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A literature review of the passenger benefits of real-time transit information
Abstract
Recently, it has become common practice for transit operators to provide real-time information (RTI) to passengers about the location or predicted arrival times of transit vehicles. Accompanying this is a growing body of literature that aims to assess the impacts of RTI on transit passenger behaviour and perceptions. The main objective of this research is to compile a literature review of studies that assess the passenger benefits of RTI provision. The results suggest that the primary behavioural changes associated with providing RTI to passengers pertain to decreased wait times, reductions in overall travel time due to changes in path choice, and increased use of transit. RTI may also be associated with increased satisfaction with transit service and increases in the perception of personal security when riding transit. A second objective of this review was to identify areas for future research based on remaining gaps in the literature; two keys areas that were identified are assessing actual behavioural changes of path choice of transit riders and conducting cost–benefit analyses post implementation of RTI systems. The results of this study have immediate implications for public transit operators considering implementation or expansion of RTI systems and researchers seeking topics for future investigation.
Supplementary resource (1)
... According to the Web of Science (WOS), the last five years (2018)(2019)(2020)(2021)(2022) have seen an exponential growth in the academic literature in research on the implementation of smart innovations in the public transport system (Brakewood and Watkins 2019, Drabick et al. 2021, Ingvardson et al. 2018, Lopez et al. 2019) and the development of techniques and policies aimed at improving transport sustainability (Alonso et al. 2018;Alkharabsheh et al. 2021;Awasthi et al. 2018, Gutierrez et al. 2021, Shekhovtsov et al. 2020, Solano et al. 2021. The present study contributes to the literature and to this recent interest by providing the user's assessment of these innovative and sustainable practices, using the Spanish case study. ...
... In terms of measures to improve sustainability in transport, the literature review indicates a growing interest in transport innovation and intelligent ICT solutions. Recent studies analyse the incorporation of card payment methods, the way in which stations interact with passengers, interactive service information screens and access points, among others (Brakewood and Watkins 2019, Drabick et al. 2021, Ingvardson et al. 2018, Lopez et al. 2019. Other studies analyse innovation linked to the improvement of factors that can be considered subjective (Duleba and Moslem 2019), along with the development of techniques and policies based on the planning, design and operation of transport systems (Alkharabsheh et al. 2021;Alonso et al. 2018;Awasthi et al. 2018;Gutiérrez et al. 2021;Solano et al. 2021;Shekhovtsov et al. 2020). ...
... In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the academic literature on the implementation of smart innovations in the public transport system (Brakewood andWatkins 2019, Drabick et al. 2021) and the development of techniques and policies aimed at improving the sustainability of transport (Gutiérrez et al. 2021;Solano et al. 2021). Also, the literature review has shown several studies analyzing the variables in this research separately, but none have established the same model. ...
No one doubts the importance of public transport services in the economic backbone of any country. In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the contribution to Sustainable Development Goals on the part of governments, companies, and stakeholders. In this sense, transport can contribute to the sustainability of cities and facilitate other social objectives, such as universal accessibility, with innovation being a key pillar for this. Thus, the main objective of this study is to analyze users’ perceptions of the innovation and sustainability of public transport in Spain.
To analyze the user’s perception of public transport, a questionnaire was developed following Bitner’s Servicescape Model. A total of 1,354 responses were collected in different Spanish cities. The main results show that the policies implemented in both innovation and sustainability are perceived positively but do not seem to have much impact on the service user. Public transport users prioritize the speed, frequency, and safety of the service received. In addition, it should be noted that the gender of the user influences the preferences of the objectives, i.e., men value technological development in public transport more. At the same time, women give higher priority to sustainability. The age of users is another variable that conditions public transport users’ perceptions of innovation and sustainability. The results also show users’ preferences for different types of public transport.
The study’s main contribution is that it shows to what extent the innovation and sustainability policies applied in the public transport service are valued and motivate citizens to use the service. The political and management decisions may be disconnected from the reality perceived by users. These decisions may be more linked to regulatory pressures and involve a high implementation cost, so it is necessary to consider the valuation of users’ service so that the benefit or social return of these investments is high, encouraging the use of the service.
... Real-time transit information which is "a system of up-to-the-minute tracking using automatic vehicle location or circuit systems" (Brakewood & Watkins, 2019), is increasingly being implemented in transit networks worldwide (Cats, et al., 2011). Through automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems, the location of a vehicle is sent to a central server often located with the transit authority, and this information is subsequently disseminated to travelers either directly or through application programming interfaces (APIs) (Brakewood & Watkins, 2019). ...
... Real-time transit information which is "a system of up-to-the-minute tracking using automatic vehicle location or circuit systems" (Brakewood & Watkins, 2019), is increasingly being implemented in transit networks worldwide (Cats, et al., 2011). Through automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems, the location of a vehicle is sent to a central server often located with the transit authority, and this information is subsequently disseminated to travelers either directly or through application programming interfaces (APIs) (Brakewood & Watkins, 2019). ...
... For policymakers, GPS-based smartphone applications offer an opportunity to engage with the spatial reality of local communities and their travel patterns (Joseph et al., 2020). According to Brakewood & Watkins (2019), the sudden growth of real-time information in transportation has also been because of three primary advancements in technology. Firstly, there has been a growth in the manufacture and use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS). ...
Mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), is a concept originally developed to enhance transport accessibility through the provision of tailored mobility services that are paid for in one package. Tailored on-demand transport sharing as MaaS proposes, could allow for greater optimization of transportation resources, reduction in congestion, and a shift away from car dependence. In so doing, MaaS can create sustainable consumption and ensure the maximization of otherwise underutilized public transport assets. In the developing world, the concept of MaaS can seem abstract and challenging to implement. This is primarily because the transport forms available in these places are unstructured, informal and often, poorly regulated. Despite this, public transportation options in developing countries stand the chance of benefitting the most from the inclusion of technology in their operations. To implement MaaS in developing countries, there may be a need for a re-envisioning of MaaS itself. Additionally, gaps that can be filled with technology have to be identified, and operator and commuter willingness to adopt technological innovation, determined. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges in implementing MaaS in developing economies and makes recommendations of best-fitting technological solutions for these settings. The paper proposes as well, a conceptual business model for a paratransit-based MaaS, constructed around the current operations of paratransit.
... Features that could allow commuters to; make advance arrangement for rides (passenger booking feature), e-payments to trotro drivers/mates (payment feature), cancel rides without a charge (ride-cancellation), track trotros in real time, report driver and mate misbehavior (reporting feature/trip evaluation feature), and use the digitized service with no-Wifi, were identified as being potential technology-based features of paratransit (Dzisi et al., 2021;Schmidt, 2013;Vanderschuren and Baufeldt, 2018). Brakewood and Watkins (2019) as well identified that, technology-based transit solutions (such as real time transit information) made transit riders generally more satisfied with transit services. Technology-based transit solutions via cellphone [and other personal devices] also increased frequency of transit use (Brakewood et al., 2015a,b;Ferris et al., 2010;Gooze et al., 2013;Tang and Thakuriah, 2012) and feelings of personal safety (Brakewood et al., 2014), while decreasing actual and perceived wait times of transit services (Brakewood et al., 2014;Brakewood et al., 2015a,b;Ji et al., 2017;Watkins et al., 2011). ...
... In this study, it was hypothesized that understanding service quality issues of the trotro and possible factors that could discourage commuters (of all groups) from using it, could help in addressing the issues of this mode of transport. The technological solutions assessed were also hypothesized to create better satisfaction (Brakewood and Watkins, 2019) with trotros and have bearing on its continued use (Cardozo, 1965). ...
... The features presented to commuters included; a booking feature (that could allow commuters to make advance arrangement for rides), a payment feature (that could allow commuters to make e-payments to trotro drivers/mates using the app), a ride-cancellation feature (that could allow commuters to cancel rides without a charge), a real-time trotro tracking feature (that could help commuters readily locate the next available trotro), a driver and mate reporting feature (that could allow commuters to report driver/ mate misbehavior), and a no-Wifi feature (that could allow commuters to use the MaaS service without WiFi). These features were selected based on (Brakewood and Watkins, 2019;Eszterg ar-kiss & Ker enyi, 2019;Schmidt, 2013;The World Bank, 2011;Acheampong, 2021;Dzisi et al., 2020). Features that were observed to have more than 50% of the respondents select them were considered most in-demand for the trotro service, and most likely to highlight also, areas of concern as regards service quality. ...
In Ghana, minibus taxis (trotros) are an important mode of transport that commute about 60% of the traveling public. In spite of their popularity, minibuses are generally inefficient, disorganized and have low service quality. In an attempt to assess service quality of the service, a modified SERVPERF tool was developed. Differences in perceptions of service quality between male and female respondents were also assessed, and the attractiveness of certain technological features as possible remedies to service quality issues were determined. Using an online Google forms version of the modified SERVPERF, responses from nearly one thousand commuters were collected. The link to the questionnaire was dispersed via social media (Whatsapp and Telegram) since the data was collected during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana. Following a factor reduction, the most important service quality factors determined to affect trotro users were (i) Reliability of the service, (ii) Variability in cost and (iii) Responsiveness. Respondents also identified technologies that could help them (a) book, (b) report driver misbehavior, (c) make safe e-payments and (d) track the location of trotros, as most likely to improve their trotro service quality. The findings suggest that some mobility as a service features could have possible benefit for the trotro. The study is however limited in its ability to determine the exact impact of these technologies since it uses a stated preference approach. Future research could explore the willingness of other stakeholder groups such as operators in adopting these technologies since their participation would be key to the success of any such scheme.
... These technological advancements not only improve the comfort and accessibility of transportation services but also aid in the reduction of traffic congestion and carbon emissions, making them more sustainable (Schroten et al., 2020). According to the Web of Science (WOS), the scholarly literature on the deployment of smart technologies in public transportation has grown exponentially over the last five years (2018-2022) (Brakewood & Watkins 2019, Drabicki et al. 2021. In recent years, transportation businesses have prioritized service innovation as a means of differentiating themselves in a highly competitive industry (Lopez et al. 2021). ...
