20 research outputs found
Findings from measuring door-to-door travellersâ travel satisfaction with traditional and smartphone app survey methods in eight European cities
This study investigates how different travel satisfaction survey methods influence the reported level of door-to-door travel satisfaction among travellers. The travel satisfaction measurement survey tools tested consisted of two types of smartphone applications (a satellite navigation app and a game app), an on-line survey, a paper-based semi-structured questionnaire and a focus group. Each of the measurement tools comprised of a similar set of questions, but in different formats, aimed at exploring the pros and cons of each tool among different group of travellers. In total, 5,275 valid responses were collected during the survey period from eight European cities and five FIA (Federation Internationale de I'Automobile) national motorist networks. The analysis results, with ordered logit model of travellers' reported overall satisfaction, showed that the travel satisfaction reported by different survey methods and different travel modes and user groups, correlated with distinct groups of key determinants. The relationship between and within these key determinants, however, was far from straight forward. Some were more complex than others. Some issues, such as parking availability and security, that are mostly discussed by policy makers and users may not be the ones that directly correlate with the users' overall travel satisfactions. Consistent with previous studies, the travellers' mood and previous experience influenced the reported overall journey satisfaction
Satisfaction with Public Transport Trips
Continuous urban growth, environmental issues, competition for limited space, longer commuting distances as well as the need to promote equity and equality in society are the primary reasons that make the improvement of public transport (PT) services a key policy area in many countries across the globe. Travel satisfaction measures the perceived quality of the PT service and it is an important aspect that operators and PT authorities need to consider when improving the service offered.Desk research identified a number of important issues that previous studies had neglected. These knowledge gaps include the investigation of: (a) the evolution over time of the determinants (service attributes) of travel satisfaction, (b) the main determinants of travel satisfaction for different traveler segments and travel modes; (c) the most relevant part of door-to-door trips for different types of trip configurations; (d) the impact on the travel experience of weather, accessibility and proximity measures and built-environment characteristics of the first mile of the trip; (e) the [non]linear and [a]symmetric nature of the relationship between PT service attributes and overall travel satisfaction for different travelers and travel modes.The five papers included in this doctoral thesis present an array of approaches and methodologies aiming at increasing overall travel satisfaction with PT services while covering the knowledge gaps that previous research failed to address.Paper I, investigates the determinants of PT satisfaction and their evolution over time (2001-2013). The results show that: a) customer interface and operation, and at a lesser extent trip duration are the quality of service attributes that need to be prioritized; b) while satisfaction, in general, remains rather constant, relative importance fluctuates year after year. However, the QoSAs remain in the same quadrant of the priority map and thus the determinants of travel satisfaction stay invariable.Paper II, reduces the diversity of needs and priorities of Swedish travelers to 5 distinctive multi-modal travelersâ segments. Considering the importance attached to service attributes, these travelersâ segments exhibit geographical disparities and in between-groups overall similarity. Nevertheless, some noticeable differences can be observed. Service attributesâ importance levels reveal overall changes in appreciations and consumption goals over time. The more frequent PT user segments are more satisfied across the board and are characterized by a more balanced distribution of attribute importance while one of the groups - rural motorist commuters - is markedly dissatisfied with the service operation attributes.Paper III, first aims to understand how travelers combine trip legsâ satisfactions into an overall evaluation of their trip, and then to investigate the relative importance of satisfaction with access, main and egress segments for the entire door-to-door travel experience. A number of both normative and heuristic satisfaction aggregation rules are tested for different types of trip configurations. The results show that normative rules can better reproduce overall travel satisfaction than heuristic rules, indicating that all trip legs need to be considered when evaluating the overall travel experience. In