Volume 12, No.

2, 2009
ISSN 1077-291X
Te Journal of Public Transportation is published quarterly by
National Center for Transit Research
Center for Urban Transportation Research
University of South Florida College of Engineering
4202 East Fowler Avenue, CUT100
Tampa, Florida 33620-5375
Phone: 8139743120
Fax: 8139745168
Email: jpt@cutr.usf.edu
Website: www.nctr.usf.edu/jpt/journal.htm
2009 Center for Urban Transportation Research
Public
Transportation
JOURNAL OF
iii
Volume 12, No. 2, 2009
ISSN 1077-291X
CONTENTS
Examining the Factors that Impact Public Transport Commuting
Satisfaction
Mairead Cantwell, Brian Cauleld, Margaret OMahony ...................................................... 1
Bus Rapid Transit Features and Deployment Phases for U.S. Cities
Luis David Galicia, Ruey Long Cheu, Randy B. Machemehl, Hongchao Liu ................ 23
GIS-Based Safety Bus StopsSerdang and Seri Kembangan Case Study
Khaled Hazaymeh ................................................................................................................................... 39
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
Muhammad Imran ................................................................................................................................ 53
Exploring the Willingness and Ability to Pay for Paratransit in Bandung,
Indonesia
Tri Basuki Joewono .................................................................................................................................. 85
Household Attributes in a Transit-Oriented Development:
Evidence from Taipei
Jen-Jia Lin, Ya-Chun Jen .......................................................................................................................105
Examining the Factors that Impact Public Transport Commuting Satisfaction
1
Examining the Factors that Impact
Public Transport Commuting
Satisfaction
Mairead Cantwell, Brian Cauleld, Margaret OMahony
Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Abstract
Te rst objective of this research was to examine the level of stress caused by com-
muting into Dublin city centre. Te second objective was to determine the value
placed on the comfort and reliability of public transport services. An on-line survey of
workers who commute daily into Dublin city centre was conducted, which collected
data on the respondents typical commute, commute-related stress, and socio-eco-
nomic background. Commute satisfaction levels among public transport users were
found to decrease for those who travel on crowded or unreliable services and those
who have long wait-times. Stated preference scenarios relating to crowding and reli-
ability were analysed using a multinomial logit model. Te model showed that utility
derived increases as crowding decreases and as reliability increases.
Introduction
Commuting in Dublin is taking longer than ever before. Statistics released by the
Central Statistics Oce (CSO) reveal that although there has been little change
in the average distance to the workplace since 2002, the time taken to make this
journey has increased (CSO 2007).
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
2
Te public transport system in Dublin comprises an extensive bus network, two
light rail lines, and one heavy rail line. Te main bus operator, Dublin Bus, manages
a eet of 1,200 buses, operating on 193 routes (Dublin Bus 2007). In 2007, the Dub-
lin Bus eet travelled over 63 million kilometres, providing 148 million passenger
journeys. Te bus system consists of 12 Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs), providing
passengers with a high quality of service and comparable transit time with that of
a private car (Cauleld and OMahony 2004). Dublin Bus operates a number of dif-
ferent vehicles in its eet; typically 77 percent of the onboard capacity is seated.
Te Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) system is a heavy rail system, which in 2002
provided 22 million passenger journeys (Cras Iompair ireann 2004). Dublin has
two light rail lines that opened in 2004. In 2008, the light rail system provided 27.4
million journeys (RPA 2008). Te green line has a route length of 10 kilometres
and an average travel time of 22 minutes. Te second line the red line has a route
length of 15 kilometres and an average travel time of 46 minutes. Two types of
trams are currently in operation in Dublin. Te smaller trams have a capacity of
256, and the larger trams have a capacity of 358. Te current tram conguration
allows for approximately 25 percent of passengers to be seated.
Over 46 percent of Dublin residents report an average commute time of over 30
minutes, with almost a quarter of commutes taking longer than 45 minutes (CSO
2007). Considering that the majority of Dublin residents travel a distance of 14
kilometres or less (CSO 2007), these commute times are disproportionately long.
A study of students who travel daily to Trinity College in Dublins city centre found
even longer average commute times, with 60 percent of respondents reporting a
commute time of over 60 minutes (Nolan 2007).
Various studies have shown that commuting can cause considerable stress,
whether by public transport or private car (Tse et al. 2000; Bhat and Sardesai 2006;
Wener et al. 2005). Tis stress can spill over into commuters work and home life
(Wener et al. 2005), as well as aect the overall quality of life of commuters (Cos-
tal et al. 1988). Elevated stress levels can contribute to serious health problems
such as cardiovascular disease and suppressed immune functioning (Wener et al.
2005).
Te growth of trac congestion in the city has contributed signicantly to a high
degree of unreliability in relation to public transport services and uncertainty with
regard to journey times in general (Dublin Bus 2006). Unreliable arrival/departure
times have been found to be one of the main factors discouraging people from
using public transport (Nolan 2007). Te Dublin Bus Network Review (Dublin
Examining the Factors that Impact Public Transport Commuting Satisfaction
3
Bus 2006) found that signicant enhancement of Dublins Quality Bus Corridor
(QBC) network is needed immediately to ensure a consistent performance over
the entire length of the route. King (2006) found that 60 percent of bus services
in Dublin were classied as not on-time in accordance with the standards set in
the Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCRP 2003). TCRP classies
on-time services as services running between 0 to 5 minutes in accordance with
the schedule of service.
Te rst section of this paper examines the literature relating to stress levels and
commuting. Te second section discusses the methodologies used to complete
this study. In the third section, the characteristics of the sample are presented.
Te results of the stated preference analysis are outlined in the fourth section. Te
paper concludes with a discussion of the main results.