... Passengers value a clean and well-maintained environment since it contributes to their comfort and overall experience (Saw et al., 2020). Furthermore, providing accurate and real-time information on train schedules, delays, and any disruptions is critical for keeping passengers informed and reducing frustration (Brakewood & Watkins, 2019). According to reports (Díez-Mesa et al., 2018), metro businesses' service quality has a significant impact on passenger satisfaction. ...
The metro systems have witnessed a significant growth and development over recent decades due to the advancement in innovated technologies in transport industries. Dubai Metro is a result of the tremendous development in the United Arab Emirates. However, metro service operations have become challenging, especially in urban areas that are characterized by the dynamic increase in population so passenger satisfaction could be a difficult objective to obtain. The particular mechanisms by which service innovation influences passenger satisfaction have not been well investigated in the literature, especially in the case of Dubai Metro. Due to that, studying passenger satisfaction allows for the identification of areas that require attention and improvement, leading to more efficient and effective metro transportation systems. Therefore, this paper aims to highlight the role of service innovation on passenger satisfaction in Dubai Metro. A study on Dubai Metro is based on the perspective of disruptive innovation theory to help this company to attain a high level of passenger satisfaction due to service innovation. The analysis of literatures reveals a substantial relationship between service innovation in metro transport sector and passenger satisfaction. the research on passenger satisfaction is critical for the development of public transport in general and metro systems in particular because it provides valuable insights into the needs and preferences of commuters. By understanding what makes passengers satisfied, transport authorities can make informed decisions to improve the quality of services, enhance overall customer experience, and ultimately increase ridership. Abstrak: Sistem metro telah menyaksikan pertumbuhan dan pembangunan yang ketara sejak beberapa dekad kebelakangan ini disebabkan oleh kemajuan dalam teknologi berinovasi dalam industri pengangkutan. Metro Dubai adalah hasil daripada pembangunan yang luar biasa di Emiriah Arab Bersatu. Walau bagaimanapun, operasi perkhidmatan metro telah menjadi mencabar, terutamanya di kawasan bandar yang bercirikan dinamik pertambahan penduduk sehingga kepuasan penumpang boleh menjadi objektif yang sukar diperoleh. Walaupun mekanisme tertentu yang mana inovasi perkhidmatan mempengaruhi kepuasan penumpang belum disiasat dengan baik dalam literatur, terutamanya dalam kes metro Dubai. Untuk itu, mengkaji kepuasan penumpang membolehkan mengenal pasti kawasan yang memerlukan perhatian dan penambahbaikan, yang membawa kepada sistem pengangkutan metro yang lebih cekap dan berkesan. Oleh itu, tujuan kertas kerja ini adalah untuk menonjolkan peranan inovasi perkhidmatan terhadap kepuasan penumpang di metro Dubai. Kajian mengenai metro Dubai adalah berdasarkan perspektif teori inovasi yang mengganggu untuk membantu syarikat ini mencapai tahap kepuasan penumpang yang tinggi dalam inovasi perkhidmatan yang wajar. Analisis literatur mendedahkan hubungan yang ketara antara inovasi perkhidmatan dalam sektor pengangkutan metro dan kepuasan penumpang. penyelidikan dalam kepuasan penumpang adalah penting untuk pembangunan pengangkutan awam amnya dan sistem metro khususnya kerana ia memberikan pandangan berharga tentang keperluan dan keutamaan penumpang. Dengan memahami perkara yang membuatkan penumpang berpuas hati, pihak berkuasa pengangkutan boleh membuat keputusan termaklum untuk meningkatkan kualiti perkhidmatan, meningkatkan keseluruhan pengalaman pelanggan dan akhirnya meningkatkan jumlah penumpang.
... Evidence indicates that providing users with interactive RTI in mobile formats improves their ability to make informed decisions before travel commences (Poon, 2021;Sutar et al., 2016). Adequate information prior to commencing a journey is argued to allow riders to determine their arrival time and consequently reduce unnecessary wait time (Brakewood and Watkins, 2019). The efficiency and flexibility of tailoring transport trips to individual circumstances is suggested to improve user satisfaction with public transport and encourage potential reuse (Brakewood and Watkins, 2019). ...
... Adequate information prior to commencing a journey is argued to allow riders to determine their arrival time and consequently reduce unnecessary wait time (Brakewood and Watkins, 2019). The efficiency and flexibility of tailoring transport trips to individual circumstances is suggested to improve user satisfaction with public transport and encourage potential reuse (Brakewood and Watkins, 2019). For authors such as Sutar et al. (2016), the omnipresence of smartphones is the catalyst needed to develop a transit system that provides service based on user demand not on predetermined transit timetables. ...
This paper reviews the emerging potential of mid-tier transit, articulating how a complex set of established and new factors could contribute both to better transit outcomes and the associated urban regeneration around station precincts. The analysis is based on two structured literature reviews, supported by insights from the authors’ original research. The first provides an overview of the established and new rationale for mid-tier technologies such as the established Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as well as the new Trackless Tram Systems (TTS). The established role for mid-tier transit is now being given extra reasons for it to be a major focus of urban infrastructure especially due to the need for net zero cities. The second review, is a detailed consideration of established and new factors that can potentially improve patronage on mid-tier transit. The established factors of urban precinct design like stop amenities and improved accessibility and density around stations, are combined with new smart technology systems like advanced intelligent transport systems and real-time transport information for travellers, as well as new transport technologies such as micro-mobility and Mobility on Demand. Also explored are new processes with funding and development models that properly leverage land value capture, public private partnerships, and other entrepreneurial development approaches that are still largely not mainstreamed. All were found to potentially work, especially if done together, to help cities move into greater mid-tier transit.
... For control purposes (i.e., actions such as holding or short turning), a model of future operations is required [1]. Moreover, accurate predictions of delays, disseminated through real-time information systems, assist passengers in decision making considering route, mode and departure time [2]. ...
... Real-time information results in many passenger benefits increasing passenger satisfaction [2]. Predictability can be crucial for improving real-time information systems. ...
Predictions of transit delays are crucial to passengers and operators. Passengers utilize the predictions to decide on departure time, route choice, and mode choice, whereas operators decide on schedules, timetables, rolling stock allocation, and control actions. We introduce the concept of predictability of transit travel times as the study of the reduction of the predicted variability with the temporal approaching of a predicted event. We evaluate predictability on a real-life test case in Zurich, Switzerland, spanning multiple transit lines over one year of operations. The concept is shown based on predictions obtained by a state-of-the-art Bayesian network approach, where we show how predictability (in general) can be modeled as an exponential decay phenomenon. The study of predictability of transit operations leads to additional insights for control actions and system analysis compared to other complementary concepts such as punctuality or regularity, for instance, concerning bunching, identification of bottlenecks, and passenger routing.
... Provision of RTI of arrival and departure times of buses to users resulted in an increase of 14.5% in perception of quality amongst them [4]. A study [5] evaluating the benefits of RTI provisioning indicates that RTI induces behavioral shifts in users pertaining with higher satisfaction with PT services due to decreased waiting times and reduced total travel time due to alterations in route selection. ...
Public transportation (PT) systems play a vital role in urban mobility, yet the lack of synchronization between trip planning resources often leads to user frustration and potential shifts towards private vehicle usage, exacerbating traffic congestion and environmental concerns. This paper proposes leveraging 5G/6G networks to enhance communication within PT networks, addressing issues of timetable accuracy, route management, and environmental monitoring. Through continuous data transmission from vehicles to the mobile communication network, aided by AI algorithms in Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) precise arrival time predictions, real-time route adjustments, and environmental data capture are facilitated. This innovative approach aims to improve the reliability and accessibility of PT, ultimately fostering sustainable urban development and enhancing societal well-being.
... Greater satisfaction can potentially increase people's willingness to choose public transport over private transport and thus promote a more environmentally friendly alternative. Real-time information reduces both actual and perceived waiting times, which has a significant impact on overall satisfaction with public transport services [10]. ...
The open data market is growing, driven by laws requiring governments to make data publicly available. However, the true value of this market lies in the products and services derived from open data. In Slovenia, the open data market has been growing since 2015, especially in the field of mobility. Platforms such as Avtolog.si facilitate the retrieval of vehicle data via vehicle identification numbers, while tocen.si, ojpp.si, and brezavta.si aggregate mobility data, focusing on sustainable and micromobile public transportation services. These platforms use open government data and private sector open data, and are freely accessible. This study examines the use of open data in the Slovenian mobility applications and similar solutions developed in other countries. By mapping these applications, we gain valuable insights into potential advances in the field, and provide a useful resource for future developers worldwide. By focusing on the socio-economic impact of these innovations, the study identifies methods for evaluating such applications. This approach highlights how transforming open data into user-friendly products and services can deepen our understanding of their broader societal and economic benefits. While open data is valuable in its own right, its full transformative potential is realized through innovative products that support sustainable lifestyles and promote environmentally conscious behavior.
... Thus, it is possible to say that, passengers almost have more precise and perfect information about the attributes of the runs. Such a kind of information and travel experience allows passengers to determine the minimum-cost path for themselves (Brakewood and Watkins 2019). In this sense, we employ Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm to assign each passenger to the minimum-cost path (Dijkstra 1959). ...
Electric buses are projected to become the standard mode of transit systems in the foreseeable future for sustainable transportation. Realizing this transition necessitates a meticulously planned electricity infrastructure design which should be handled simultaneously with the traditional transit network planning to enhance the efficiency of electric transit networks. For this integrated problem referred to as the Electric Transit Network Design and Frequency Setting Problem, several studies have been conducted, with the absence of evaluating the energy state of each electric bus individually. The Multi-Objective Differential Evolution Algorithm (MODEA), developed to address the complex problem at hand, is tested on a hypothetical network by filling research gaps in previous studies. Energy states resulting from the individual evaluation of each bus in the best Pareto optimal solution considering dynamic aspects of the transit network are presented comprehensively. Furthermore, the impact of dynamic characteristics on the electric transit network design is demonstrated by comparing the findings obtained on the static network.
