2013 Session: 334

• Exploring Factors Affecting Transit Current Customers' Loyalty by Structural Equations Model: Case Study of Shanghai, China
  Abstract: The main goal of this study is proposing a method of analyzing influence factors which affect loyalty of ¡°current¡± transit users and making the priority strategy of improving transit service level through the factor analysis. Structural equation model (SEM) is introduced to construct theoretical models, which help to analyze factors influencing transit customer¡¯s loyalty. A comprehensive set of hypotheses explores the relationships among service quality, customer satisfaction, switching cost, attraction of alternative and customer loyalty. This study chooses Shanghai transit system to apply the theoretical model constructed, and finds that the public transport service quality is the most important factor impacting transit travelers¡¯ willingness to continue to travel by transit. The transit service quality mainly includes four variables: comfort, safety, convenience and timeliness. Both switching cost and attraction of car also are significantly related to customer loyalty. However, the hypothesis of ¡°Transit service quality is negatively and significantly related to car attraction¡± cannot be supported, which means that if we want to increase the public transportation share, it is essential to restrain travel by car. Furthermore, based on these analyses, this study proposes some critical suggestions of how to improve the competitive power of Shanghai public transportation, which may assist in making the public transportation policy and strategy.
  Authors: Li, Linbo; Xiong, Jie; Dong, Zhi; Bai, Yufang; Wu, Bing
  Authors: Li, Linbo; Xiong, Jie; Dong, Zhi; Bai, Yufang; Wu, Bing
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-3244
• Doing Business Around Transit Corridors: Survey Research on Business Perceptions of Fixed-Guideway Transit Projects
  Abstract: Major transit projects can have profound impacts on nearby businesses. Although much research has investigated physical neighborhood changes and neighborhood demographic changes driven by transit projects, little is known about the perceived impacts of transit projects in business communities. In a direct response to this knowledge gap, we conducted a random-sampled survey of 160 businesses along four existing and planned transit corridors in the Twin Cities region. Using the survey responses, we estimated ordered logistic regression models of business perceptions of transit corridor projects. We find that responding businesses generally expect positive impacts from transit corridors in the future, but the likelihood of positive perceptions differs significantly based on business location, size and sector, as well employees’ and customers’ demographics and customers’ travel behavior. These findings provide insights into the types of businesses to target for special outreach efforts as well as strategies for mitigating negative impacts and maximizing positive impacts perceived by station area businesses.
  Authors: Fan, Yingling; Guthrie, Andrew
  Authors: Fan, Yingling; Guthrie, Andrew
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-3320
• Passengers' Perception of and Behavioral Adaptation to Unreliability in Public Transportation
  Abstract: Among users of public transportation, reliability is regularly cited as one of the most important qualities of service. However, it is not yet well understood how transit riders are affected by unreliability, particularly in the long term. To gain a better understanding of the importance of reliability, a survey was developed to investigate the link between people's past experiences of unreliability and the adaptation strategies they employ, focusing on users of San Francisco's public transportation system. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of a number of reliability aspects and the ones that were found to be most important were the absence of a gap at a transfer stop and the ability to walk up to a stop and leave within 10 minutes. Users also considered reliability when planning trips; common strategies for handling unreliability were using services and routes deemed more reliable, and using real-time information. In addition, an ordinal logit model linking past experiences of unreliability to a reduction of transit use was estimated. The most significant negative experiences that drove a reduction in transit use were delays perceived to be the fault of the transit agency, long waits at transfer points, and being prevented from boarding due to crowding. These results have implications in transit planning: passengers may prefer more frequent service with occasional crowding to less frequent buses that are larger and less crowded. In addition, the growing usage of real-time information services will continue to affect how people view transit service, perhaps even intensifying the unattractiveness of infrequent service.
  Authors: Carrel, Andre; Halvorsen, Anne; Walker, Joan L.
  Authors: Carrel, Andre; Halvorsen, Anne; Walker, Joan L.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-5289
• Effect of Parking Charges at Transit Stations on Park-and-Ride Mode Choice: Lessons Learned from Stated-Preference Survey in Greater Vancouver, Canada
  Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of increasing parking charges at park and ride stations on mode choice for current park and ride users. To address this objective, a Stated Preference (SP) survey was designed to study commuters’ willingness to pay for parking at park and ride transit stations. The SP survey was conducted at the 14 busiest park and ride transit stations in the Greater Vancouver Region (GVR). The survey data was then used to model mode choice for longer distance commuting trips considering three major options: ‘automobile all-way’, ‘transit all-way’ and ‘park and ride’. A heteroskedastic multinomial logit model for stated preference of modal choices was estimated. The model included several major factors that are found to influence mode choice at park and ride stations. The estimated model parameters were then used to investigate direct and cross elasticities of parking charges at park and ride stations to mode choices. The model results show that increasing parking charges at park and ride stations is more likely to divert current park and ride users to the transit all-way option compared to the private car all-way option.
  Authors: Nurul Habib, Khandker M.; Mahmoud, Mohamed S; Coleman, Jesse
  Authors: Nurul Habib, Khandker M.; Mahmoud, Mohamed S; Coleman, Jesse
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-3521
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Effect of Parking Charges at Transit Stations on Park-and-Ride Mode Choice: Lessons Learned from Stated-Preference Survey in Greater Vancouver, Canada
  Authors: Nurul Habib, Khandker
  Authors: Nurul Habib, Khandker
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-3521
• Exploring Factors Affecting Transit Current Customers' Loyalty by Structural Equations Model: Case Study of Shanghai, China
  Authors: Dong, Zhi
  Authors: Dong, Zhi
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-3244
• Exploring Factors Affecting Transit Current Customers' Loyalty by Structural Equations Model: Case Study of Shanghai, China
  Authors: Xiong, Jie
  Authors: Xiong, Jie
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-3244
• Doing Business Around Transit Corridors: Survey Research on Business Perceptions of Fixed-Guideway Transit Projects
  Authors: Fan, Yingling
  Authors: Fan, Yingling
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-3320
• Passengers' Perception of and Behavioral Adaptation to Unreliability in Public Transportation
  Authors: Carrel, Andre
  Authors: Carrel, Andre
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Public Transportation
  Session: 334
  Paper Number: 13-5289