Literature Review
Several studies have demonstrated that riding a bus or commuting by car or train
elevates psycho-physiological parameters such as blood pressure and neuroendo-
crine processes, indicative of stress. Tese markers of psycho-physiological stress
provide objective evidence that the commuting experience is stressful (Wener et
al. 2005). Wener et al. (2005) examined the eect of the introduction of a direct
train line on commuters in New Jersey, who usually had to transfer trains dur-
ing their journey to work in Manhattan. Te study measured several indicators
of stress. Psycho-physiological stress was measured by taking salivary cortisol
samples at the end of each morning commute, and baseline cortisol samples were
collected at home at the same time on the morning of a non-commuting day.
Results collected afterwards showed that those who switched to the new line had
slightly reduced levels of salivary cortisol (i.e., reduced stress). Tese commuters
also reported signicantly less perceived stress and reduced job strain. It was found
that women with children at home particularly beneted from the new line.
Insucient capacity and crowding is a major cause of stress among commuters
who use public transport. ORegan and Buckley (2003) found that commuters
who travel by DART had higher levels of commuting stress compared to other
commuters in Dublin. Te higher levels of stress reported by DART users were
found to be a result of the crowded conditions on DART services.
Reliability of commuting times is important, as unpredictability in journey length
has been demonstrated to correlate positively with subjective and objective
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
4
stress-related measures in commuters (Tse et al. 2000). Bhat and Sardesai (2006)
indicate that there are two possible reasons why travel time reliability inuences
commuter travel decisions: there are likely to be negative consequences for com-
muters arriving late at work, and commuters inherently place a value on the
certainty presented by a reliable transportation system, regardless of any conse-
quences associated with late/early arrival. It is for these reasons that unreliable
transport systems result in commuter stress.
Lucas and Heady (2002) discuss the concept of time urgency and examine the
dierences between commuters with a exitime schedule and those without
(exitime schemes allow workers to choose, within limits, the times at which they
start and nish work). Te objective of this research was to examine the stress
levels of exitime commuters compared with workers on a xed work schedule.
According to the study, time urgency is a personality concept relating to ones per-
ception of time, and people who are time-urgent will experience higher levels of
stress resulting from commuting deadlines and pressure. Since exitime schedules
greatly reduce commuting pressures, it was proposed that exitime commuters
would experience less driver stress, less time urgency, and higher levels of com-
mute satisfaction.
Evans and Stecker (2007) examined numerous studies on the impact of environ-
mental stress. Tey concluded that exposure to stressors such as trac conges-
tion can have serious implications, such as causing motivational deciency. Te
negative eects of an environmental stressor are more pronounced when there
is no control or perceived control over the situation, as is the case with trac
congestion. Stress induced by trac congestion has also been linked to increased
absenteeism (Bhat and Sardesai 2006). Unreliability and delays on commuter
trains in London have been associated with low productivity and low eciency in
tired workers. Tis loss in productivity has been estimated to cost London city at
least 230 million per annum (Cox et al. 2006).
Methodology
Survey Design and Distribution
To evaluate the impact of commuting on quality of life, data were collected from
workers in Dublin city centre via an on-line survey. To meet the objectives of the
study, it was essential that the survey collected data relating to the respondents
Examining the Factors that Impact Public Transport Commuting Satisfaction
5
typical commute, commute related stress, willingness to pay to improve their
commute, and their socio-economic details.
Once the survey had been designed, a number of businesses and organisations
were contacted to request the participation of employees in this study. Contact
details of the largest businesses and organisations in Dublin city centre were
sourced using KOMPASS (an online directory of Irish businesses). Twenty compa-
nies were contacted, and ve of these agreed to circulate an email to employees
requesting them to complete the survey via a web-link contained in the email. Tis
email also contained information regarding the background and purpose of the
survey. Te initial emails were sent on the December 4, 2007, and responses were
collected between the December 4, 2007, and January 14, 2008. At this point, a
total of 324 responses had been collected.
Te use of web-based surveys has increased substantially in recent times. Tis is
mainly due to their ability to collect large amounts of data without interviews, to
process results without data entry, and the elimination of stationery and postage
costs (Witt 1998). One must take into account the biases that a web-based survey
introduces, that is, that not all individuals have access to the internet. In 2006,
56 percent of households in Dublin had access to the internet (CSO 2009). Web-
based surveys have been increasingly adapted for transport studies, for example, in
stated preference, travel diaries, and travel behavioural studies (Fayish and Jovanis
2004; Stinson and Bhat 2004; DeSalle and Tarko 2003; Marca 2003).
Stated Preference Design
Stated preference questions are designed to reveal the alternative that individu-
als say they would choose in a given hypothetical situation. Each alternative is
assigned a certain combination of attributes, and the individual chooses the
alternative they nd has the most appealing combination of attributes. In the case
of this survey, the aim of the stated preference scenarios is to reveal the partici-
pants preference for commuting by either bus or rail, when each option has been
assigned a particular level of crowding, reliability, and fare.
Te stated preference scenarios for this survey were constructed using a fractional
factorial design. To produce a fractional factorial, a statistical package, SPSS Con-
joint, was used. Te method of producing a factorial using this software is described
in Hensher et al. (2005). Te factorial produced 18 treatment combinations to be
evaluated. Tree versions of the survey were distributed to respondents, and they
were asked to evaluate six treatment combinations.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
6
For the purpose of this study, participants were asked to choose between two
alternatives for commuting to work bus or rail. Each of these alternatives has
three attributes: crowding, reliability and cost. Figure 1 details an example of one
of the stated preference scenarios used in the survey. Table 1 contains the factorial
design used in the study.

Scenario 1ree: Based upon the information below please select the mode of
transport you would use to complete your journey to work.

