A Fundamental Study on Evaluation of Public Transport Transfer Nodes by Data Envelop Analysis Approach Using Smart Card Data

AbstractThis research proposes a method of evaluating transfer nodes based on smart card data with the objective of making a contribution to public transportation restructuring in regional cities. The study seeks to better comprehend the use of public transportation systems (trams and buses) in central Kochi City in Japan based on the transportation mode transfers recorded on user Smart Cards. Specifically, this study seeks to use the Data Envelop Analysis (DEA) model, which allows us to reference multiple indices, in order to evaluate the efficiency of user transfers between transportation systems while also considering transfer times and user age groups. The study results show that efficiency varied according to the time of day and user age groups, even at the same transfer nodes, and identified the need for more thorough understanding of the properties of each transfer point based on the efficiency values of multiple indices

Spatial-Temporal Daily Frequent Trip Pattern of Public Transport Passengers Using Smart Card Data

Rebuilding the operation scheme of public transportation is a recent topic of discussion in Japan because the number of passengers is decreasing especially in rural areas. This research empirically analyzes variations in trip patterns to understand how passengers’ daily travel patterns vary temporally and spatially among one month using smart card data. The analysis reveals that the daily number of trips for the entire network does not vary significantly. However, it also reveals that daily frequent trip patters of individual passengers vary, i.e., most passengers are not traveling by a single trip pattern. This could be fundamental knowledge to discuss more detail or individual operation schemes

Impact analysis of reductions in tram services in rural areas in Japan using smart card data

Rural cities in Japan need to maintain public transport services because the proportion of elderly people in the population is increasing. However, measures to reduce the frequency of public transport services are under consideration in such cities because the number of passengers and the income necessary to keep services in operation are both decreasing. This study empirically analyzes the change in the number of tram passengers after the frequency of service was reduced in the study area. Especially, an analysis is applied to a survival time model using smart card data to evaluate what origin–destination pairs between tram stops (tram OD) can maintain a suitable number of passengers. The parameters estimated in the model show that a reduction in the number of trams does not directly lead to a change in the number of tram OD passengers. However, the average number of tram OD passengers and its variance are significant factors in explaining the decrease in the number of tram OD passengers. Sensitivity analysis by using the estimated model during the period of study shows that a tram OD pair that originates in a suburban area and terminates in a city center tends to have a higher probability of survival, but a tram OD pair originating from a city center tends to have a lower probability of survival. The results of this study are fundamental materials for a discussion on which tram OD pairs should be considered by public transport authorities to maintain or increase the number of passengers