particular, weighting satisfaction with individual trip legs with perceived trip leg durations yield the best predictor of overall travel satisfaction, especially when applying a penalty for each waiting time of 3 or 4 times in- vehicle or walking time.Paper IV, investigates the impact that built-environment, accessibility and weather characteristics from the access stage of the trip have on the overall travel experience. This is done in two geographical contexts (urban and peri-urban and rural) and with models regarding the last and the overall trips. The results indicate that perceptual and non-perceptual built-environment variables have a rather weak effect in the overall satisfaction. Safety feelings around PT stations/stops have an effect on the overall travel experience while safety feelings related to travelersâ neighborhood of residence have none. Accessibility results indicate that living in an area that is well-connected to all other areas, and in particular to the attractive ones, has a positive impact on the overall travel experience. Most of the tested weather conditions at the time of the start of the trip exert an impact on travel satisfaction.Based on the three-factor theory, Paper V classifies quality of service attributes regarding their influence (positive, negative or both) on overall travel satisfaction. The analysis is done for different traveler segments and travel modes and presented in the form of a series of three-level cubes. For a general travel, attributes that can mainly bring dissatisfaction when they are not well-provided are, staff and assistance and ticket accessibility (basic factor). These are followed by attributes that can provide both satisfaction and dissatisfaction in a similar way and depending on their performance level (performance factor). Performance attributes are related to operational aspects (trip duration and operation) and safety perceptions while traveling. Quality of service attributes that can mainly bring satisfaction when they are well provided are network and on-board conditions (exciting factor). Important differences are found in the attribute factor classification between travel modes and segments which indicates that a âone size fits allâ approach is not recommendable to adopt.This set of papers can help authorities to better evaluate and cater for travelersâ needs by supporting the allocation of resources and prioritizing policy measures in the most impactful part of the door-to-door trip and to the most important factors.QC 20181218</p
Temporal and spatial variability of determinants of satisfaction with public transport in Sweden
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 passengersâ satisfaction as well as its determinants changes over time and space. These changes may be driven by changes in service quality or shifts in passengersâ expectations and preferences. This study analyses how satisfaction with public transport and its determinants evolved over time (in the years 2001-2013) and across space (in 5 county-regions) in Sweden. The determinants of satisfaction are identified based on a factor analysis and the estimation of multivariate satisfaction regression models. The superposition of the findings culminates in two dynamic passenger satisfaction priority maps which allow identifying priority areas based on observed trends in satisfaction with quality of 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 and Network were found key determinants of Overall Satisfaction which users from most of the county-regions consistently rate among the least satisfactory. The results of this thesis are instrumental in supporting service providers in designing measures that will foster satisfaction in the future
Improving Travel Satisfaction with Public Transport
The existing link between PT travelersâ satisfaction, ridership and loyalty prove the relevance of improving overall trip satisfaction. The thesis present an array of approaches and methodologies aiming at increasing overall satisfaction with PT door-to-door trips while covering important issues that previous research has failed to address. These knowledge gaps include: disregarding the different needs and priorities of different type of travelers; overlooking the evolution over time and across geographical areas that overall satisfaction and satisfaction with specific service attributes may experience; and, neglecting the importance of access and egress legs. Based on the Swedish customer satisfaction barometer (2001-2013), an investigation of the determinants of PT satisfaction and their evolution over time (I) shows that: a) the deterioration of overall satisfaction with PT in Sweden in recent years is driven by a decrease in satisfaction with customer interface and length of trip time; b) these two service aspects as well as operation are found as key determinants of overall satisfaction which users consistently rate among the least satisfactory. The diversity of needs and priorities