Figure 1. Sample Stated Preference Scenario
Crowding has three levels:
Seats available
Standing room only
Not getting at least one service due to overcrowding, and the vehicle
is at crush capacity when boarding
Reliability has three levels:
Your travel time is standard for all trips
Your travel time can vary by up to 15 minutes
Your travel time can vary by up to 30 minutes
Cost has three levels:
1.00
1.50
2.00
US kAIl
Crowding on-board
the bus or train
Standing room only Not getting at least one service due
to overcrowding, and the vehicle is
at crush capacity when boarding
Variability in your
travel time
Your travel time can vary by
up to 15 minutes per trip
Your travel time can be by up to 15
minutes
Te cost of your trip 1.00 1.50
Please choose one
Examining the Factors that Impact Public Transport Commuting Satisfaction
7
Table 1. Factorial Design
1reatment

Combination us Option kai| Option
Crowding
on-board
the bus
Variability
in travel
time
Te cost
of your
trip
Crowding
on-board
the train
Variability in
travel time
Te cost of
your trip
1 SO 15 mins 1.00 SO 15 mins 2.00
2 SA 30 mins 2.00 SO 15 mins 1.50
3 NB ST 1.00 SO 30 mins 2.00
4 NB ST 2.00 SO ST 1.50
5 SO ST 1.50 NB 30 mins 1.50
6 SA 15 mins 1.00 NB 30 mins 1.50
7 SA ST 1.50 SA 15 mins 2.00
8 SO ST 2.00 NB 15 mins 1.00
9 SA 15 mins 2.00 NB ST 2.00
10 NB 30 mins 1.50 NB ST 2.00
11 SO 30mins 1.00 SA ST 1.50
12 SO 15 mins 1.50 SO ST 1.00
13 NB 15 mins 2.00 SA 30 mins 1.00
14 NB 30 mins 1.00 NB 15 mins 1.00
15 SA ST 1.00 SA ST 1.00
16 NB 15 mins 1.50 SA 15 mins 1.50
17 SA 30 mins 1.50 SO 30 mins 1.00
18 SO 30 mins 2.00 SA 30 mins 2.00
SO: Standing room only
SA: Seats available
NB: Not getting at least one service due to overcrowding, and the vehicle is at crush capacity when
boarding
ST: Your travel time is standard for all trips
15 mins: Your travel time can vary by up to 15 minutes
30 mins: Your travel time can vary by up to 30 minutes
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
8
Survey Results
Personal Characteristics
Table 2 demonstrates that the age of the survey participants is well distributed,
with each age bracket suciently represented. Te highest proportion of partici-
pants is between 25 and 35 years of age (35%). Te gender of the participants is
split reasonably evenly, with 58 percent female and 42 percent male (see Table 2).
Te income band corresponding to the highest proportion of respondents (19%)
is 60,000 - 80,000 per annum. Te next highest income categories are 30,000 -
40,000 per annum (12%) and 40,000 - 50,000 per annum (11%). A total of 29
percent of participants earn over 80,000 per annum (see Table 2).
Mode of Transport Used
Table 3 details the modes of transport used by respondents to travel to work. Te
results in Table 3 are compared against 2006 Census data to demonstrate that
the survey sample is representative of the population. Tese results show that the
survey sample is a good representation of the population in the area surveyed, as
the modal split of the sample is in line with the modal split of the population. Te
majority of respondents (56%) travel by public transport (see Table 3); 18 percent
of respondents indicated that they walked or cycled to work. Tese results may be
due to the fact that all participants work in Dublin city centre and so have some
form of public transport service near to their workplace.
Te results in Table 4 show that over half of the people surveyed (51%) leave
home before 8:00 am. Te survey reveals that reliability problems are not a major
issue for participants, as the vast majority (83%) state that their bus/DART/Luas
service is either very reliable or somewhat reliable (see Table 4). A total of 85
percent of respondents state that the public transport service they use is usually
very crowded or somewhat crowded. Te results indicate an extreme lack of
capacity on public transport services in Dublin.
Examining the Factors that Impact Public Transport Commuting Satisfaction
9
Table 2. Personal Characteristics of the Sample
N %
Age
18-24 31 11
25-34 98 35
35-44 59 22
45-55 62 22
>55 28 10
Total 278 100
Skipped question 46
Cender
Male 117 42
Female 162 58
Total 279 100
Skipped question 45
Income
Less than 9,999 per annum 1 0
10,000 - 19,999 per annum 15 5
20,000 - 29,999 per annum 24 9
30,000 - 39,999 per annum 34 12
40,000 - 49,999 per annum 31 11
50,000 - 59,999 per annum 27 10
60,000 - 79,999 per annum 52 19
80,000 - 99,999 per annum 32 12
100,000 - 119,999 per annum 19 7
120,000 - 139,999 per annum 10 4
140,000 or more per annum 18 6
I do not wish to give this information 15 5
1ota| 278 100
Skipped question 46

Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
10
Table 3. Mode of Transport Used

Survey Sample 2006 Census Data
Mode ot transport used to commute to work N % N %
On foot 35 11 3,461 9
Bicycle 21 7 2,434 6
Bus 85 27 10,300 26
Train, DART or Luas 89 29 10,788 27
Motor cycle or scooter 5 2 605 2
Drive a car 73 23 9,972 25
Passenger in a car 3 1 1,032 3
Lorry or van 0 0 229 1
Other means 0 0 32 0
Work mainly from home 0 0 120 0
Not applicable 0 0 394 1
1ota| 311 100 39,367 100
Skipped question 13

Examining the Factors that Impact Public Transport Commuting Satisfaction
11
Table 4. Details of Mode of Transport
Morning departure time N %
Before 6:30 am 15 5
6:31-7:00 am 36 11
7:01-7:30 am 46 15
7:31-8:00 am 62 20
8:01-8:30 am 64 20
8:31-9:00 am 61 19
9:01-9:30 am 24 8
19:31-10:00 am 6 2
After 10:01 am 0 0
1ota| 314 100
Skipped question 10
ke|iabi|ity ot your pub|ic transport service
Very reliable (almost always runs according to the schedule) 69 42
Somewhat reliable 67 41
Neither reliable nor unreliable 6 4
Somewhat unreliable 16 9
Very unreliable (almost never runs according to the schedule) 6 4
1ota| 164 100
Skipped question 160
Crowding on-board pub|ic transport
Very crowded (standing room packed) 69 42
Somewhat crowded 70 43
Neither crowded nor uncrowded 19 12
Somewhat uncrowded 3 2
Very uncrowded (many available seats) 2 1
1ota| 163 100
Skipped question 161
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
12
Analysis of Commuter Satisfaction
To establish the level of stress caused by commuting, respondents were asked to
indicate their level of disagreement/agreement with six statements, measured on
a ve point scale. Tese results were combined to create a single variable known
as commute satisfaction. Table 5 details the results.
