach.

Public Transport Affordability Evaluation for Addis Ababa City

The affordability of transportation services refers to the financial burden the travelers bear in purchasing such services. Key factors that affect affordability include travel demand, supply, competitiveness, quality, and cost of transport services. Surveys indicate that transport users consider affordability an important planning objective, but conventional transport planning tends to give little consideration to it. Public transport is one of the key instruments to bring sustainable mobility to cities, and its supply and quality must be maintained at acceptable levels for it to be a desirable mode of transportation. The ever-increasing demand for mass mobility resulting from rapid population growth and extended urbanization in the City of Addis Ababa calls for the provision of good quality, affordable urban public transport services. In this research, the affordability of public transport of Addis Ababa was studied. The majority of data were acquired from the City Transport Bureau. The analysis of data produced a city-wide observed affordability index (Affo) of 14.13% with the highest and lowest values of 32.11 and 3.69% for Q5 and Q1, respectively. The difference between potential and observed affordability is 28.34%. This indicates that, to reach the same motorized trip rates as the third quintile, those households in the lowest quintile need to increase their transport expenditure by 28.34% in Addis Ababa. The results of this study show that the dual affordability metric both in terms observed and potential affordability can provide an effective basis to improve the affordability of public transport in the city by adopting measures that are customized according to regional characteristics at the sub-city level.

EVALUATION OF SPATIAL FAIRNESS OF URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICE：A CASE STUDY OF WUHAN CITY

Abstract. Spatial equity of urban public transport service is an important index to evaluate the potential of sustainable development of urban transport. This paper, taking Wuhan as the study area, the use of public transport network data and population density of 1 km2 grid data, using Moran’s I reveals research area spatial correlation between different variables and the significance, in order to under different scales of whole and local area in Wuhan city public traffic service demand and supply of the current situation and problems of space fairness is analyzed. The research shows that there are significant differences in spatial fairness of public transport service in Wuhan, and the service configuration level of central urban areas is higher than that of non-central urban areas. According to the Moran’s I, Huangpi District was the worst administrative district in spatial fairness, and Dongxihu District was the best administrative district. The evaluation based on spatial fairness can help to realize the rapid optimization of public transport service system, improve the spatial inequity of service supply and demand, and provide scientific basis for the optimization and upgrading of public transport system.

An Improved Ant Colony Algorithm for Urban Bus Network Optimization Based on Existing Bus Routes

Adding new lines on the basis of the existing public transport network is an important way to improve public transport operation networks and the quality of urban public transport service. Aiming at the problem that existing routes are rarely considered in the previous research on public transportation network planning, a public transportation network optimization method based on an ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm coupled with the existing routes is proposed. First, the actual road network and existing bus lines were abstracted with a graph data structure, and the integration with origin–destination passenger flow data was completed. Second, according to the ACO algorithm, combined with the existing line structure constraints and ant transfer rules at adjacent nodes, new bus-line planning was realized. Finally, according to the change of direct passenger flow in the entire network, the optimal bus-line network optimization scheme was determined. In the process of node transfer calculation, the algorithm adopts the Softmax strategy to realize path diversity and increase the path search range, while avoiding premature convergence and falling into local optimization. Moreover, the elite ant strategy increases the pheromone release on the current optimal path and accelerates the convergence of the algorithm. Based on existing road network and bus lines, the algorithm carries out new line planning, which increases the rationality and practical feasibility of the new bus-line structure.

A Bus-Scheduling Method Based on Multi-Sensor Data Fusion and Payment Authenticity Verification

It is of great significance to ensure public transportation management capabilities by improving urban public transport services. One method is to solve the problems related to the quality of data submitted for public funding as well as the accuracy and transparency of the supervision and review processes; moreover, improving public-transportation-service systems is a viable method to solve such problems. With technological advancements and the application of new technologies such as automatic driving and multiple payment, it has gradually become difficult for user-data verification systems, based on the original single bus payment method, to cater to these new technologies. Diversified payment and complex management methods have highlighted the need for new verification methods. Firstly, in this paper, we constructed the Origin–Destination (OD) model of bus-passenger flows by using real-time transmission of passenger-multiple-payment data, on-board-video passenger flow detection data and vehicle real-time positioning data. On this basis, the bus waybill data of other intelligent bus systems and the wait data of bus stations were integrated, so as to establish the travel chain theory by matching passenger flow and the temporal and spatial distribution model. Then, an OD analysis of public-transport passenger flows could be carried out, with a detailed analysis of vehicle, station and line-passenger flow, and the travel characteristics of public transport passenger flow could be excavated. Then, according to the means-end chain theory, the spatiotemporal distribution of the passenger flow data was obtained to carry out an OD analysis of the passenger flow, so as to perform a refinement analysis of the vehicle, station, and passenger flow. Thereby, the characteristics of the passenger flow were explored. Subsequently, payment-authenticity-verification models were established for the data-validity assessment, video-data analysis, passenger-flow estimation, and early warnings in order to determine the authenticity of the payment data. Lastly, based on the multi-sensor passenger flow data fusion and the data authenticity verification models, combined with the application of new technologies such as the use of autonomous buses, the test was promoted. That is, by taking intelligent bus scheduling as the scenario, the research method was tested and verified with real-time passenger flow data according to historical data. The results showed that the method accurately predicted the passenger flow, and had a positive role in improving the efficiency of payment-data-authenticity verification. The application of the method can enhance the management and service quality of public transportation.