of SKT travelers was reduced into 5 distinctive multi-modal travelersâ groups (II). These travelersâ groups exhibited geographical disparities and an in between-groups overall similarity in the importance attached to the service attributes. Nevertheless, some noticeable differences could be observed. The service attributesâ importance levels reveal overall changes in appreciations and consumption goals over time. A number of both normative and heuristic satisfaction aggregation rules are tested on METPEX dataset for different types of trip configurations (III). The results show that normative rules can better reproduce overall travel satisfaction than heuristic rules, indicating that all trip legs need to be considered when evaluating the overall travel experience.Kontinuerlig urban tillvĂ€xt, miljöproblem, konkurrens om begrĂ€nsat utrymme, lĂ€ngre pendlingsavstĂ„nd samt behovet av att frĂ€mja rĂ€ttvisa och jĂ€mlikhet i samhĂ€llet Ă€r de frĂ€msta anledningarna till förbĂ€ttringar av kollektivtrafikens (KT) tjĂ€nster och attraktionskraft för att fĂ„ fler resenĂ€rer att byta frĂ„n bil till KT och dĂ€rmed en viktig politisk frĂ„ga i mĂ„nga lĂ€nder över hela vĂ€rlden. Den befintliga kopplingen mellan KT-resenĂ€rens tillfredsstĂ€llelse, antalet passagerare och lojalitet visar betydelsen av att förbĂ€ttra resans övergripande tillfredsstĂ€llelse. De tre artiklar som ingĂ„r i denna licentiatavhandling presenterar en rad tillvĂ€gagĂ„ngssĂ€tt och metoder som syftar till att öka den totala tillfredsstĂ€llelsen med KT i âfrĂ„n dörr till dörrâ-resor samt tĂ€cker viktiga frĂ„gor som tidigare forskning har misslyckats med att ta itu med. Dessa kunskapsluckor inkluderar de olika behov och prioriteringar som olika typer av resenĂ€rer har, utveckling över tid och över geografiska omrĂ„den som total tillfredsstĂ€llelse och tillfredsstĂ€llelse med specifika serviceattribut kan pĂ„verkas av samt försummelsen av resans av- och pĂ„stigningsdelar. Baserat pĂ„ den svenska kundtillfredsstĂ€llelsebarometern Svensk Kollektivtrafikbarometer (SKT) visar en undersökning av bestĂ€mningsfaktorerna för KT- tillfredsstĂ€llelse och deras utveckling över tiden för KT-anvĂ€ndare under Ă„ren 2001-2013 att (Artikel I): a) det skett en försĂ€mring av den sammanlagda tillfredsstĂ€llelsen med KT i Sverige under de senaste Ă„ren som drivits av en minskning av tillfredsstĂ€llelsen med kundgrĂ€nssnittet och resans tid; b) att dessa tvĂ„ serviceaspekter samt drift Ă€r helt avgörande för övergripande tillfredsstĂ€llelse och som resenĂ€rer konsekvent graderar bland de minst tillfredsstĂ€llande. MĂ„ngfalden av behov och prioriteringar för SKT-resenĂ€rer reducerades till 5 distinkta multimodala resenĂ€rsgrupper (Artikel II). Dessa resenĂ€rsgrupper uppvisade geografiska skillnader och en i mellan-grupper övergripande likhet i vikt som fĂ€sts vid serviceattribut. LikvĂ€l kan nĂ„gra mĂ€rkbara skillnader observeras. Serviceattributens betydelse avslöjar övergripande förĂ€ndringar i uppskattnings- och konsumtionsmĂ„l över tid. De mer frekventa KT-anvĂ€ndarsegmenten Ă€r mer nöjda över hela spektret och kĂ€nnetecknas av en mer balanserad fördelning av attributens betydelse, medan en av grupperna â bilpendlare pĂ„ landsbygden - Ă€r markant missnöjda med service- och driftattribut. Ett antal bĂ„de normativa och heuristiska regler för aggregerad tillfredsstĂ€llelse testas pĂ„ METPEX-data (A Measurement Tool to determine the quality of the Passenger EXperience) för olika typer av resekonfigurationer (Artikel III). Detta görs för att förstĂ„ hur resenĂ€rer kombinerar delresors tillfredsstĂ€llelse i en övergripande utvĂ€rdering av hela resan och för att undersöka den relativa betydelsen av tillfredsstĂ€llelse med pĂ„stignings-, huvud- och avstigningsdel för hela reseupplevelsen i âfrĂ„n dörr till dörrâ-resor. Resultaten visar att normativa regler bĂ€ttre kan Ă„terge övergripande resetillfredsstĂ€llelse Ă€n heuristiska regler, vilket tyder pĂ„ att alla resans delar mĂ„ste beaktas nĂ€r man utvĂ€rderar den samlade reseupplevelsen. I synnerhet ger viktning av tillfredsstĂ€llelse med individuella delresor och de upplevda delresornas restider den bĂ€sta predikatorn för övergripande resetillfredsstĂ€llelse, sĂ€rskilt vid tillĂ€mpning av en vĂ€ntetidsvikt pĂ„ 3 eller 4 gĂ„nger i fordons- eller gĂ„ngtid. Denna uppsĂ€ttning artiklar skulle kunna hjĂ€lpa myndigheter att bĂ€ttre utvĂ€rdera och tillgodose resenĂ€rernas behov genom att stödja tilldelning av resurser och prioriterandet av Ă„tgĂ€rder i den mest effektfulla delen i en âfrĂ„n dörr till dörrâ-resa.El rĂĄpido crecimiento urbano, problemas medioambientales, la competencia por el uso de espacios cada vez mĂĄs limitados, el aumento de la distancia en los viajes pendulares asĂ como la necesidad de fomentar una sociedad mĂĄs equitativa e igualitaria, son algunas de las principales razones que hacen de la mejora de los servicios de transporte pĂșblico (TP) y del trasvase de usuarios del transporte privado motorizado al TP una polĂtica clave en