A total of 42 percent of participants were found to either agree or strongly
agree to feeling crowded during their commute to work (see Table 5). However,
40 percent of respondents either strongly disagreed or disagreed to feeling
crowded (see Table 5). Te number of commuters who agree or strongly agree
that overall, commuting is stressful (44%) is only slightly higher than those who
disagree or strongly disagree (39%) with this statement. Te results indicated
that a higher number of respondents disagree or strongly disagree (44%) that
their commute takes a lot of eort than agree or strongly agree (40%) (see
Table 5). A high majority of participants (71%) agree or strongly agree that
their commute is consistent on a day-to-day basis.
A total of 40 percent of participants do not believe that commuting aects their
productivity at work, and only 5 percent strongly agreeing with this statement.
Tis is surprising, as previous studies have observed that long or stressful com-
mutes can signicantly aect the motivation of workers. A total of 54 percent of
respondents agreed or strongly agreed that commuting aected the time and
energy they have for recreation/socialising.
Regression Analysis
Te results presented in Table 5 were summed to create a single variable known
as commute satisfaction. Each level of disagreement/agreement was assigned a
value as follows:
Strongly Disagree = -2
Disagree = -1
Neither Agree nor Disagree = 0
Agree = 1
Strongly Agree = 2
Te variables were scored on the basis that agreement with a statement indicates a
higher level of commute satisfaction, whereas disagreement indicates a lower level
of commuter stress. However, the values assigned to the statement Commuting
is consistent for me on a day-to-day basis were reversed (i.e., Strongly Disagree
Examining the Factors that Impact Public Transport Commuting Satisfaction
13
Table 5. Measuring Commute Satisfaction
N %
wben I am trave||ing to work I tee| crowded
Strongly disagree 46 16
Disagree 73 24
Neither agree nor disagree 55 18
Agree 83 28
Strongly agree 42 14
Total 299 100
Skipped question 25
Commuting is stresstu| tor me
Strongly disagree 34 12
Disagree 80 27
Neither agree nor disagree 51 17
Agree 88 29
Strongly agree 46 15
Total 299 100
Skipped question 25
My commute to work eacb day takes a |ot ot eort
Strongly disagree 38 13
Disagree 92 31
Neither agree nor disagree 48 16
Agree 78 27
Strongly agree 38 13
Total 294 100
Skipped question 30
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
14
N %
Commuting to work is consistent on a day to day basis
Strongly disagree 15 5
Disagree 50 17
Neither agree nor disagree 20 7
Agree 153 52
Strongly agree 57 19
Total 295 100
Skipped question 29
My commute aects my productivity on tbe [ob
Strongly disagree 49 16
Disagree 117 40
Neither agree nor disagree 72 24
Agree 46 15
Strongly agree 15 5
Total 299 100
Skipped question 25
Commuting decreases tbe time and energy I bave tor recreation]socia|ising
Strongly disagree 34 11
Disagree 78 26
Neither agree nor disagree 27 9
Agree 95 32
Strongly agree 65 22
Total 299 100
Skipped question 25
Table 5. Measuring Commute Satisfaction (contd.)
Examining the Factors that Impact Public Transport Commuting Satisfaction
15
= 2, Strongly Agree = -2, etc.), as agreement with this statement would indicate
lower commute satisfaction and disagreement would indicate higher commute
satisfaction. Te values of each response to the six statements were summed to
reach the value for commute satisfaction for each respondent. Tis variable
ranged from a value of -12 for the least satised respondents to +12 for most satis-
ed respondents.
To quantify the strength of the relationship between the two variables, the coef-
cient of determination (R
2
) was evaluated. An R
2
value between 0.5 and 0.8
indicates a strong relationship between the two variables examined. A chi-square
test was carried out to determine if the data reject the null hypothesis (the null
hypothesis being that there is no dierence between the set of observed frequen-
cies and the set of predicted frequencies and that any dierence between the two
can be attributed to sampling). In this case, the lower the asymptotic signicance
value, the more likely it is that the two traits are related and the null hypothesis
is rejected.
Relationship Between Travel Time and Commute Satisfaction
A linear regression analysis was conducted to ascertain if a relationship existed
between travel time and commute satisfaction. Te relationship between the
time taken to travel to work and the individuals commute satisfaction level was
found to be positive (see Table 6). Te percentage of respondents with a low level
of commute satisfaction increases as Time taken to travel to work increases.
Tis implies that the longer a respondent spends travelling to work, the lower the
satisfaction level with their commute. Furthermore, the null hypothesis is rejected
at the 99% condence level by an asymptotic signicance value of 0.00 (see Table
7).
Relationship Between Public Transport Reliability and Commute Satisfaction
As expected, the analysis shows that commuters travelling on an unreliable public
transport service experience lower levels of commute satisfaction than those who
commute on a reliable service. Tese variables have a strong relationship, implied
by the R2 value of 0.9 estimated in the linear regression analysis (see Table 6). Te
null hypothesis is rejected at the 99% condence level by the asymptotic signi-
cance value of 0.00 (see Table 7).