... In this sense, potential improvements include to make more visible the information about existing crime surveillance methods at the suburban rail stations and trains or displaying more accurate waiting times in nearly empty platforms at night. However, there is evidence that real-time information for waiting times (even at night) is unlikely to increase the perceived security on PT (Brakewood and Watkins, 2019;Lopez-Carreiro et al., 2020), so we would recommend more generic actions such as better lighting and surveillance. ...
... The users have reported low service quality and unreliability of paratransit services (Dzisi et al., 2021;Nwachukwu, 2014;Sam et al., 2018). Providing travel information such as travel time has proven to help ease anxiety and improve user experiences for formal bus services (Brakewood & Watkins, 2019;Gooze et al., 2013) and has been recommended for paratransit services (Sam et al., 2018). ...
... Second, our findings suggest that ICT use can also contribute to the sustainability of transportation systems. Prior research indicates that people can obtain more real-time transit information via the Internet when traveling by public transit, which helps reduce waiting and transfer time (Brakewood and Watkins, 2019) and thus encourages the use of public transit. Meanwhile, our research indicates that ICT can help people be aware of more information about distant stations and make full use of transit systems. ...
... These issues create trouble for both passengers and the businesses that are responsible for operating the various systems. Hence, the goal of public transportation is to fulfill a wider range of social and economic needs rather than just getting people from point A to point B. A review articles on the real-time transit information describing its benefits was published by Brakewood et al. [16]. The saving of time, security of passengers and choice to select the path were possible benefits that were obtained by using real-time transit sharing information. ...
Now a day’s the traffic all over world is a major concern toward mitigation of accidents, which is growing day by day. Hence, an effort has been made to examine the degree of technology that is at the heart of traffic management systems and can be acceptable. Therefore, for the proper utilization of advanced systems or technologies, it is indeed to explore all possibilities that can be incorporated into the systems align with public transportation rather than only considering the moving of people from point A to point B. So, the utilization of various forms of communication media provides an additional viable option for enhancing the administration of transportation systems. Hence, in this article an attempt has been made to compile the evolution of transportation system and need of advanced systems alongside the challenges encountered during development of advance transportation system. Furthermore, an effective discussion that provides the grounds for adoption and fulfills the strategic goals of the companies that facilitates the users at high level of contentment with its performance. At last, a comprehensive discussion on the challenges those are associated with public, logistics, goods transportation alongside the solutions that are required for the future possibilities with expansion and acceptance. The discussion is also indeed for high number of people who take advantage of public transit, the regular issues that crop up can be frustrating not only for commuters but also for the businesses that are responsible for providing these services.KeywordsTransportationTechnologyManagementAcceptabilitySatisfactionRequirements
... Additionally, such algorithms should be programmed to match drivers and passengers whose travel distances result in a net profit for the drivers, so that operators/drivers do not run at a loss in the pursuit of commuters. These platforms could also include real-time travel information that allows travelers to know the exact location of their vehicle, thereby increasing commuter satisfaction with public transport (Brakewood & Watkins, 2019). Based on these suggestions, the inclusion of technologies and mobility-as-a-service solutions provides an interesting prospect for creating greater equity for both operators and commuters. ...
... Numerous studies have used all-or-nothing shortestpath assignments based on various hypotheses, such that passengers know when BEBs will arrive at the bus stops and the length of time each route will take to travel (24)(25)(26)(27). We assume that the first premise may be applied logically, given that most transit systems currently offer real-time vehicle arrival information, allowing users to select their perceived minimum-cost routes (28). This algorithm identifies all feasible routes for an OD pair and calculates the corresponding number of transfers. ...
The electrification of traditional transit route networks has been a promising option for urban public transit. Compared with fast chargers, energy storage (ES) technology benefits the planner in relation to cost savings and avoiding high electricity demand charges. Although many studies ignored the potentiality of utilizing ES chargers, this study uses this concept with demand charges to design an electric transit route network by proposing a bi-level optimization model. The upper-level model aims to minimize the total travel times of passengers along with the total number of indirect trips. In comparison, the lower-level problem plans to minimize the total costs of purchasing two types of fast and ES chargers and demand charges for the transit network that entirely operates with battery electric buses (BEBs). Because of the NP-hard nature of the proposed model, the discrete multi-objective grey wolf optimizer algorithm is suggested in a discrete space to search for a feasible solution by providing the Pareto frontier of two objective functions. Also, the initial route set generation algorithm has been applied to generate a new set of transit routes. To validate the proposed model, our model has been tested on a benchmark network of Mumford0 in a small and a Fargo–Moorhead area in a medium size. Our results confirmed that considering ES chargers could save 4.8% and 76.5% (for the user cost), 2.3%, and 111.9% (for the operator cost) of the total network and demand charges.
... In particular, since the COVID-19 pandemic, people have avoided overly crowded vehicles. Real-time information may influence the traveler's decision to travel (travel choice), which mode of transportation to choose for the journey (mode choice), on which path to travel (route choice), where to start and end the trip (boarding and alighting choice) and at which time to travel (departure time choice) [4]. As such, while not directly influencing the supply of public transportation, realtime crowding information (RTCI) may allow the distribution of the peak demand more evenly by informing passengers about the public transportation system's current conditions, hence, improving the quality of the public transportation system for travelers overall. ...
Passengers of public transportation nowadays expect reliable and accurate travel information. The need for occupancy information is becoming more prevalent in intelligent public transport systems as people started avoiding overcrowded vehicles during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, public transportation companies require accurate occupancy forecasts to improve service quality. We present a novel approach to improve the prediction of passenger numbers that enhances a day-ahead prediction with real-time data. We first train a baseline predictor on historical automatic passenger counting data. Next, we train a realtime model on the deviations between baseline prediction and observed values, thus capturing events not addressed by the baseline. For the forecast, we attempt to detect emerging patterns in real time and adjust the baseline prediction with deviations from the patterns. Our experiments with data from Germany show that the proposed model improves the forecast of the baseline model and is only outperformed by artificial neural networks in some instances. If the training sets only cover a limited period of up to four months, our approach outperforms competing methods. For larger training sets, there are mixed results in the sense that for some test cases, certain types of neural networks yield slightly better results, but our method still performs well with less training effort, is explainable along the whole prediction process and can be applied to existing prediction methods.
... Improving the efficiency of public transportation and user satisfaction has been widely studied for a long time [1]. Many cities are committed to make better use of the public transportation system and improve urban traffic by strengthening the intelligent service of public transportation. ...
Real-time transit information (RTI) service can provide travellers with information on public transport and guide them to arrange departure time and travel mode accordingly. This paper aims to analyse travellers’ choices under RTI by exploring the relationship between the related variables of RTI and passengers’ travel choice. Based on the stated preference (SP) survey data, the ordinal logistic regression model is established to analyse the changing probability of passengers’ travel behaviour under RTI. The model calculation results show that travellers getting off work are more likely to change their travel choice under RTI. When data from the control and experimental groups are compared, the differences in route selection are significant. Specifically, passengers with RTI have a more complex route selection than those without, including their changes of travel mode, departure time, vehicles, and stop choices. The research findings can provide insights into the optimisation of intelligent transit information systems and the strategy of RTI. Also, the analysis of passengers’ travel choice under RTI in the transit network can help to improve network planning.
... The Web of Science (WoS), Transport Research International Documentation (TRID), and Scopus were the three repositories of our data sources. These are among the most reliable aggregators of high-quality scientific and scholarly publications such as journals, conference proceedings, and reviews (Avni et al., 2015;Bešinović, 2020;Brakewood and Watkins, 2019;Van Wee and Banister, 2016). The methodology comprised the following key steps. ...
To fully harness the economic benefits and regional connectivity across the African continent, a sprout in railway
redevelopment has been witnessed in recent years. However, there is no study showing the challenges, economic
prospects, and knowledge gaps characterizing railway services in Africa. Given that several countries are
redeveloping and planning their railway infrastructure, it is necessary to review the existing literature to identify
research and policy gaps that African railway transportation planners and their development partners need to
take into consideration. Therefore, this systematic literature review analyzed railway-related papers from Africa
to determine the current knowledge of the railway network, challenges, economic prospects, and environmental
sustainability. The review involved 49 peer-reviewed papers published between January 2000 and June 2022 as
well as two recent World Bank reports on railway transportation in Africa. Results showed low penetration of
electric-powered trains, technology integration, and shuttle services. Passenger demand, price optimization,
route scheduling problems, and transport emission experimentation remain knowledge gaps. The impact of
railway projects on wildlife protection and land cover changes would require more empirical studies. The review
showed that past studies excluded reflections on policies, regulation, planning, and the opportunities and
challenges that come with policy interventions. Prospects realization strategies, including railway training fac
tories, regional implementation of standard gauge railway, and proactive regional action plans have been
identified. This study contributes a knowledge map and recommends research gaps that researchers can inves
tigate to strengthen railway management and redevelopment across Africa.
... It can also provide the predicted arrival time of a transit vehicle at a stop as real-time transit information. Hence, it could benefit passengers by reducing waiting time and correspondingly increase the ridership of transit as a result of elevated transit service and perceived personal security (Brakewood and Watkins, 2019). ...
Predictions on Public Transport (PT) ridership are beneficial as they allow for sufficient and cost-efficient deployment of vehicles. On an operational level, this relates to short-term predictions with lead times of less than an hour. Where conventional data sources on ridership, such as Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) data, may have longer lag times and contain no travel intentions, in contrast, trip planner data are often available in (near) real-time and are used before traveling. In this paper, we investigate how such data from a trip planner app can be utilized for short-term bus ridership predictions. This is combined with AFC data (in this case smart card data) to construct a ground truth on actual ridership. Using informative variables from the trip planner dataset through correlation analysis, we develop 3 supervised Machine Learning (ML) models, including k-nearest neighbors, random forest, and gradient boosting. The best-performing model relies on random forest regression with trip planner requests. Compared with the baseline model that depends on the weekly trend, it reduces the mean absolute error by approximately half. Moreover, using the same model with and without trip planner data, we prove the usefulness of trip planner data by an improved mean absolute error of 8.9% and 21.7% and an increased coefficient of determination from a 5-fold cross-validation of 7.8% and 18.5% for two case study lines, respectively. Lastly, we show that this model performance is maintained even for the trip planner requests with prediction lead times up to 30 min ahead, and for different periods of the day. We expect our methodology to be useful for PT operators to elevate their daily operations and level of service as well as for trip planner companies to facilitate passenger replanning, in particular during peak hours.
