Evaluation of Public Transport Accessibility and Its Impact on Urban Mobility

Abstract

Transportation accessibility is one of the most important factors that contribute to urban mobility patterns and quality-of-life in metropolitan areas. The aim of this empirical study is to investigate the relationship between public transport accessibility and urban mobility by using quantitative data from five models of major cities. The study analyses various aspects of accessibility (level of spatial penetration, degree of temporal availability, affordability and quality) in juxtaposition with mobility outcomes such as travel time, mode change and city connectivity. Data were obtained by systematic surveys, spatial analysis and mobility patterns from 2,500 respondents in a range of socio-economic strata. The results show that service coveragedriven spatial accessibility has a very strong correlation (0.78=r=) with public transport utilization. The duration factor, in particular outside the peak hours, is a critical aspect to 67% of potential users. Affordability indicators showed that fare schemes amounting to more than 15% of household income were most unwelcoming for low-income categories. Measures of quality of service, such as waiting time, vehicle's state or in-vehicle crowding were found to have direct effects on mode choice behaviour aspect. The study shows that combined accessibility improvements can lead to an approximately 34% reduction of private vehicle usage and a 23% decrease in the average travel time. There are serious implications for urban transport planning and policy where these findings call for integrated, not piecemeal accessibility improvement approaches in the endeavour to transform unsustainable urban mobility.