Relationship Between Public Transport Crowding and Commute Satisfaction
Te relationship between public transport crowding and commute satisfaction
was tested using a liner regression analysis. It was found that as the level of crowd-
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
16
ing on public transport services increases, so too, does the percentage of commut-
ers with a low level of commute satisfaction. Tis result is not unexpected and
concurs with the ndings of previous studies, which indicated that personal space
invasion and crowding is one of the main causes of lack of commuter satisfaction
(Lucas and Heady 2002; King 2005). Te asymptotic signicance value of 0.00
rejects the null hypothesis at the 99% condence level (Table 7).
Relationship Between At-Stop Wait Time and Commute Satisfaction
In the survey, respondents were asked how long, on average, they had to wait at
their bus stop or train station each morning. Respondents were found to have
an average wait time of 10 minutes. Te time spent waiting at a bus stop/rail sta-
tion was found to be related to the variable low level of commuter satisfaction.
Tis relationship was shown to be positive, indicating that as the waiting time
increases, so, too, does the proportion of respondents with a low level of commut-
ing satisfaction. Te analysis produced an asymptotic signicance value of 0.00,
rejecting the null hypothesis at the 99% condence level (Table 7).
Table 6. Chi-Squared Tests
1est kesu|t
Relationship Between Travel Time and Commute Satisfaction
Slope 0.10
R
2
0.5
Relationship Between Public Transport Reliability and Commute
Satisfaction
Slope 0.11
R
2
0.9
Relationship Between Public Transport Crowding and Commute
Satisfaction
Slope 0.24
R
2
0.8
Relationship Between At-Stop Wait Time and Commute Satisfaction
Slope 0.01
R
2
0.5
Examining the Factors that Impact Public Transport Commuting Satisfaction
17
Multinomial Logit Model Results
Te results of the multinomial logit model are displayed in Table 7. It can be seen
that, with the exception of the cost coecient for rail, all coecients were found
to be signicantly dierent from zero at the 99% condence level (see Table 7).
Te model also produced a
2
(0) value of 0.28 and a
2
(c) value of 0.25, indicating
a good model t.
As expected, as the level of crowding increases on a bus or rail service, the utility
derived from the service decreases. It was found that crowding on rail services
produced a larger negative coecient (-1.11) than crowding on bus services
(-0.81). Tis may be due to the fact that rail carriages tend to have fewer seats
and more standing space than buses, resulting in passengers having much less
personal space when the carriage is full to capacity. Utility was found to decrease
as reliability decreased, although this variable is far less signicant than the level of
crowding on-board for both bus and rail. Rail has a slightly greater negative coef-
cient (-0.31) than bus (-0.21) for the reliability variable. Intuitively, as the cost of
a service increases, the utility derived from it should decrease, as is the case for the
bus option, which had a negative coecient of -0.63; the rail option had a negative
coecient of -0.31 (see Table 7).
Table 7. Multinomial Logit Modelling
Variab|es Coecient t-va|ue
Constant 0.84 4.1
BusCrowding -0.81 -7.2**
BusReliability -0.21 -8.3**
BusCost -0.69 -3.9**
Train Crowding -1.11 -9.2**
TrainReliability -0.32 -9.5**
TrainCost -0.31 -2.6
N 1,648

2
(0) 0.28

2
(c) 0.25
Final Likelihood -851.23
* Signicant at the 95% condence level
** Signicant at the 99% condence level
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
18
To examine the relative importance of the coecients in Table 7, a number of
ratios were estimated. Te ratio that compares bus crowding to bus reliability was
estimated to be 3.9 (see Table 8). Tis result indicates that bus users would derive
almost four times a greater benet from a reduction in crowding compared to
an improvement in reliability. A similar result was found when comparing train
crowding to train reliability, with a slightly lower ratio of 3.5 (see Table 8).
Te ratio that compares the train crowding coecient with the bus crowding
coecient indicates that rail users would derive a greater benet from a reduction
in crowding. A comparison between the train reliability coecient and the bus
reliability coecient demonstrates that rail users would derive a greater benet
from an improvement in schedule reliability.
Table 8. Comparison Between Crowding and Reliability
Ratio
Bus crowding / bus reliability 3.9
Train crowding / train reliability 3.5
Train crowding / bus crowding 1.4
Train reliability / bus reliability 1.5
Conclusions
Te results from this study revealed that there was not an overwhelming level of
agreement with the statements pertaining to commuting stress. Te data relating
to the respondents who were found to have a high level of stress due to com-
muting were examined using linear regression analysis. It was found that commut-
ing stress correlated signicantly with features of the respondents commute.
Respondents who travel on a crowded public transport experience higher levels
of commuting stress, probably due to increased invasion of personal space and
cramped, uncomfortable conditions. High stress levels are also more prolic
among respondents who commute using unreliable public transport services,
most likely induced by a lack of control over the situation. Commuters who spend
longer times waiting for a public transport service also tend to be more stressed.
Long wait times are most likely caused by services not running according to
schedule, which, in turn, induces stress due to lack of reliability and a diminished
Examining the Factors that Impact Public Transport Commuting Satisfaction
19
sense of control. Te longer this wait-time, the more intense these feelings of stress
become, as would be expected intuitively.
Te results of the multinomial logit modelling reveal that respondents would
derive a benet from an improvement in service reliability and a reduction in
crowding. Te results demonstrate that for both the bus and rail coecients, a
reduction in crowding was shown to be more benecial than an improvement in
reliability. Te ndings also suggest that rail users would derive a greater benet
from a reduction in crowding and an improvement in reliability compared to bus
passengers.