... 38 Econometric studies indicate that large U.S. cities that instituted real-time service information increased bus and train ridership by 2%. 39 Interventions can also reduce friction by simplifying behavior, such as by decreasing the number of steps or the amount of decisionmaking required. Strategies that simplify behavior can also hasten habit formation, because simple behaviors consolidate into habits faster than more complex ones do. ...
... The dedicated right-of-way, TSP, and off-board payment on the Green Line helped improve service reliability compared with the local bus routes it replaced. Real-time information now available at stations on both the LRT and arterial BRT lines may have contributed to the ridership as was shown in other cities (31). The LRT route also provided larger vehicles with greater capacity. ...
Cities in the United States and across the world are investing in high-capacity modes with enhanced reliability, including light-rail transit (LRT) and arterial bus rapid transit (BRT), to regain ridership. However, the impact of replacing high-frequency bus service with these modes is not well understood. This paper investigates the ridership effect of implementing LRT and arterial BRT on corridors that were already well served by local bus routes. Using data from Metro Transit in Minneapolis/Saint Paul between 2012 and 2017, overall ridership and frequency on the corridors are evaluated to distinguish between trips that were newly generated and trips that were drawn from the local bus routes running in the same corridor. Fixed-effects models are fitted to estimate how much of the new ridership can be attributed to the high-capacity modes and to the reliability improvements they provide while controlling for covariates. Results show that the Green Line LRT generated 86% more ridership and the arterial BRT A Line generated 12% more ridership than if the transit agency had relied on local bus service. These results demonstrate the potential ridership impacts of replacing and supplementing existing bus service with reliable high-capacity modes.
... For example, Cats et al. [24] suggested that information provision could be beneficial to PT users so that they can adapt their trip. Brakewood and Watkins [25] reviewed recurring benefits in the literature such as a decrease of perceived and actual waiting time, a decrease of the overall travel time due to change in path choice, and an increase in user satisfaction with transit service. Furthermore, RTI can be an effective way of encouraging passengers to shift from private to public transport [3] However, empirical studies of impacts have mostly focused on route choice by car drivers rather than on PT passengers' choices [9]. ...
Information is at the heart of the smooth running of a public transport network and the satisfaction of its users, particularly in disrupted situations. Information is a central element for users to continue to use this mode contributing to sustainable mobility and even attracting new users. Therefore, it is essential to understand how travellers use passenger information to adjust the way it is disseminated to actual usage. This article aims to identify the sources of information used by travellers and at what moments they consult them in order to categorise passengers according to these activities. We conducted an online questionnaire on 258 regular suburban train users of a specific branch of one particular line (with the same information material in the stations). In addition to univariate descriptive analyses, the results were analysed using Multiple Correspondence Analysis and Ascending Hierarchical Clustering to construct six information-seeking profiles named: Improvisers, Monitors, Planners, Circumscribed, Ultra-connected and Routinized. Based on clustering, we were able to link sociodemographic or travel characteristics to information-seeking behaviour. Differences in information acquisition and use were identified. These results suggest great information-seeking behaviour disparities and can provide interesting information to passenger transport stakeholders. The results could be further integrated into a multi-agent simulation.
... With the advancement of LATs, movement data today are becoming available at increasingly higher volumes and variety at multiple temporal granularity collected through diverse modes such as GPS data recorders, call detail records (CDR) of smart phones, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth sensors, and georeferenced social media applications (Batty 2012). Beside contributing to research on understanding of human mobility behavior, other applications of tracking human movement include, but not limited to mapping congestion levels in cities (Kan et al. 2018a;Stipancic et al. 2019), verifying design characteristics of built transportation infrastructure components (Deng et al. 2018), obtaining realtime provision of information about transit services such as expected arrival time of vehicles at boarding stops and stations (Shalaby and Farhan 2004;Brakewood and Watkins 2019), monitoring near real-time information for car travels (Martínez-Díaz and Soriguera 2021), planning optimal logistics distribution development (Žunić et al. 2020), estimation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and travel (Kan et al. 2018b;Neves and Brand 2019;Sui et al. 2019), and modeling disease spread such as COVID-19 (Fang et al., 2020;Kraemer et al. 2020;Lai et al. 2020;Tian et al. 2020;. Different applications using LAT data necessitate different degrees of precision and accuracy (Fillekes et al. 2019;Marra et al. 2019;Schneider et al. 2016;Wolf et al. 2014b). ...
Movement is manifested through a series of patterns at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Movement data today are becoming available at increasingly fine-grained temporal granularity. These observations often represent multiple behavioral modes and complex patterns along the movement path. However, the relationships between the observation scale of movement data and the analysis scales at which movement patterns are captured remain understudied. This article aims at investigating the role of temporal scale in movement data analytics. It takes up an important question of "how do decisions surrounding the scale of movement data and analyses impact our inferences about movement patterns?" Through a set of computational experiments in the context of human movement, we take a systematic look at the impact of varying temporal scales on common movement analytics techniques including trajectory analytics to calculate movement parameters (e.g., speed, path tortuosity), estimation of individual space usage, and interactions analysis to detect potential contacts between multiple mobile individuals.
... Research on existing and future passenger information concepts [7] has shown that innovative and new passenger information technologies represent a great benefit for providers of information services by increasing users' flow in stations. Providing passengers with accurate real-time information can lead to shortening waiting time and decreasing overall travel time due to changes in path choice and increased use of public transport and satisfaction with transit services [8]. The development of IC in the transport sector has resulted in services focusing on customers and their needs by changing passenger transport's previous perception [9]. ...
As a service provided by transport operators to their customers, passenger information systems have become essential when planning a journey. These systems can be divided into systems before and during the trip. They are based on accurate and real-time relevant information provided to all rail and integrated passenger transport stakeholders that users can access through various user devices. It is necessary to establish an information and communication system based on modern architecture and establish the synergy effects of various modern information and communication technologies. In this paper, the authors made a snapshot of the state of the information and communication infrastructure of the railway network in the Republic of Croatia to determine possible directions and phases of development. This paper aims to give an overview of the possibilities of improving the passenger information system on the territory of the Republic of Croatia. The paper proposes modernization, i.e., improving the existing passenger information system according to the proposed phases.
... (i) Railway manager perspective: it is a useful indicator able to measure the service quality level (Veiseth, Olsson, & Saetermo, 2007). Grechi and M. Ceron Research in Transportation Business & Management xxx (xxxx) 100739 (ii) Passenger perspective: it is a central factor for the journey planning process, above all in the case of interchange between different transport modes (Nagy & Csiszár, 2015) and it can modify the future decision of passengers concerning their modal choices (Bai, Jin, & Chiu, 2020;Brakewood & Watkins, 2019). ...
Covid-19 has strongly influenced the mobility of people in several ways and the limitations of mobility in Europe and Italy have conditioned the flows of workers and travelers. Railways, which are one key transport sector, had a clear decrease in passengers all over the world. The analysis, based on six Lombard/Piedmont lines (North-West of Italy), was carried out in the periods immediately preceding and following the lockdown, in which it was possible to move without draconian restrictions, and with mostly regular railway traffic, but at the same time, the number of commuters and occasional travelers was reduced by 40–60%. Using official data from Trenitalia and Trenord, the role of load factor in the railway performance is analyzed, to verify the impact of a substantial reduction in passenger numbers on the overall performance of six railway lines with a special focus on peak hours. The results obtained are not univocal and provide interesting indications, in fact, for some lines, there is an improvement in performance while for others there are no statistically significant differences with the previous year that means a similar performance, which is a starting point for future developments of the work at the national or regional level.
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... Past comparisons of total travel times and access given scheduled versus actual operations (3)(4)(5) have assumed that riders have perfect information and choose the path with the shortest travel time based on foresight. While emerging real-time information systems have the potential to reduce travel time (12,13), the assumption that passengers have perfect knowledge about the future state of the system remains a strong one (14). Even if in-vehicle travel times can be predicted, door-to-door travel times for the same origin-destination pair may vary because individuals often choose the alternative, potentially suboptimal paths. ...
Estimating passengers’ door-to-door travel time, for journeys that combine walking and public transit, can be complex for large networks with many available path alternatives. Additional complications arise in tap-on only transit systems, where passengers alightings are not recorded. For one such system, the Chicago Transit Authority, this study compares three methods for estimating door-to-door travel time: assuming optimal path choice given scheduled service, as represented in the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS); assuming optimal path choice given actually operated bus service, as recorded by automatic vehicle location systems; and using inferred path choices based on automated fare collection smartcard records, as processed with an origin-destination-interchange (ODX) inference algorithm. As expected, ODX-derived travel times are found to be longer than those derived from GTFS, indicating that purely schedule-based travel times underestimate the travel times that are actually available and experienced, which can be attributed primarily to suboptimal passenger route choice. These discrepancies additionally manifest in significant spatial variations, raising concerns about potential biases in travel time estimates that do not account for reliability. The findings bring about a more comprehensive understanding of the interactions between transit reliability and passenger behavior in transportation research. Furthermore, these discrepancies suggest areas of future research into the implications of systematic and behavioral assumptions implied by using conventional schedule-based travel time estimates.
... According to Google [6] , the search results will be ranked based on the relevance; thus, when the number of search results is larger than 100, only the first 100 journal papers will be selected and analyzed. A similar searching process can be found in Brakewood and Watkins [7]. ...
