Public transportation is a critical component of urban communities and plays an important role in facilitating mobility which is integral to economic development and the quality of life of urban residents. In recent years, urban transportation has evolved rapidly with the emergence of transportation network companies (TNCs) and e-commerce that drastically transformed urban living. The availability of TNCs has given consumers more transportation options. However, the implications of TNCs on public transit ridership are unknown. In addition, the rising online shopping trend has drastically reduced the businesses of brick-and-mortar retailers, but does the shift in consumer shopping behavior reduce the demand for public transit? The objective of this dissertation is to address the following three research questions: (1) How is U.S. public transit ridership impacted by the rise of TNCs? (2) How have transit subcontracting (or purchased transportation) and TNC partnership affected transit productivity in recent years? (3) Has increased online shopping reduced the demand for public transit service? The key findings of my study are: (1) transit effectiveness of both bus and rail transits declined over the study period; (2) TNC availability increased rail transit ridership in 2015; (3) transit effectiveness was highly significant for public transit, and when examining its effect year-by-year, rail transit effectiveness trumped TNC availability; (4) TNCs are neither a complement nor a substitute of bus transit; (5) for bus transit agencies, outsourcing or purchased transportation is associated with negative efficiency and productivity changes; (6) although purchased transportation has a positive effect on technological change for bus transit, the effect is not significant; (7) TNC partnerships also have a negative effect on efficiency and productivity changes in bus transit; (8) there is a positive significant relationship between shopping mall visits and public transit use; (9) however, the effect of mall visits on transit use is small relative to the effects of car ownership; (10) taken together, the marginal effect of car ownership is 9 times larger than the effect of mall visits on transit use.

Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh and the centre of administrative, political, economic and social life for the country. An efficient transit system is needed in this city to provide services in every corner and to the people of all socio economic standing. This city is characterized by both motorized and non-motorized transport services, though there is a huge demand on the bus transit system. Dhaka is also one of the fastest growing global cities, which is contributing to even higher transit demand. There is a need, therefore, to investigate the present transit system with a view to understand the opportunities and potential of the current public transport system given available policy support and resources. This research is an initiative to identify the current efficiency status of transit services and explore the opportunities to increase the efficiency of this system for the people of this mega city. To carry out this research, along with literature and policy review, interviews with stakeholders and a survey of transit operators was undertaken. From the analysis of the operator’s survey and literature review, the current underperforming status of transit services was identified. From the discussion of interviews and policy frameworks, strategies to improve the current status and guidelines for future initiatives are outlined. This includes a separate and powerful institutional authority solely for transit services and taking regulatory measures by this authority to speed up STP implementation. For bus transit only, the recommendations are: consolidating bus industry and exclusive bus lanes to improve current status of bus transit service. Finally by achieving and fulfilling the recommendations of this study, it is hoped that a more efficient transit system in Dhaka city would result.

Public transit agencies often struggle with service reliability issues; when a bus or train does not arrive on time, passengers become frustrated and may be less likely to choose transit for future trips. To address reliability problems, transit authorities increasingly provide real-time vehicle location and arrival information to riders via web-enabled and mobile devices. Although prior studies have found several benefits of offering this information to passengers, researchers have had difficulty determining if real-time information affects ridership levels. Therefore, the objective of this dissertation is to quantify the impact of real-time information on public transit ridership. Statistical and econometric methods were used to analyze passenger behavior in three American cities that share a common real-time information platform: New York City, Tampa, and Atlanta. New York City was the setting for a natural experiment in which real-time bus information was gradually launched on a borough-by-borough basis over a three year period. Panel regression techniques were used to evaluate route-level bus ridership while controlling for changes in transit service, fares, local socioeconomic conditions, weather, and other factors. In Tampa, a behavioral experiment was performed with a before-after control group design in which access to real-time bus information was the treatment variable and web-based surveys measured behavior changes over a three month period. In Atlanta, a methodology to combine smart card fare collection data with web-based survey responses was developed to quantify changes in transit travel of individual riders in a before-after study. In summary, each study utilized different data sources and quantitative methods to assess changes in transit ridership. The results varied between cities and suggest that the impact of real-time information on transit travel is greatest in locations that have high levels of transit service. These findings have immediate implications for decision-makers at transit agencies, who often face pressure to increase ridership with limited resources.

Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh and the centre of administrative, political, economic and social life for the country. An efficient transit system is needed in this city to provide services in every corner and to the people of all socio economic standing. This city is characterized by both motorized and non-motorized transport services, though there is a huge demand on the bus transit system. Dhaka is also one of the fastest growing global cities, which is contributing to even higher transit demand. There is a need, therefore, to investigate the present transit system with a view to understand the opportunities and potential of the current public transport system given available policy support and resources. This research is an initiative to identify the current efficiency status of transit services and explore the opportunities to increase the efficiency of this system for the people of this mega city. To carry out this research, along with literature and policy review, interviews with stakeholders and a survey of transit operators was undertaken. From the analysis of the operator’s survey and literature review, the current underperforming status of transit services was identified. From the discussion of interviews and policy frameworks, strategies to improve the current status and guidelines for future initiatives are outlined. This includes a separate and powerful institutional authority solely for transit services and taking regulatory measures by this authority to speed up STP implementation. For bus transit only, the recommendations are: consolidating bus industry and exclusive bus lanes to improve current status of bus transit service. Finally by achieving and fulfilling the recommendations of this study, it is hoped that a more efficient transit system in Dhaka city would result.