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About the Authors
Mnarnn Cnuvwrtt (cantwema@tcd.ie) is a graduate in Civil Engineering from
Trinity College Dublin.
anu Cnutrrtn (brian.cauleld@tcd.ie) is a lecturer in Civil Engineering in the
Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering in Trinity College
Dublin. He has published and has interests in public transport services, stated pref-
erence modelling, environmental impacts of transport, and road safety.
Mnacnarv OMnnouv (margaret.omahony@tcd.ie) is the Professor of Civil
Engineering and the Director of the Centre for Transport Research at Trinity College
Dublin. She leads a large number of interdisciplinary research projects focusing on
transport policy, transport planning, network modelling, optimisation of transport
networks, demand management, transport pricing, urban freight solutions, vehicle
instrumentation, and innovative road materials.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
22
Bus Rapid Transit Features and Deployment Phases for U.S. Cities
23
Bus Rapid Transit Features and
Deployment Phases for U.S. Cities
Luis David Galicia, Ruey Long Cheu
Te University of Texas at El Paso

Randy B. Machemehl, Te University of Texas at Austin
Hongchao Liu, Texas Tech University
Abstract
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems are becoming popular in congested cities around
the world. Since this mode of transportation is still evolving, there is a lack of clear
denition of what constitutes a BRT system. Tis paper reviews the BRT systems
around the world and characterizes their infrastructure and operational features.
Te most common features found are those that lead to travel time reduction or rid-
ership attraction relative to regular bus services. However, not all the features must
be implemented for a BRT system to be successful. Based on the features reviewed,
this research recommends three sets of features that correspond to three phases of
deployment in U.S. cities, depending on the project budget, time frame, users, and
trac and corridor characteristics.
Introduction
What is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system? Te U.S. General Accounting Oce
describes a set of elements that include exclusive bus highways and lanes, High
Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, technological and street design improvements,
trac signal prioritization, better stations and/or bus shelters, fewer stops, faster
service, and cleaner, quieter, and more attractive vehicles (GAO 2001). Te Fed-
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
24
eral Transit Administration denes BRT as an enhanced bus system that operates
on bus lanes or other transitways in order to combine the exibility of buses with
the eciency of rail (FTA 2007). In the BRT Planning Guide (Wright 2004), BRT
is dened as a high-quality bus-based transit system that delivers fast, comfort-
able, and cost-eective urban mobility through the provision of segregated right-
of-way infrastructure, rapid and frequent operations, and excellence in marketing
and customer service. Te Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report
90 denes BRT as a exible, rubber-tired rapid-transit mode that combines sta-
tions, vehicles, services, running ways, and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS)
elements into an integrated system with a strong positive identity that evokes a
unique image (Levinson et al. 2003a). Te Transit Capacity and Quality of Service
Manual (TCQSM) states that BRT is a complete rapid transit system that com-
bines exible service and new technologies to improve customer convenience and
reduce delays (Kittelson & Associates et al. 2003). With such broad denitions, it
is dicult for system designers, transportation engineers, and planners to explain
BRT to the policy makers and the public. If BRT really includes a spectrum of sys-
tem types and features, how does one describe the BRT system concept?
Tis research performs a comprehensive review of major BRT systems in cities
around the world. Te review of BRT systems focused on their infrastructure and
operational features relative to regular bus service. With an understanding that
BRT systems may evolve dierently in the U.S. cities, the selected BRT systems
reviewed are grouped into U.S. and non-U.S. systems. Based on the lessons learnt,
three levels of BRT systems that could be deployed in stages in U.S. cities are
recommended. With a clear understanding of the BRT features and deployment
phases, transportation agencies and transit operators are able to plan, implement,
or evaluate a BRT system more eectively and distinguish it from conventional
bus service.
BRT Systems Reviewed
Te technical documents reviewed included reports, manuals, handbooks, web
sites, and presentation slides published primarily in English and available at public
sources. Tey covered the major BRT systems in North and South America and
Austrasia, as shown in Table 1. More than 100 publications were reviewed.
Bus Rapid Transit Features and Deployment Phases for U.S. Cities
25
Table 1. List of BRT Systems Reviewed

U.S. k1 Systems Non-U.S. k1 Systems
City BRT System Name City BRT System Name
Albuquerque, NM Rapid Ride Adelaide, Australia North East Busway
Boston, MA Silver Line Beijing, China BRT Line 1
Eugene, OR EMX Bogot, Colombia TransMilenio
Honolulu, HI City Express Brisbane, Australia South East and Inner
Northern Busway
Las Vegas, NV North Las Vegas MAX Curitiba, Brazil BRT Curitiba
Los Angeles, CA Metro Rapid Orange Line Hang Zhou, China BRT Line B1
Miami, FL BUSWAY Jakarta, Indonesia TransJakarta
New York, NY Albany-Schenectady Mexico City, Mexico Metrobus
Orlando, FL LYMMO BRT Leon, Mexico Optibus
Pittsburgh, PA BUSWAY Ottawa, Canada Transitway
Kansas City, KS MAX Quito, Ecuador Ecova and Trole
Santa Clara, CA VTA Rapid 522 Sydney, Australia Liverpool-Parramatta
Transitway
San Francisco, CA Bay Area BRT Sao Paulo, Brazil BRT Sao Paulo
Virginia, VA Capital Beltway Proposal Santiago, Chile Transantiago
Common BRT Features
BRT features (also known as elements) are physical and operational characteristics
that make BRT systems stand out from regular bus services. Te features vary
among the BRT systems in dierent cities and depend on factors such as local
policy preference, customer needs, land use, weather, nancial resources, etc.
(GTZ 2006). Te common BRT features may be grouped into infrastructure and
operational features. BRT infrastructure features are those related to the physical
facilities along corridor, including:
Guideway
Stations (bus stops, terminal and other boarding facilities)
Park-and-ride facilities
Surrounding land use (also known as transit oriented development)
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
26
Tese features are normally under the jurisdiction of the local infrastructure pro-
vider.