Nowadays, the major ports around the world usually consist of multiple terminals and service centers which are often run by different operators. Meanwhile, inland terminals have been also developed to reduce port congestion and improve transport efficiency. The integrated planning of inter-terminal transport (ITT) between the seaport and inland terminals helps in providing frequent and profitable services, but also could lead to higher overall planning complexity. Moreover, the ITT system usually involves multiple stakeholders with different or even conflicting interests. Although an increasing number of studies have been conducted in recent years, few studies have summarized the research findings and indicated the directions for future research regarding ITT. This paper provides a systemic review of ITT planning: we examine 77 scientific journal papers to identify what kind of objectives should be achieved in ITT system planning, which actors should be involved, and what methodologies can be used to support the decision-making process. Based on the analysis of the existing research, several research gaps can be found. For example, the multi-modality ITT systems are rarely studied; cooperation frameworks are needed in the coordination of different actors and quantitative methodologies should be developed to reflect the different actors’ financial interests.
... In other words, if the passengers are informed about delays within a reasonable time, they could update their schedule and opt for alternatives. A selective literature review of the passenger benefits of real-time transit information can be found in [202]. Moreover, data sources could be used to dynamically optimize and adapt the transit service. ...
Public transport has become one of the major transport options, especially when it comes to reducing motorized individual transport and achieving sustainability while reducing emissions, noise and so on. The use of public transport data has evolved and rapidly improved over the past decades. Indeed, the availability of data from different sources, coupled with advances in analytical and predictive approaches, has contributed to increased attention being paid to the exploitation of available data to improve public transport service. In this paper, we review the current state of the art of public transport data sources. More precisely, we summarize and analyze the potential and challenges of the main data sources. In addition, we show the complementary aspects of these data sources and how to merge them to broaden their contributions and face their challenges. This is complemented by an information management framework to enhance the use of data sources. Specifically, we seek to bridge the gap between traditional data sources and recent ones, present a unified overview of them and show how they can all leverage recent advances in data-driven methods and how they can help achieve a balance between transit service and passenger behavior.
... This presents a timely opportunity to synthesise findings and identify remaining gaps in the literature. Brakewood and Watkins (2019) conducted a literature review to examine the passenger benefits of real-time information displayed on signage or personal devices. They identified three key impacts of real-time information, including reduced wait time and overall travel time as well as increased transit use. ...
Transit apps are cost-efficient strategies to facilitate transit use. This study is the first systematic review that synthesises the literature on these apps’ end-user benefits. We identified limitations in the existing knowledge in terms of study methods, population, and scopes. This review offers insights to guide researchers and policymakers to unlock the potential of transit apps in promoting the use and experience of public transit. We conducted the literature searches in August 2020, covering studies published between 2010 and 2020 from TRID, Compendex, Business Source Ultimate Ebsco, and Acad Search Ultimate Ebsco. Articles were screened and reviewed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. In total, 13 out of 3,812 articles met our pre-specified eligibility criteria. We identified key user benefits in three domains: perception and psychological changes, time savings on trips, and travel behaviour changes. These studies found that smartphone transit apps may improve the perceived reliability of transit services, increase perceived safety, reduce anxiety while waiting, and build a positive image of transit. Also, transit apps could help users reduce wait time at transit stops. Studies further reported that smartphone transit apps have the potential to boost ridership. After critically assessing the articles, we recommended future studies to improve study designs, adjust study populations, and expand study scopes. First, future studies about travel behaviour impacts would need to adopt more rigorous study designs and methods. Second, more studies about infrequent riders and non-riders are needed. Third, current studies have not paid enough attention to the important subgroup of captive riders, such as riders in rural areas who rely on infrequent and unreliable transit services. Fourth, more empirical evidence is needed to quantify the impacts of public sector transit apps. Trip planning and mobile ticketing functions of transit apps are overlooked. Fifth, the established theoretical framework about travel behaviours and emerging technologies could serve as solid theoretical bases and would need to be integrated into future research designs.
... Nowadays most transit systems in the world provide vehicle arrival information through intelligent transportation systems, thus passengers have almost full information on shortest paths. The availability of real-time information allows users to select their minimum paths and also applies in cases when posted schedules are not followed (Brakewood and Watkins, 2019). Reasonably, we expect that an electrified transit system will also provide vehicle arrival information. ...
Electric bus networks are steadily gaining ground as the prominent option for urban public transport. However, in contrast to conventional transit systems operated by diesel buses, electric bus networks are particularly vulnerable with respect to energy supply, both in terms of power level availability and the unobstructed access to charging points. Indeed, power fluctuations can prevent buses from adequately recharging at designated points, affecting extended areas of operation. Similarly, queue formation at terminal stops can lead to poor schedule adherence and excessive delays. In this context, this study addresses research gaps by presenting a realistic and flexible design framework for fully electric public transport networks, tackling both the route network and the charging infrastructure design. To handle the uncertainty associated with power supply, Robust Optimization (RO) is employed for solving the charging infrastructure location problem while maintaining computational tractability. Queuing delays due to charging are also modeled and minimized. To address the integrated design of route networks and wireless chargers, RO is coupled with Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization within a bi-level methodological framework. Different scenarios for power supply variability are considered. Results show that depending on policy priority, the cost of robustness significantly changes.
... The proportion of respondents that were influenced by VMS or radio information accounted for 70%. Mostly, empirical studies focus on users' transportation behavior and the impact of information provision on this behavior; overall, there is extensive literature on related issues (for a complete literature review, see Ben Elia and Avineri, 2015;Clauss and Döppe, 2016;Brakewood and Watkins, 2019). ...
This study aims to assess behavioral changes in transportation habits induced by real-time and multimodal information provided by a mobile application, SmartMoov. The users of SmartMoov (beta-testers) were selected on a voluntary basis. After three months of testing the mobile application in a living lab in Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, we analyzed the beta-testers’ feelings and changes in transportation behavior. Although the beta-testers represented a unique population segment, econometric modeling shows that they were sensitive to the information provided by the application and used it to modify their mobility behavior. They were more likely to change their route and departure time than their transportation mode. While the average travel time and the safety margin affected overall mobility changes (i.e., mode, route, and departure time), there were additional factors that influenced changes in the route and departure time. Specifically, a gender effect was documented in the choice of departure time.JEL classification: R41, C25, O30.
Public transportation (PT) systems play a vital role in urban mobility, yet the lack of synchronization between trip planning resources often leads to user frustration and potential shifts towards private vehicle usage, exacerbating traffic congestion and environmental concerns. This paper proposes leveraging 5G/6G networks to enhance communication within PT networks, addressing issues of timetable accuracy, route management, and environmental monitoring. Through continuous data transmission from vehicles to the mobile communication network, aided by AI algorithms in Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) precise arrival time predictions, real-time route adjustments, and environmental data capture are facilitated. This innovative approach aims to improve the reliability and accessibility of PT, ultimately fostering sustainable urban development and enhancing societal well-being.
Transit service accessibility improvement is an important topic among transit planners and policymakers. Real-time transit information (RTI) sharing with the users has several benefits, such as lower wait time at the transit stops and higher transit accessibility. Previous studies assessed the benefits of RTI sharing mostly by analyzing the survey data and simulation-based studies. This study used field trip GPS data to quantify the transit stop wait time reduction in the presence of RTI sharing. A smartphone app was developed in this study to disseminate RTI to the users (i.e., location, speed, weather, and road condition information). The trip data showed that the average reduction of transit stop wait time after the RTI use was about three minutes on a selected transit route in Morgantown, WV. The calculated coverage area improvement indicates that the network-level stop coverage can be increased by 37 % with the use of RTI. The reduced wait time at transit stops reduced the average trip time, and riders can walk from further distances to reach the transit stops. The findings of this study justify more widescale use of the RTI sharing in an urban and rural environment.
Public Transport (PT) provides passenger mobility and contributes to sustainable transportation. To achieve this a PT system must provide continuous accessible service and connections for passengers. PT reliability is considered a major obstacle to growing its market share. Current solutions primarily address travel time reliability through methods like priority lanes and traffic signal priority. Dwell time reliability improvement, in turn, can be achieved by the use of smart cards which reduce the variability in boarding and alighting times. Another factor affecting reliability is in-vehicle crowdedness which causes delays and increases dwell time variability. To mitigate crowdedness, we propose a monetary approach that dynamically changes the fare based on the in-vehicle crowdedness level in a manner similar to congestion pricing. This approach would shift some passengers from boarding the over-crowded vehicle to waiting for the next, less crowded vehicle, while compensating them for the additional waiting. Passengers unwilling to wait might pay a penalty if the additional waiting time is reasonable. To assess the attitude of passengers towards a dynamic fare model, a stated preference questionnaire was developed to assess the factors that affect the choice of whether or not to board an over-crowded vehicle. Based on panel data and the fixed effect logit model it was revealed that the higher the waiting time, the lower the willingness to board the next vehicle. However, monetary schemes (penalties or discounts) increased the willingness to wait and board the next vehicle. Moreover, the willingness to wait was higher when a penalty was introduced compared to a discount, which is in line with the prospect theory. The results suggest that it is possible to construct a dynamic fare model that using data on vehicle crowdedness levels and waiting times obtained from advanced data collection systems, which is integrated within a mobile payment application. This approach could reduce crowdedness and increase reliability.
This study aimed at assessing the role of travel information provision on behavioral changes in daily mobility in the metropolis of Montpellier in France. We focused on commuter behavior using data collected through an online survey on mobility behavior during the summer of 2015. We found that while 73% of commuters respondents use travel information sources, only 31% of them declared any mobility behavior change. This study explores the impact of specific factors such as socio-demographic variables (e.g., age and gender) and transportation habits (e.g., public transportation pass, travel time, and safety margin). As an operational measure of the prudent behavior, safety margin highlights the threshold effect of travel information provision on behavioral changes. Indeed, three commuter profiles can be distinguished according to their prudence levels: chronically non-prudent, reasonably prudent, and excessively prudent. Finally, the study highlights that travel information provision alone may not be enough to induce a shift in behavioral changes among commuters toward more environment-friendly modes of transportation.