Public transportation and other alternatives to the private automobile are receiving increased attention for their potential to decrease congestion, reduce environmental damage and support healthier lifestyles. In particular, bus transit increases mobility and provides an opportunity for increased physical activity. In light of a scarcity of research on the subject, this report investigates a common rule of thumb used in transit planning that suggests riders will only walk five minutes to access a bus stop. A review of existing research shows that many transit riders walk longer than five minutes to reach a bus and that transit-access walking behavior is far more varied than implied by the 5-minute assumption. An effort was undertaken to estimate walking distances of bus riders in Austin, Texas using data from a 2010 survey administered to riders on local buses. The analysis estimated transit walks of unreasonable distances for some respondents, suggesting that the starting location address or access mode responses were inaccurately reported. Flaws in the data collection process interfered with a clear analysis of the relationship of walking distances to rider behavior, but the data showed that many riders walked considerably farther than 1/4 mile. The Austin data and reports from others summarized in the literature review of this report indicate that the 5-minute walk is not an accurate representation of transit access behavior and that further evaluation of the 5-minute assumption should be undertaken. Moreover, innovative approaches should be developed to more accurately predict bus commuter behavior to design a more effective transit system. Analysis of the survey data suggests that implementation of improved data collection methods in future studies could provide more useful and accurate data on walking behavior associated with transit use. / text

The main objective of this study was to quantitatively explore the connection between network structure and network effect and its impact on transit usage as seen through the real-world experience of the Toronto and Melbourne transit systems. In this study, the comparison of ridership/capita and mode split data showed that Toronto’s TTC has better performance for the annual data of 1999/2001 and 2006. After systematically investigating travel behaviour, mode choice factors and the various evidence of the network effect, it was found that certain socio-economic, demographic, trip and other design factors in combination with the network effect influence the better transit patronage in Toronto over Melbourne. Overall, this comparative study identified differences that are possible explanatory variables for Toronto’s better transit usage as well as areas where these two cities and their transit systems could learn from one another for both short and long term transit planning and design.

The main objective of this study was to quantitatively explore the connection between network structure and network effect and its impact on transit usage as seen through the real-world experience of the Toronto and Melbourne transit systems. In this study, the comparison of ridership/capita and mode split data showed that Toronto’s TTC has better performance for the annual data of 1999/2001 and 2006. After systematically investigating travel behaviour, mode choice factors and the various evidence of the network effect, it was found that certain socio-economic, demographic, trip and other design factors in combination with the network effect influence the better transit patronage in Toronto over Melbourne. Overall, this comparative study identified differences that are possible explanatory variables for Toronto’s better transit usage as well as areas where these two cities and their transit systems could learn from one another for both short and long term transit planning and design.

This study evaluated the influence of changes in public transit routes and hubs on the use and behaviour of people in and adjacent to a public square in a medium-sized southern Ontario city. Pre and post transit change data were obtained using behaviour observation and user interviews over a two-week period. Qualitative data was collected through investigator observations, intercept interviews, and field notes. The removal of the transit hub from the square resulted in 50 percent fewer people post change, although the duration of time spent by users in the square increased. There was also a shift in the type of user. The results indicate that transit hub changes can influence the number and types of users in a public square as well as the duration of use. The implications are that public transit design is an important factor in the planning and design of downtown civic space.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / John W. Keller / Transportation is a means of commutation for goods and people and is also an indicator of socioeconomic status of a community. Recently, there has been much debate and research on the impact of transportation on the health care of a community. Lately, it has been proved that increased dependence of people on cars has led to lack of exercise in their daily life. This lack of exercise has been identified as the root cause of severe cardiovascular ailments like high blood pressure, hypertension and even several types of cancers. As a solution, many planners are now proposing public transit (which forces people to walk to and from transit stations) and other active modes of transport like bikes etc. as alternative transportation options to improve community health and reduce dependence on cars. These options not only help people incorporate exercise in their daily life but a reduction in car usage reduces the demand for parking spaces, traffic congestions, carbon footprints of communities and is fuel efficient. This project based in the City of Manhattan is aimed at suggesting measures to enhance the use of public transit among students at Kansas State University to help incorporate more exercise in their daily lives. The project encompassed an observational study to identify the options currently available for transit and factors which affected transit ridership in the city. The observational study was followed by discussion with a focus group to draw views and opinions. These opinions and views were included in a questionnaire for an online survey to identify areas or measures which were most likely to enhance transit ridership positively and cost effectively. This project provides suggestive guidelines regarding students’ opinion about transit in Manhattan. These suggestions could be used to guide policies and strategies for enhancing transit ridership in the city.

1 / SPK / archives@tulane.edu