muchos paĂses del mundo. La relaciĂłn existente entre la mejora de la satisfacciĂłn del usuario de TP con el incremento de usuarios y de su fidelidad, prueban la importancia de mejorar la satisfacciĂłn global del usuario con el viaje. Los tres artĂculos incluidos en esta tesis de mitad de doctorado, en Suecia Licentiate thesis, presentan un variedad de enfoques y mĂ©todos que tienen como objetivo incrementar la satisfacciĂłn global con los viajes de puerta a puerta (desde el origen hasta el destino final) en los que el transporte pĂșblico estĂĄ involucrado, a la par de cubrir cuestiones importantes que no han abordado estudios previos. Estas lagunas de conocimientos incluyen: ignorar las distintas prioridades y necesidades de distintos tipos de viajeros; pasar por alto que tanto la satisfacciĂłn global con el viaje como la satisfacciĂłn con los atributos especĂficos del servicio pueden experimentar cambios a lo largo del tiempo y entre diversas zonas geogrĂĄficas; y, el obviar la importancia que otras etapas del viaje (acceso y egreso), diferentes a la principal, pueden ejercer sobre la valoraciĂłn global del viaje. Basado en el barĂłmetro sueco de satisfacciĂłn del usuario de transporte pĂșblico (SKT), se estudian los determinantes de la satisfacciĂłn con el TP y su evoluciĂłn temporal, para usuarios de TP y para el perĂodo 2001-2013 (ArtĂculo I). El artĂculo muestra que: a) el deterioro de la satisfacciĂłn global con el TP sueco experimentado en los Ășltimos años se debe a la disminuciĂłn de la satisfacciĂłn con el modo en el que la agencia de TP gestiona las quejas y el trato con los usuarios (customer interface), y de la duraciĂłn del viaje (length of trip time); b) frequencia y la fiabilidad del servicio (operation) se suman a los dos ya mencionados atributos del servicio como factores determinantes de la satisfacciĂłn global con el TP. Son precisamente estos tres atributos los que consistentemente reciben unas valoraciones situadas entre las menos satisfactorias. BasĂĄndose en las caracterĂsticas de tipo socio-econĂłmico, en las del viaje y en coeficientes de accesibilidad, se obtienen cinco grupos de viajeros multimodales relativamente homogĂ©neos, los cuales ayudan a simplificar la complejidad existente, en tĂ©rminos de necesidades y prioridades, de todos los viajeros suecos - SKT (ArtĂculo II). Los cinco grupos de viajeros exhiben disparidades geogrĂĄficas y, en general, una semejanza entre grupos en la importancia atribuida a los atributos del servicio. Sin embargo, existen algunas diferencias notorias. A lo largo del tiempo, los niveles de importancia de los atributos del servicio revelan cambios generales en las apreciaciones y objetivos de consumo. Los grupos de viajeros que viajan mĂĄs frecuentemente con transporte pĂșblico estĂĄn, de forma generalizada, mĂĄs satisfechos con el viaje y muestran una distribuciĂłn mĂĄs equilibrada de la importancia dada a los atributos del servicio. Se hace destacable la marcada insatisfacciĂłn que uno de los grupos â los automovilistas rurales pendulares (rural motorist commuters)- muestran con los atributos relacionados con la operaciĂłn (fiabilidad y frequencia). Una serie de reglas de agregaciĂłn de la satisfacciĂłn del viajero, tanto normativas como heurĂsticas, son examinadas en el conjunto de datos de METPEX (Una herramienta de mediciĂłn para determinar la calidad de la experiencia del viajero) para distintos tipos de configuraciones de viaje (ArtĂculo III). El objetivo de este artĂculo es; entender como los viajeros combinan la satisfacciĂłn con cada una de las etapas del viaje en su valoraciĂłn global del viaje, e investigar la importancia relativa que cada una de las tres etapas del viaje (acceso, principal y egreso) tienen sobre la experiencia de un viaje completo de puerta a puerta. Los resultados muestran que, en comparaciĂłn con las reglas heurĂsticas, las reglas normativas pueden reproducir de una mejor manera la satisfacciĂłn global con el viaje; indicando que todas las etapas del viaje necesitan ser consideradas cuando se evalĂșa la experiencia global del viaje. En particular la ponderaciĂłn de la satisfacciĂłn con cada una de los segmentos del viaje[1] con la duraciĂłn percibida para cada una de los segmentos del viaje produce el mejor indicador de la satisfacciĂłn global del viaje, especialmente cuando se aplica una penalizaciĂłn por cada minuto de espera equivalente a 3 o 4 veces el tiempo en movimiento y/o caminando. Ăste conjunto de artĂculos pretende ayudar a las operadores y autoridades pertinentes a evaluar y proveer de la mejor manera posible las necesidades de los viajeros mediante la priorizaciĂłn de medidas y asignaciĂłn de recursos a la parte mĂĄs relevante del viaje multimodal puerta a puerta. [1] Un segmento del viaje (trip leg) es la parte mĂĄs pequeña en la que se descompone un viaje de puerta a puerta. Una etapa del viaje puede estar compuesta de uno o mĂĄs segmentos del viaje. QC 20170202</p