Mobility and access to social, economic, and cultural opportunities are facilitated by the availability of practical location data. Practical location data are scarce in Ghana and most of Sub-Sahara Africa
where cities are typically characterized by informal settlements and a lack of standard address system. The problem is compounded by limited use of indigenous languages for travel services even though the majority of the population lacks familiarity with English. This study attempts to address these issues by developing a mobile app which takes advantage of local location data integrated into OpenStreetMap through Mapbox to provide location and travel planning services in English and indigenous Akan language. The developed mobile app called ‘myTroski’ provides key capabilities to describe landmark information, find nearby landmarks, search and find, travel routing and planning, GPS-assisted map use, and text and audio-assisted navigation. The study shows the formalizing and modernizing location data from paratransit Trotro service and landmarks to mainstream local address systems.
The support of enterprise personnel during the active implementation of remote work is very important. The issue of support and regulation of labor relations during remote work is especially acute. The criteria for control and management of a remote work process by law and the European Parliament have not been strictly and clearly regulated; therefore, this research is particularly relevant. Manufacturing enterprises are the most vulnerable group of enterprises to this kind of change, especially those where human resources are particularly important. This chapter discusses the possibility of using a mobile application for the remote collection of information from employees, as well as their informative support. The mobile application serves as a tool to reduce the tension arising between employees in the process of collecting information about their knowledge, as well as general information about the work shift. The feature of application media can speed up the process of entering and exchanging information within the enterprise and speed up the process of diffusion of the latest technologies in manufacturing.KeywordsManagementHuman resourcesTeleworkHome officeManufacturing
Worm reducers represent basic nodes of machine drives and have a broad range of utilization in various fields of industrial practice. Therefore, great attention is constantly being paid to increase their serviceability. This task is the most frequently solved by means of traditional methods, i.e., through an increase of quality and by heat treatment of worm materials or using a worm wheel with the use of modern lubricants. However, in the case of more complicated modes connected with a high frequency of start-ups, halts, and reversals, good results are still not achieved.The presented research is focused on geometric calculations oriented towards worm gears with cylindrical worm as a result of the study of dynamics of cylindrical worm gears. With regard to the lacks that still remain in the knowledge of the torsional oscillation behavior, detailed attention is paid to the examination of this phenomenon. The explanation is based particularly on the formation of a discrete mathematical and physical dynamic model of cylindrical worm gear which is subsequently used for worm gear modeling and examination.KeywordsDynamic analysisDynamic loadDynamic modelInherent frequenciesMachineParametersSpeedStiffnessTransfer
Calculation of passenger travel time distributions in public transport networks is important for the evaluation of the level of service provided to passengers. Passenger travel times are deterministic for punctual and uncongested networks, but in reality usually have random fluctuations caused by vehicle delays and other incidents. Advanced methods are therefore needed to calculate the passenger travel time distribution between a given origin and destination. This paper presents a novel approach for calculating the travel time distribution from origin to destination based on vehicle delays and possible missed connections in a mixed schedule- and frequency-based public transport network. Markov chains are used to model the network, making the travel time from the origin to the destination phase-type distributed. The approach is flexible with regard to the specification of vehicle travel times and provides the distribution of passenger travel times without any need for simulation. Additionally, it facilitates detailed analyses of passenger travel times conditional on the usage of specific line segments or stops. The merits of this approach are demonstrated using a case study from Copenhagen.
Electrification of surface transportation networks has the potential to reduce oil consumption and transport-related emissions, with many relevant projects currently underway worldwide. Typically, transition to electric public transport services is gradual, as operators select specific lines to electrify during initial stages of electric vehicle deployment. In this context, this study proposes a model for the optimal redesign of an existing transit route network, so that electric buses may be deployed where possible. The proposed model seeks to minimize the implementation cost for electrification while improving the level of service provided to transit passengers. A hybridized Genetic Algorithm is employed to solve the problem at hand while the model is validated using benchmark networks. Scenario analysis is carried out to investigate the effect of important parameters such as battery capacity and charger costs. Results show that the transition to electrification may be achieved with positive impacts on the service quality of the current public transportation network.
Public transport services are often uncertain, causing passengers' travel times and routes to vary from day to day. However, since door-to-door passenger delays depend on both intended and realised routes, they are difficult to calculate , as opposed to vehicle delays which can be derived directly from the widely available Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) data of the public transport system. In this study we use three months of such historical AVL data to calculate corresponding realised routes and passengers delays in a large-scale, multi-modal transport network by formulating and implementing an adaptive passenger path choice model in an agent-based scenario of Metropolitan Copenhagen with 801,719 daily trips. The proposed model allows analysing five different levels of real-time information provision, ranging from no information at all to global real-time information being available everywhere. The results of more than 258 million (positive or negative) passenger delays show that variability of passengers' travel time is considerable and much larger than that of the public transport vehicles. It is also shown that obtaining global real-time information at the beginning of the trip reduces passengers delay dramatically, although still being inferior to receiving such along the trip. Additionally, being able to automatically obtain real-time passenger information while walking and being on-board public transport services is found not to lead to considerable improvements compared to acquiring such information manually while waiting at stops, although slight benefits are demonstrated in supplementary models run with pseudo-intelligent vehicle delay forecasting.
This study assesses current needs in the implementation of real-time transit information systems. Web surveys are used to better understand information supply and demand, defined as the attitudes and experiences with real-time information of transit passengers and agencies, respectively. The most valued types of information demanded were found to be related to vehicle location while the least valued information relates to vehicle characteristics, like seating availability. Smartphone applications were found to be the preferred medium for receiving information followed by Internet/websites and dynamic message signs. The surveys also revealed that demographic and socioeconomic status influence preferences for real-time information. The information supply survey found that approximately 70 percent of surveyed agencies currently offer real-time information. The largest constraint to providing or improving Real-Time Transit Information Systems (RTTISs) was found to be funding, followed by staffing needs. A comparison between the survey results found that the information currently being provided by transit agencies is mostly in line with the information most valued by transit passengers. The few differences that exist are generally because agencies do not provide information on the media preferred most by passengers. To address these differences, several suggestions are made to improve the implementation of real-time information. This information can be used to better develop and prioritize investment in real-time information systems.
This study reports on an experiment in downtown Seattle, Washington, to evaluate whether installing a public real-time multi-modal transportation information display screen in an office building lobby caused changes in building occupant self-reported awareness, attitudes, satisfaction, and usage of alternative transportation modes including transit, car-sharing, ride-sourcing, and bike-sharing services. Workers in the test building and two nearby control buildings were surveyed immediately before the screen was installed (N=550) and again six months later (N=455). Little evidence was found that exposure to the real-time display affected respondent travel choices, satisfaction, familiarity, or attitudes toward alternative modes. Although most respondents (70%) had noticed the screen and had generally positive reactions, two-thirds of this group never actually used it. These results, along with building occupant responses to open-ended questions, indicate limited benefits from this installation and suggest that site selection, screen placement, and marketing may help to maximize the effects of these types of displays on traveler satisfaction and mode shifting.
One important function of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applied in tourist cities is to improve visitors’ mobility by releasing real-time transportation information and then shifting tourists from individual vehicles to intelligent public transit. The objective of this research is to quantify visitors’ psychological and behavioral responses to tourism-related ITS. Designed with a Mixed Ranked Logit Model (MRLM) with random coefficients that was capable of evaluating potential effects from information uncertainty and other relevant factors on tourists’ transport choices, an on-site and a subsequent web-based stated preference survey were conducted in a representative tourist city (Chengde, China). Simulated maximum-likelihood procedure was used to estimate random coefficients. Results indicate that tourists generally perceive longer travel time and longer wait time if real-time information is not available. ITS information is able to reduce tourists’ perceived uncertainty and stimulating transport modal shifts. This novel MRLM contributes a new derivation model to logit model family and for the first time proposes an applicable methodology to assess useful features of ITS for tourists.
IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference, LAS PALMAS, ESPAGNE, 15-/09/2015 - 18/09/2015
Waiting time in transit travel is often perceived negatively and high-amenity stops and stations are becoming increasingly popular as strategies for mitigating transit riders’ aversion to waiting. However, beyond recent evidence that realtime transit arrival information reduces perceived waiting time, there is limited empirical evidence as to which other specific station and stop amenities can effectively influence user perceptions of waiting time. To address this knowledge gap, the authors conducted a passenger survey and video-recorded waiting passengers at different types of transit stops and stations to investigate differences between survey-reported waiting time and video-recorded actual waiting time. Results from the survey and video observations show that the reported wait time on average is about 1.21 times longer than the observed wait time. Regression analysis was employed to explain the variation in riders’ reported waiting time as a function of their objectively observed waiting time, as well as station and stop amenities, weather, time of the day, personal demographics, and trip characteristics. Based on the regression results, most waits at stops with no amenities are perceived at least 1.3 times as long as they actually are. Basic amenities including benches and shelters significantly reduce perceived waiting times. Women waiting for more than 10 min in perceived insecure surroundings report waits as dramatically longer than they really are, and longer than do men in the same situation. The authors recommend a focus on providing basic amenities at stations and stops as broadly as possible in transit systems, and a particular focus on stops on low-frequency routes and in less safe areas for security measures.
Real-time information (RTI) is becoming increasingly available to transit travelers. This paper discusses the effects of RTI access available before the start of a journey in relation to line loads as well as passenger benefits. That RTI access can affect the choice of departure time and stop as well as the route choice is considered. Two types of travelers with access to RTI are distinguished: travelers who want to arrive at their destinations as soon as possible and passengers who prefer to stay slightly longer at their current locations if doing so can reduce their travel time. For illustration, a network with irregular service arrivals is used and the optimal strategy approach of Spiess and Florian is used as a benchmark for passengers without RTI access. As expected, results showed that travelers without RTI access travel longer but also that particular combinations of traveler strategy and RTI provision lead to counterintuitive effects. Results further illustrated that the two RTI access strategies that travelers use can lead to significant differences in loads. Implications for demand management are discussed.