BRT operational features include:
Vehicles
Route coverage and service frequency
ITS technologies applied to BRT
Fare collection
Operating speed methods
Te operational features are generally controlled by the service provider(s).
Infrastructure Features
Guideway
Te most potentially signicant but costly BRT infrastructure feature is provision
of dedicated or exclusive lanes. Te lanes may be at-grade or grade-separated.
Collectively, they are referred to as guideways. Guideways help to improve operat-
ing speed, schedule reliability, and headway control between BRT vehicles. Guide-
ways appear more frequently outside the U.S.; implementation in the U.S. is rare
because of the high cost of right-of-way acquisition. Tus, limited-length exclusive
tunnels (e.g., the Metro Bus Tunnel in Seattle), combinations of dedicated lanes,
and mixed ow or contra-ow lanes (e.g., in Boston) appear more feasible. Engi-
neers must be innovative to develop relatively low-cost guideway designs that will
t into the local street congurations. At least some of the advantages of exclu-
sive guideways can be provided through less costly innovations such as bus-on-
shoulder bypasses, short dedicated guideway segments, queue jumpers, and signal
priority systems. Te number of necessary lanes and overpass sections should be
carefully designed according to the temporal distribution of expected demand. In
some cases, such as Seoul and Sao Paulo, exclusive BRT lanes are congested due
to bus bunching (GTZ 2006). One of the most common BRT detriments is the
excessive maintenance required in the guideways pavement. Te Los Angeles
Orange Line and Mexico Citys MetroBus have been forced to temporarily close
some sections of their routes to rebuild the guideway pavement. In both cases, this
inconvenience has appeared after less than one year of operation (Hidalgo et al.
2007, Light Rail Now 2006)
Bus Rapid Transit Features and Deployment Phases for U.S. Cities
27
Stations
Other than guideways, stations are the most visible infrastructure along BRT corri-
dors. In this paper, stations refer to bus stops, terminals, and all kinds of boarding/
alighting facilities. Teir architecture, accessibility, and comfort play a vital role in
determining the BRT quality of service (Kittelson & Associates et al. 2003, Darido
et al. 2006). Stations should be planned not only for existing BRT users, but also
to attract users from other modes of transportation. Standards for transit facility
appearance, cleanliness, and inspection programs must be established. In general,
BRT systems provide high-quality shelters with passenger information systems. A
passenger survey in Santa Clara, California (Dahlgren and Morris 2003) found that
an ideal station is a clean, well-maintained, and patrolled place that also provides
accurate schedule information. Tus, stations may not necessarily be equipped
with the latest technologies.
Te design of shelters also must consider passenger accessibility between the
shelter and the vehicle, and between the shelter and the sidewalk. Te BRT sys-
tems in several Latin American cities (such as Curitiba, Goiania, Sao Paulo, Bogot,
Quito, Mexico City, and Len) have adopted the platform mode for boarding and
alighting. Te platform mode eliminates any dierence in elevation between the
station and bus platforms and signicantly reduces the dwell time. However, the
construction of shelters with platforms increases the cost of the entire project.
Park-and-Ride Facilities
Park-and-ride facilities enable users to access the BRT stations by other modes. In
cities where automobiles are the dominant mode of transportation, park-and-ride
facilities may encourage BRT usage. Park-and-ride facilities are more common
in the non-U.S. systems; examples of this are Brisbane and Bogot. Moreover,
planners may design park-and-ride amenities to include commercial activities
(Currie 2006, GTZ 2006). Te construction cost of park-and-ride facilities must be
evaluated against investments for other BRT infrastructures or provision of better
feeder bus service (Vincent 2006).
Transit Oriented Development
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) refers to the proper planning or integra-
tion of transit stations/terminals with commercial activities. Tis will not only
reduce the number of trips a traveler makes per day (GTZ 2006), but also could
produce revenue from the lease of commercial space. In general, TOD increases
land/property value along the corridor, as experienced in Brisbane, Bogot, San
Francisco, and Washington D.C. (Wright 2004). Te opportunity to develop com-
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
28
mercial spaces is a trend and is becoming part of the strategies to contribute to
BRT project funds.
Operational Features
Vehicles
BRT systems usually use vehicles that are distinct from regular bus service. Tey
often have high-capacity, low-oors, ergonomic seats, and multiple wide doors.
Tese designs contribute to improved ride quality, comfort, and reduction in
dwell time. Te use of articulated buses appears common. Nonetheless, articu-
lated buses are recommended only when high capacity is desired without the
need for increasing the frequency of service along the line (Kittelson & Associates
et al. 2003). Te design of vehicle should be considered together with station and
shelter designs. A key issue when selecting/designing BRT vehicle is the interior
design. In some cases, the interior of a vehicle may be comfortable for riders.
Beijings BRT is an example of an inadequate design since the capacity of its 60-ft
buses is barely higher than a conventional bus (GTZ 2006). Low-oor vehicles can
reduce boarding time (Levinson et al. 2003a, 2003b). Asian and Latin American
cities with a high passenger demand opt to use high-oor vehicles for better ride
quality (better mechanical suspension).
Route Coverage and Service Frequency
Te TCQSM describes route coverage as the area covered by a particular route
within walking distance (400 m for a bus stop, or 800 m from a terminal) (Kittel-
son & Associates et al. 2003). Area coverage by BRT systems is necessary to attract
ridership. However, extensive area coverage may lead to frequent stops and longer
travel time.
Service frequency is one of the measures of transit service quality. A high frequency
implies lower average wait times for customers. Tis feature usually attracts rid-
ership and is a key component in the total travel time (Kittelson & Associates et
al. 2003). In the U.S., BRT service headways range from 3 to 20 minutes, while in
Latin American countries the headways vary from less than 1 minute (Sao Paulo
and Porto Alegre) to 10 minutes, depending on the time of day. In countries with
high passenger demand, such as Kunming and Seoul, the average headway during
the day is continuously less than 1 minute (Wright 2004).