How does travel satisfaction sum up? An exploratory analysis in decomposing the door-to-door experience for multimodal trips
Understanding how satisfaction with individual trip legs aggregates to the overall travel experience for different types of trips will enable the identification of the trip legs that are most impactful. For this purpose we analyze data on retrospective evaluations of entire multi-modal trip experiences and satisfaction with individual trip legs. We formulate and describe alternative aggregation rules and underpin them in theory and previous empirical findings. The results of a series of regression models show that for a large number of multi-modal trip configurations normative rules can better reproduce overall travel satisfaction than heuristic rules. This indicates that all trip legs need to be considered when evaluating the overall travel experience, especially for trips legs involving waiting and/or transferring time. In particular, weighting satisfaction with individual trip legs with perceived trip leg durations yielded the best predictor of overall travel satisfaction. No evidence for a disproportional effect of the last or most exceptional part of the trip was found. However, a larger dataset would be needed in order to replicate this work and potentially generalize the results. This research contributes to the literature on combining multi-episodic experiences and provides novel empirical evidence in the transport domain
Do accessibility, vulnerability, opportunity, and travel characteristics have uniform impacts on traveler experience?
Using a door-to-door travel survey (METPEX) for Stockholm and the year 2014, this study analyzed the effects of quality of infrastructure and design of public transport premises on the overall travel experience and on the trip stages for different traveler segments. The market segmentation approach was based on travel characteristics, captivity, vulnerability and travel attitudes which were either found to be impactful in previous literature or that had not been deeply explored. Â A latent class cluster model segmentation process yields 4 traveler segments: i) content urban commuters, ii) unfulfilled rural travelers, iii) active leisure travelers, and, iv) vulnerable mode switchers. The model estimation results show similarities in terms of appreciations and needs between the attributes that influence the whole trip and the different trip stages. Two attributes are found to be of outermost importance across all trip stages but especially for the whole trip and the main mode: travel modes integration and quality of infrastructure for the entire trip. Â This study also unveils particularities and important differences amongst different trip stages and traveler segments. Therefore stakeholders would do well in treating travelers differently when evaluating infrastructure and design characteristics of PT. This study can help stakeholders to tailor their policies to tackle with specific travelerâs needs.QC 20181106</p
Traffic on equal terms : should cyclists ride in the middle of the lane?
Idag finns uttalade mĂ„l om att andelen cykelresor ska öka och att det sĂ€rskilt i tĂ€tort Ă€r angelĂ€get att stĂ€lla om till ökat aktivt resande. Samtidigt Ă€r trafikmiljön frĂ€mst byggd för biltrafik, vilket ocksĂ„ yttrar sig i att utformningen stĂ€ller högre krav pĂ„ cyklandes uppmĂ€rksamhet Ă€n pĂ„ fordonsförares. En möjlighet till att Ă„tgĂ€rda detta skulle kunna vara att flytta cykeltrafiken till mitten av körbanan i vissa tĂ€tortsmiljöer. Utöver mĂ„let att skapa âlika villkorâ mellan trafikantgrupperna ur ett uppmĂ€rksamhetsperspektiv kan detta ocksĂ„ pĂ„verka cykelns position i trafikanthierarkin. Förslaget Ă€r ett steg i riktning mot integration av trafik istĂ€llet för den idag rĂ„dande trenden mot separation. För att undersöka potentialen, erfarenheter och möjliga konsekvenser genomfördes dels en omvĂ€rldsanalys, dels diskussioner i sju fokusgrupper med olika intressegrupper. Konceptet âcykelgataâ finns med olika utformningar i ett antal lĂ€nder. HĂ€r Ă€r lĂ€rdomen att det krĂ€vs större cykelflöden för att cykelgatan ska fungera, men det finns inga entydiga resultat pĂ„ vilken utformning som Ă€r mest lĂ€mplig. Hur cykelgator uppfattas idag Ă€r ocksĂ„ beroende av vilken typ av cyklist och cykelresa det gĂ€ller. Detta kom Ă€ven fram i diskussionerna i fokusgrupperna. Man var i stort sett överens om att bilen idag har en dominerande roll, och man var teoretiskt positivt till förslaget att ha cykeltrafik i mitten av körbanan, men det identifierades ett antal praktiska samt upplevda problem och hinder. Sannolikt Ă€r inte en enskild Ă„tgĂ€rd tillrĂ€cklig för att öka andelen resor som genomförs med cykel. I samverkan med andra Ă„tgĂ€rder kan det dock bidra till att lyfta cykelns status som transportmedel. There are explicit goals to increase the modal share of bicycle trips and to promote a modal shift to active transport especially in urban areas. At the same time todayâs transport system is mainly built for cars. One of