Measuring and analysing satisfaction with public transport services facilitates service performance monitoring, market analysis, benchmarking and the identification of priority areas. The systematic and regular collection of information concerning satisfaction enables to investigate how passengers’ satisfaction as well as its determinants changes over time. These changes may be driven by changes in service quality or shifts in passengers’ expectations and preferences. This study analyses how satisfaction with public transport and its determinants evolved over time in Sweden in the years 2001-2013. The determinants of satisfaction are identified based on a factor analysis and the estimation of multivariate satisfaction models. The superposition of our findings culminates in a dynamic passenger satisfaction priority map which allows identifying priority areas based on observed trends in satisfaction with service attributes and their respective importance. The deterioration of overall satisfaction with public transport in Sweden in recent years is driven by a decrease in satisfaction with customer interface and length of trip time. These two service aspects as well as operation were found key determinants of overall satisfaction which users consistently rate among the least satisfactory. The results of this study are instrumental in supporting service providers in designing measures that will foster satisfaction in the future.
Mobile real-time passenger information (RTPI) systems are becoming ubiquitous in public transport and a plethora of studies have explored the effects they have on passengers. However, these studies mostly focus on urban areas and largely ignore rural dwellers. In this paper, we present results of a study that looks into the effects that mobile RTPI has on passengers in rural areas. The results indicate that the participants primarily used the mobile RTPI system to gain situation and geospatial awareness and to adapt their travel behaviour in disrupted circumstances. Further, we have identified that mobile RTPI significantly affects the everyday public transport travel of individuals. The outcomes of this study provide an initial understanding of the effects of a mobile RTPI system on rural users.
An advanced passenger information system (APIS) can play a significant role in improving the satisfaction of transit riders in the short term and increasing ridership in the long term. This research focuses on investigating riders' behavioral responses to en route real-time information on light rail transit (LRT). A survey was designed and conducted to collect LRT riders' behavioral responses by presenting hypothetical scenarios in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Two scenarios were examined: an estimated arrival time of 10 min for the next LRT and an LRT service interruption attributable to an incident or weather with no information on expected recovery time. The survey collected 505 responses. Four multinomial logit models were developed and calibrated to explore the factors affecting trip decision making for the described scenarios for commuter and noncommuter trips. The results led to the conclusion that various socioeconomic attributes (e.g., age, gender, and number of autos per household), experience with an APIS (familiarity with APIS and perceived accuracy of APIS), and experience with transit and the LRT system (use of transit as the primary mode of transportation, frequency of LRT use, and familiarity with LRT) had strong influences on travelers' behavioral responses in the context of real-time LRT information. Analysis of the data also determined that travelers' actions varied by trip purposes, travel time, and weather conditions.
Real-time transit information offers many benefits to transit riders, including reduced wait times and increased customer satisfaction. However, offering real-time transit services has been challenging for many transit agencies. While mobile applications (apps) have emerged as a preferred dissemination method for real-time information, it is typically cost-prohibitive for transit agencies to fund custom development of native mobile apps for all popular smartphone platforms. Third-party developers can offer services if an agency openly shares real-time data, but these individuals are volunteers whose priorities and deadlines may not be the same as the agency's. As a result, few cities have full app portfolios that cover all smartphone platforms. This paper presents the OneBusAway multi-region project, a collaborative effort that is enabling the rapid expansion of native mobile transit apps to new cities. OneBusAway is an open-source transit information system that has provided real-time transit services to the Puget Sound (Washington) area since 2008. The new OneBusAway multi-region feature expands the coverage of the existing Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, and Windows 8 apps for OneBusAway to new cities, including Tampa and Atlanta. The multi-region system architecture, collaborative design and development process, and lessons learned from this ground-breaking project are discussed. The fundamental shift from proprietary to open-source software in the transit industry that has made this type of project possible also is examined.
Innovation in information and communication technologies (ICTs) is providing us with a myriad of travel information sources. Knowledge on the influence of information on human travel behaviour (mainly route and mode choice) and their implications on network levels of service remains fragmented. We distinguish between experiential, descriptive, and prescriptive information sources. We draw on recently developed theoretical concepts in behavioural and cognitive sciences to examine the state of the knowledge on information and travel behaviour. Key theoretical concepts used to explore the relationship between information and travel behaviour include: reinforced learning; framing; risk and loss aversion; probability weighting; affect; anchoring and ambiguity aversion; and regret aversion. We review studies focusing on individual travel behaviour as well as network studies involving collective behaviours. While information seems to assist individual travellers in coping with uncertainty, the impacts relating to collective behaviour on networks remain unclear. Many open questions remain, yet research provides important insights and suggests that ICTs will enable the design of persuasive information systems that motivate cooperative and efficient use of the transportation network beyond what is possible today.
The provision of real-time information concerning bus arrival times could potentially reduce the uncertainty associated with public transport trips and improve the overall level-of-service. In addition, real-time predictions might enable operators to apply proactive control strategies. Even though considerable research efforts were devoted to the development of bus arrival prediction schemes, there is lack of knowledge on the performance of real-world operational systems. This paper aims to investigate the performance of a commonly deployed real-time information generation scheme. A conventionally used scheme is implemented and evaluated based on an empirical analysis. Performance metrics concerning the prediction error accuracy and reliability and their impact on expected waiting time were formulated from both passengers' and operators' perspective. The real-time information generator was applied on the trunk line network in Stockholm, Sweden. The accuracy and reliability of the prediction scheme was analysed by comparing the generated predictions against vehicle positioning data. This scheme was found to systematically underestimate the remaining waiting time by 6.2% on average. The provision of real-time information yields a waiting time estimate that is more than twice closer to the actual waiting times than the timetable is. This difference in waiting time expectations is equivalent to 30% of the average waiting time.
Public transport systems are subject to uncertainties related to traffic dynamic, operations, and passenger demand. Passenger waiting time is thus a random variable subject to day-to-day variations and the interaction between vehicle and passenger stochastic arrival processes. While the provision of real-time information could potentially reduce travel uncertainty, its impacts depend on the underlying service reliability, the performance of the prognosis scheme, and its perceived credibility. This paper presents a modeling framework for analyzing passengers’ learning process and adaptation with respect to waiting-time uncertainty and travel information. The model consists of a within-day network loading procedure and a day-to-day learning process, which are implemented in an agent-based simulation model. Each loop of within-day dynamics assigns travelers to paths by simulating the progress of individual travelers and vehicles as well as the generation and dissemination of travel information. The day-to-day learning model updates the accumulated memory of each traveler and updates consequently the credibility attributed to each information source based on the experienced waiting time. A case study in Stockholm demonstrates model capabilities and emphasizes the importance of behavioral adaptation when evaluating alternative measures which aim to improve service reliability.
Real-time highway and transit information, when presented in parallel, has the potential to influence travelers to make informed decisions to choose transit when highways are congested to save time and make the transit trip less stressful and more productive or pleasurable. The mode shifts by commuters can potentially relieve traffic congestion, reduce fuel consumption, and lower tailpipe emissions. Under the sponsorship of USDOT and California Department of Transportation, California PATH at University of California at Berkeley developed and field tested Path2go--a suite of both web-based and mobile-phone-based applications to assess if integrated multimodal real-time traveler information can enable travelers to make choice decisions. Evaluation of data collected through field testing showed that the Path2go application performed well with regard to its capability to integrate real-time, multimodal information; the accuracy and reliability of the information; its usefulness in helping users to reduce waiting time and overall travel time; and its effectiveness in encouraging travelers to consider transit as a more viable choice.
Public transit agencies are constantly looking for ways to increase their ridership. While many studies have attempted to identify the factors affecting new customer attraction, the issue of transit user loyalty has been far less researched. In addition to being a good indicator of a transit agency’s performance, customer loyalty provides several added benefits. Loyal customers are more likely to use the transit agency’s services and recommend them to potential new users. Furthermore, attracting users usually involves additional customer acquisition costs (e.g. marketing) not required in order to retain existing loyal users. This study used data provided by a mixed Stated Preference/Revealed Preference survey to identify some of the factors that affect customer loyalty in the context of public transit. Factors examined include service attributes, trip characteristics, as well as socioeconomic and psychological attributes of the individual. The findings suggest that service quality attributes play a critical role in transit user loyalty, while initiatives such as the provision of real-time information panels or making park and ride facilities available have a less determinant effect on the customers’ mode shifting decisions, irrespective of their emotional response to public transit.
One of the main problems in urban areas is the steady growth in car ownership and traffic levels. Therefore, the challenge of sustainability is focused on a shift of the demand for mobility from cars to collective means of transport. For this purpose, buses are a key element of the public transport systems. In this respect Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) systems help people change their travel behaviour towards more sustainable transport modes.
This paper provides an assessment methodology which evaluates how RTPI systems improve the quality of bus services performance in two European cities, Madrid and Bremerhaven. In the case of Madrid, bus punctuality has increased by 3%. Regarding the travellers perception, Madrid raised its quality of service by 6% while Bremerhaven increased by 13%. On the other hand, the users´ perception of Public Transport (PT) image increased by 14%.
Although it is apparent that providing useful information has a positive effect on transit riders, no studies to date have investigated bus operators’ reactions to real-time arrival information and other potential rider information tools. In this study, the project team surveyed 253 bus operators to determine their views and values concerning the existing use of real-time information and to ask about future transit rider information applications. Almost all operators (93 and 91 % on two separate questions) were positive or neutral to the provision of real-time information. In addition, operators were receptive to building other new information applications, with all applications in the survey being supported by at least 60 % of the bus operators. The two most widely supported potential applications in the survey were additional tools to help blind and deaf-blind riders (89 % of bus operators favored) and an application that would aid riders in identifying physical stop, shelter and bus issues such as graffiti, broken parts or a need for lights (88 % of bus operators). Applications displaying data about past performance or current bus capacity received the least support (66 and 61 % respectively). This research gives a better understanding of the impact of rider information tools on bus operators, including the views and values of the operators, and the harms and benefits of such tools.