Travel Behavior before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil: Mobility Changes and Transport Policies for a Sustainable Transportation System in the Post-Pandemic Period

This article was motivated by the urban mobility changes observed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. We aim to analyze travel behavior before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil considering two samples of revealed preference online data, independent samples tests, multinomial logit models (MNL), and mixed logit models (ML). The analysis shows a decrease in Urban Public Transport (UPT) use. Comfort and frequency of the UPT service were important factors to attract users during the pandemic period. Ridesourcing services were used for leisure purposes before the pandemic. During the pandemic, they were used for health purposes. Active modes were used more for shopping and leisure purposes during the pandemic. Regarding car users, such as drivers, it was found that they used ridesourcing less often during the pandemic than before. The main contribution of this research concerns the changes in travel behavior that might remain and how these analyses can shape sustainable transportation public policies in the future. Therefore, for a Brazilian study case, this article suggests an increase in the quality of UPT services, a reform on pricing regulations for UPT, an increase in the infrastructure for active modes, an implementation of car demand management strategies, and more strategies to support teleworking as a form of traffic demand management.

Public Attitude to Urban Public Transportation Services in Jember, Indonesia

In this current condition, people’s interest in using public transportation in Jember is decreasing with a low load factor value below 50%. It can be caused by the quality of services provided by service providers to the satisfaction of public transport users. Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) method is used to determine the level of satisfaction of public transport users in Jember District. The satisfaction level of public transport users is obtained from several attributes that belong to the Cartesian diagram. The attributes that need improvement are the punctuality of the services, providing a sense of security and comfort and first aid facilities. The user's willingness to pay is Rp.4,000.00 - Rp.5,000.00. Directions for future studies are presented

Regulação de Transportes Urbanos Rodoviários: o Embate Entre Ônibus e Vans no Rio de Janeiro

This paper intends to contribute to the debate about public policy for the urban transport sector, especially road passenger transportation. The first part provides an overview of the need to regulate urban public transport services and discusses regulatory policies for the bus modal. It presents some good practices in regulation and the risks associated.The second part of the paper examines the regulatory framework for public road transport service in the city of Rio de Janeiro, taking as reference the theory presented in the previous session. It concludes that the concession model adopted in Rio de Janeiro extinguishes (unnecessarily) the competitive pressure in the sector, that the pricing policy adopted contributes to the loss of productivity of public transport and that the ascension of the irregular transport is linked to the failures of the traditional transportation system. The third part of the paper examines precisely an ideal regulatory model – the opposite from the actual practice, which took the urban transport system in Rio to the criminal news.

A capacity matching model in a collaborative urban public transport system: integrating passenger and freight transportation

Working from home becomes the norm; this trend has put added pressure on urban logistics, as large volumes of goods and services are required for domestic use. Meanwhile, public transport operators face a big challenge and trade-off due to higher labour and frequent cleaning costs, with lower passenger revenue over a longer period. Considering the collaborative urban public transport services achieve a seamless movement for both passengers and goods, and could reduce the adverse effects of the existing urban public transport systems. Therefore, a mixed-integer linear programming model introducing the concept of capacity matching is proposed to assist this collaborative urban freight service network in minimising total freight transport time at station hubs and not affecting passenger transportation in this paper. Moreover, an efficient improved optimisation algorithm based on the Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm (ABC) is designed, and the numerical examples and real cases are illustrated to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm. The performance evaluations suggest that the coordinated operating strategy of the collaborative freight transportation system supports increasing mobility demands for freight, resulting in declining congestion levels and reducing transport emissions, while no influence in passenger transport, notably in urban areas.

Research on the strategy of improving the service capacity of district and county governments under the PPP model

The provision of public transport services through the PPP model is unquestionable and common. Since the implementation of the reform, the supply mode of public transport services in various places has become stable, and the clear division of labor between government and enterprises has ensured the stable and effective supply of public transport services. However, in districts and counties where the reform started late, there are still some obvious shortcomings in the process of improving the level of public transport services through the PPP model. The public transport reform in all districts and counties should also be led by the government to achieve moderate competition in the market. The government must work with enterprises to improve urban and rural public transport services. They should also unite with the masses, strengthen information disclosure and mass supervision, and ensure that the reform is in place.

Performance Analysis of Urban Public Transport Service Enterprise in Addis Ababa: Data Envelopment Analysis

Measuring the public transit service enterprise's performance is a powerful tool for decision-making and managerial control to assess the utilization level of various inputs to obtain the desired outputs. Thus, this study aims to measure the performance of public bus transport enterprises of Addis Ababa using the Data Envelopment Analysis method during the year 2016/17 to 2017/18. There is an absence of studies in the country examining public transport sector efficiency using the DEA approach, which makes this research a chance. The study employed an input-oriented DEA model to measure bus transit efficiency. Thus, fleet size and a total number of employees are used as inputs, while covered vehicle km and total passengers transported per year are used as an output to measure performance. Then, the enterprises' technical efficiency and operational effectiveness are analyzed based on secondary data collected from each enterprise. The overall results show Anbessa and Sheger city buses are technically efficient and operationally effective in utilizing their inputs to deliver the desired output compared to others in the city. However, outcomes for Alliance city bus and Public Service Employees Transport Service Enterprise indicate that they utilize their inputs inefficiently and consumed their services ineffectively. Hence, these inefficient enterprises need significant improvements in using their resources to enhance their performance and deliver services incompetent with other operators in the city. Besides, the Government should encourage privately owned public transport operators in the city and provide subsidies and other incentives to all based on their existing performance. Keywords : efficiency, public transport, Data Envelopment Analysis, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/11-7-05 Publication date: August 31 st 2021