the consequences is that in the same environment attentional demands on cyclists are higher than on drivers of motor vehicles. This could be remedied by relocating bicycle traffic to the centre of the lane in certain urban environments. In addition to creating equality between road user groups with respect to attentional demands this measure can strengthen the position of the bicycle in the hierarchy of road users. It would entail a step towards traffic integration, braking todayâs trend to separate motor vehicles from other traffic. To analyse potential benefits and drawbacks, international solutions and experiences were investigated and seven focus group discussions with different stakeholders were conducted. The concept âbicycle boulevardâ exists in several countries and comes in different shapes. For the concept to work the share of cyclists needs to be high, but no clear-cut recommendations regarding the most adequate design can be given. How bicycle boulevards are experienced also depends on the cyclist and the purpose of the trip. This emerged in the focus group discussions, too. There was a general agreement that the car is the dominant transport mode today. While it was seen as positive in principle to relocate bicycle traffic to the centre of the lane, a number of practical and psychological obstacles were identified. It is unlikely that a single measure will be successful in increasing the share of bicycle trips. However, in combination with other provisions, the suggested physical relocation of biycle traffic may strengthen the status of the bicycle as mode of transport
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Using a door-to-door travel survey (METPEX) for Stockholm and the year 2014, this study analyzed the effects of quality of infrastructure and design of public transport premises on the overall travel experience and on the trip stages for different traveler segments. The market segmentation approach was based on travel characteristics, captivity, vulnerability and travel attitudes which were either found to be impactful in previous literature or that had not been deeply explored. Â A latent class cluster model segmentation process yields 4 traveler segments: i) content urban commuters, ii) unfulfilled rural travelers, iii) active leisure travelers, and, iv) vulnerable mode switchers. The model estimation results show similarities in terms of appreciations and needs between the attributes that influence the whole trip and the different trip stages. Two attributes are found to be of outermost importance across all trip stages but especially for the whole trip and the main mode: travel modes integration and quality of infrastructure for the entire trip. Â This study also unveils particularities and important differences amongst different trip stages and traveler segments. Therefore stakeholders would do well in treating travelers differently when evaluating infrastructure and design characteristics of PT. This study can help stakeholders to tailor their policies to tackle with specific travelerâs needs.QC 20181106</p
Do accessibility, vulnerability, opportunity, and travel characteristics have uniform impacts on the traveler's experience?
Individual, Travel, and Bus Stop Characteristics Influencing Travelersâ Safety Perceptions
Ensuring safety during door-to-door public transport trips is a fundamental challenge to service providers as safety influences individualsâ mobility. Using reported safety perceptions of travelers waiting at six bus stops with different characteristics in Stockholm, this study investigates factors that have an impact on determining travelersâ perceived safety and crime perceptions. This is done by assessing the importance of real-time information provision and the environmental characteristics of bus stops during the day and at night for different types of crime, after controlling for travelersâ individual and trip characteristics, and their previous experiences of victimization. Interaction effects of age, gender, and travel frequency are also tested. The results suggest that bus shelter characteristics, natural surveillance, and trustworthy real-time information are the most important factors influencing safety and crime perceptions. Additionally, safety perceptions are strongly influenced by previous experiences of victimization. The effect of perceived feelings about crime and safety are found to be nuanced by age and gender. Unlike some common beliefs, travelers: (1) feel less worried about becoming a victim of crime at bus stops associated with high crime rates; (2) prefer opaque shelters at night; and (3) have higher safety perceptions when the stop is located in an area of mixed land use. The impact of a bus stopâs number of passers-by is found to be insignificant. No direct or indirect effects can be attributed to frequency of travel by bus, indicating that familiar places and routine behavior have noeffect on declared crime and safety perceptions.QC 20180903</p