Transit Traveler Information Systems (TTIS) comprise a wide range of technologies that transit agencies use to provide reliable and timely transit-related information to customers. The touch-screen interactive information kiosk is an example of these emerging TTIS technologies. This paper examines the implementation of interactive touch-screen information kiosks, known as "On the Go!" Touch-Screen Travel Stations, at Metropolitan Transportation Authority-New York City Transit (MTA-NYCT) facilities in 2011. It analyzes data from passenger intercept surveys, from the kiosks' built-in application usage logs and from field observations to understand actual passenger utilization of the kiosks and to assess the implications for transit agencies. The field observations also made it possible to obtain a profile of kiosk users, which sheds light on the concept of the "digital divide." The findings, presented as lessons learned, can help agencies elsewhere develop guidelines and effective strategies for implementing similar interactive transit information systems. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In this paper, using longitudinal data on route level monthly average weekday ridership in the entire Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus system from January 2002 through December 2010, we evaluate the ridership effects of the CTA real-time bus information system. This bus information system is called CTA Bus Tracker and was incrementally implemented on different CTA bus routes from August 2006 to May 2009. To take account of other factors that might affect bus ridership, we also include data on unemployment levels, gas prices, local weather conditions, transit service attributes, and socioeconomic characteristics during the study period. This combined longitudinal data source enables us to implement a quasi-experimental design with statistical controls to examine changes in monthly average weekday ridership, before and after the Bus Tracker system was implemented, on each bus route. Based on a linear mixed model, we found that the provision of Bus Tracker service does increase CTA bus ridership, although the average increase is modest. Further, the study findings suggest that there are temporal variations of the ridership effects among the routes, with the “winning” routes more likely to have the technology implemented in the later phases of the overall “roll-out” period. However, the results are less conclusive regarding geographical variations in the effects of Bus Tracker.
The report explores the underlying technology required to generate the information to be disseminated, the mobile technology used for dissemination, the characteristics of the information, the resources required to successfully deploy information on mobile devices, and the contribution of mobile messaging to an overall agency communications strategy, including “information equity.”
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.
This synthesis report will be of interest to transit staff concerned with implementing real-time bus arrival information systems at their agencies. Information on relevant technical capabilities, agency experience, cost, and bus rider reactions to these information systems was documented. The report describes the state of the practice, including both U.S. and international experience. It documents survey information, a review of the relevant literature, as well as interviews with key personnel at agencies that have, or are in the process of, implementing these systems. This report integrates the information obtained from the literature review and survey responses with the follow-up interviews. Case study information details specifics from agencies that have deployed these systems.
Navigation of a transit system can be a major obstacle to new riders, especially special-needs populations and tourists. For those with cognitive disabilities (approximately 14.3 million Americans, or 6% of the population), it is challenging to plan and execute a trip without assistance. A travel assistance device (TAD) software prototype for Global Positioning System-enabled phones was developed to aid new transit riders, especially those who are cognitively disabled. When riders approach their stops, the TAD vibrates and delivers audio and visual messages to the riders to request a stop and exit the vehicle. This paper reports the results of a study that integrated communication with an automatic vehicle location (AVL) system on transit vehicles into TAD, with new features, including personalized notices of estimated vehicle arrival time and of vehicle arrival. Implementation issues addressed include the limitations of accessing AVL data for real-time consumer use, integration of different transit agency data sources, and consideration of the effects of software applications (e.g., wireless data communication) on mobile phone functionality (e.g., battery life).
Rural communities face a range of challenges associated with accessibility and connectivity which apply in both the physical and virtual sphere. Constraints in rural transport infrastructure and services are often compounded by limitations in the development and resilience of technological infrastructures. In this context there is significant disparity between urban and rural communities. This paper will examine the context for accessibility and connectivity in rural communities highlighting key transport and technology challenges. It also explores barriers and opportunities to bringing together transport and technology solutions to enhance rural accessibility and connectivity. This is an area where current understanding is weak as most research has been focussed on urban environments. The paper focuses specifically on two issues of current research; firstly, the role of information and associated technologies in supporting rural passengers on public transport, secondly, the use of technologies to support flexible and demand responsive transport services in rural areas.
A fundamental component of transit planning is understanding passenger travel patterns. However, traditional data sources used to study transit travel have some noteworthy drawbacks. For example, manual collection of travel surveys can be expensive, and data sets from automated fare collection systems often include only one transit system and do not capture multimodal trips (e.g., access and egress mode). New data sources from smartphone applications offer the opportunity to study transit travel patterns across multiple metropolitan regions and transit operators at little to no cost. Moreover, some smartphone applications integrate other shared mobility services, such as bikesharing, carsharing, and ride-hailing, which can provide a multimodal perspective not easily captured in traditional data sets. The objective of this research was to take a first look at an emerging data source: back-end data from user interactions with a smartphone application. The specific data set used in this paper was from a widely used smartphone application called Transit that provides real-time information about public transit and shared mobility services. Visualizations of individuals interactions with the Transit app were created to demonstrate three unique aspects of this data set: the ability to capture multicity transit travel, the ability to capture multiagency transit travel, and the ability to capture multimodal travel, such as the use of bikeshare to access transit. This data set was then qualitatively compared with traditional transit data sources, including travel surveys and automated fare collection data. The findings suggest that the data set has potential advantages over traditional data sources and could help transit planners better understand how passengers travel.
Public transport authorities and service providers place great emphasis on information provision to travellers both before and during travel. Information provided prior to travel has included printed timetables, newspaper advertisements, telephone services and marketing campaigns. During the trip, providers have tended to offer maps at public transport stops (i.e. bus stops, train stations, ferry wharves, etc.) as well as timetables static, dynamic or real-time.
Some of these channels are still used but improvements in digital technology has led to a wider range of information distributed using different digital media. Whilst Transport for NSW and transport operators continue to provide the more traditional information, there has been a plethora of third party applications which are accessible on the move.
The literature recognises that the need for information and the importance of information provision differs at the various stages of the trip, from planning, to entry into the system, to wayfinding during the trip and egress from the system. However, no systematic research exists as to how information preferences and usage differ between customer segments. It is important for operators and regulators to identify the segments and their information preferences so as to promote public transport use.
This paper addresses this important issue by presenting the results of an internet survey of the public’s awareness and usage of public transport information, focussing on commuters. The paper looks at awareness and usage of information sources and how this varies by stage of journey and frequency of usage of public transport. Factor analysis is used to identify segments of customers by attitudes towards public transport and usage of information sources.
The paper uses an ordered choice modelling approach and finds few differences between frequent and infrequent users but confirmed the role of attitudes in framing the respondent’s identification of their satisfaction with the overall public transport trip and with the information sources provided. The paper also identifies the importance of recognising the non-homogeneity of information sources. The paper concludes how the type of information preferred by travellers varies by public transport mode and varies by trip segment.
A two-wave survey of faculty, staff, and students at a large university was conducted to study the perceptions of and attitudes toward several dimensions of the university bus service before and after the implementation of a real-time passenger information system. In this study, community perceptions of the bus service's role in enhancing the environment and reducing traffic were investigated. Results showed that both users and nonusers of the bus service had positive perceptions of the bus service's environmental and traffic reduction roles, that those who noticed the recently implemented real-time information system had more positive attitudes, and that the effect of the information system on the perceptions was as great or greater for those who did not use the bus service as it was for those who used the service. It is hypothesized that these results, especially if confirmed in different communities, could motivate transit agencies to promote environmental and traffic reduction benefits of transit to gain public support of nonusers for transit subsidies and to market high-tech and progressive investments to increase support among nonusers.
Provision of real-time passenger information (RTPI) increasingly is becoming a fundamental element of the service offered by transit agencies. RTPI changes how travelers perceive public transport services and can have a remarkable influence on travel choices and, consequently, system performance. Such consequences depend on the objectives pursued by the riders and the characteristics of the transit service. The existing knowledge about transit RTPI is extended by studying the decision-making process of bus passengers in the presence of multichannel descriptive and prescriptive real-time information. The use of different kinds of information, decision-making objectives, travel choices, and their associations (which define classes of travel choice behavior) was investigated by conducting a survey of passengers on Lothian Buses in Edinburgh, Scotland. Descriptive RTPI also was accessed before traveling and influenced decisions about route choice above all. The analysis demonstrated that RTPI was associated with more flexible behavior and that classes of behavior were well defined. Results emphasize the importance to transit agencies of providing RTPI that is tailored to customers. The development of models including the effects of RTPI is recommended to assess its impact on system performance.
Older adults’ perspectives on public transportation-related ICT are explored across three scenarios: video surveillance (CCTV), real-time travel information (RTI), and a personal, pedestrian navigation system (NAV) with public transportation information. Swedish respondents’ perceptions indicate positive effects on one’s sense of assurance across the scenarios, particularly in situations perceived as more vulnerable, such as using the subway and traveling alone or in an unfamiliar setting. Of the three scenarios, CCTV elicits the most favorable responses, although this does not directly translate to perceived personal benefit, where RTI is rated the highest. NAV is ranked relatively lower for effects on assurance, although this pattern is broken for car and walking modes where the navigation function may be prioritized. Thus, personal control over aspects of the trip better explains responses than does personal control over ICT use, as ICT can serve to reduce (perceived) uncertainties, improving one’s sense of assurance. Significant differences are found for gender, but not for further age stratification. Overall, female respondents feel relatively less assured when traveling and rate the technological applications’ effects on their assurance more highly than men. Although men express a greater personal interest in technology, it appears that there is more potential for women to positively benefit in terms of greater perceived assurance. This calls into question the possibilities of effectively addressing user needs or concerns, especially via technologies intended for individual use, if those who potentially serve to gain more by them are not being reached or are not as interested in such “solutions”.
Crowdsourced mobile sensing systems provide a counterpoint to the idea of fully automated sensing systems by transferring some or all of the sensing duties to the end users. Humans can easily sense in some ways that are impossible for machines to sense, leading to hybrid crowdsourced-automated systems. However, this transfer of sensing to humans comes with design trade-offs in terms of the sparsity of the sensed information and human entry errors. To better understand these design trade-offs, the authors developed a real-time arrival information system for a local transit agency that crowdsources the location of transit vehicles by having riders share location traces from their smart phones. The authors then deployed the system and measured the public’s use of it for 10 months, gathering data on 296,283 interactive sessions. Analysis shows that relying on u