In terms of capacity, which is dependent on the combined eect of vehicle capac-
ity, route coverage, and service frequency, BRT vehicles or eets can also be com-
Bus Rapid Transit Features and Deployment Phases for U.S. Cities
29
petitive with rail-based mass transit systems. One of the greatest misconceptions
of BRT systems is that they are unable to reach high-capacity operation. Wright
(2004) reported that Bogots BRT moves approximately 36,000 passengers per
hour per direction, and the Sao Paulo BRT transports up to 30,000 passengers per
hour per direction. Both systems use high-capacity articulated vehicles. In U.S.,
the highest capacity can be found in the Lincoln tunnel in New York with a capac-
ity of 25,000 passengers per hour per direction (Vincent 2006). BRT systems in the
U.S. usually have lower passenger demand, which leads to lower design capacities
compared to systems in Asian and Latin American cities (Cain et al. 2007).
ITS Technologies Applied to BRT
ITS technologies are being implemented more commonly in European, North
American countries, and Australia than in developing countries. BRT systems in
developing countries are still limited in ITS supplications because of the capital
and operating costs (Wright 2004). ITS technologies mainly contribute to the
image, safety, and operating speed (Kittelson & Associates et al. 2003, Darido et al.
2006, Currie 2006, Sakamoto et al. 2007) but are not essential features for a suc-
cessful BRT system. Te BRT systems in Bogot, Quito, Beijing, Mexico City, and
all Brazilian systems are successful examples that have not implemented or have
very limited ITS technologies.
Transit Signal Priority (TSP), real-time passenger information systems, and Auto-
matic Fare Collection (AFC) are examples of typical ITS applications in BRT sys-
tems. Implementation of TSP has grown rapidly among the U.S. transit systems.
Real-time passenger information systems increase productivity of passengers
while waiting for buses, avoid crowding at stations, and enhance the image of the
shelters (Kittelson & Associates et al. 2003). Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL)
systems help track the locations of vehicles, which can be used for real-time eet
management and future planning purposes. Te global positioning system-based
AVL system is perhaps the most popular among the available location technologies
(Gillen and Johnson 2002). One of the new ITS technologies for BRT is lane-assist
systems being implemented in the BRT systems in Orlando and Minneapolis. Lane
assist permits BRT vehicles to operate at higher operating speeds with improved
safety (Kulyk and Hardy 2007). Precision docking technology (implemented in Las
Vegas, but more popular in European cities) helps reduce dwell time.
Fare Collection Methods
Automatic fare collection (AFC), although originating in other transit systems, has
become a regular feature of BRT systems worldwide. Advanced AFC with a common
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
30
smart card allows integration of several modes in one single system, which oers
customer convenience (GTZ 2006). In surveys carried out among transit users in
Hong Kong, Taipei, New Delhi, London, Oslo, Copenhagen, Washington D.C., San
Francisco, Chicago, Rome, Bangkok, Seoul, and Istanbul, smart cards were noted as
being eective in promoting ridership, increasing customer satisfaction, improving
boarding time, and increasing ease of access (Boushka 2006). AFC usually generates
important data for demand forecasting and operational planning (Hidalgo et al.
2007). However, three recent examples demonstrate that AFC may not be as bene-
cial as it appears. Te rst example is AFC on the Silver Line in Boston. AFC equip-
ment initially was implemented with the purpose of saving running time. However,
contrary to expectations, the travel time increased after AFC implementation. Such
experience illustrates the importance of dwelling time control (Darido et al. 2006).
Te second and third examples are the Quito and Jakarta BRT systems, where the
implementation time for user adaptation to AFC technology has been considerably
short, causing insucient testing and quality assurance. In addition, their fare col-
lection systems are not compatible with other public transportation modes or even
among dierent BRT corridors in the same city (Hidalgo et al. 2007).
Operating Speed
Operating speed depends on many factors such as guideways, number of stops,
dwell time, etc. When Bogots TransMilenio was rst implemented, the operat-
ing speed went from approximately 15 km/h to 26.7 km/h (Cain 2007). In Seoul,
the operating speed of buses has improved after the implementation of BRT in
2004 (by 2.7 km/h to 11 km/h, depending on the corridor), and the speed has
increased as users become more familiar with the system (GTZ 2006). Operat-
ing speed has a direct impact on ridership attraction. As the name implies, BRT
service should be rapid.
Travel Time and Ridership Attraction
Of the BRT features reviewed above, all are aimed at reducing travel time or
increasing ridership. Terefore, travel time savings (for users) and ridership attrac-
tion (for agencies and operators) are the most important design goals. In fact,
the most distinctive features of BRT systems are the ones that contribute most to
reduction in travel time (such as guideways, high-capacity vehicles, high service
frequency, TSP, AFC) and ridership attraction (such as enhanced stations and
shelters, transit oriented development, real-time passenger information systems,
route coverage).
Bus Rapid Transit Features and Deployment Phases for U.S. Cities
31
Other Related Benets
Environmental
A single BRT vehicle may replace as many as 50 automobiles along a corridor, thus
reducing total emissions (GTZ 2006). Environmentally-friendly vehicles are often
highlighted as a branding feature of BRT systems. Tis is particularly important to
the U.S. cities that seek federal funding (from FTA) to start BRT services.
Safety
Guideway and intersection geometric treatments may improve overall corridor
safety to better-than-pre-BRT levels. Te corridor designs that eliminate conicts
between BRT buses and other vehicles or pedestrians usually produce safety ben-
ets. Seoul and Bogot have seen reductions in the number of accidents by 27 per-
cent and 93 percent, respectively, compared to pre-BRT conditions (GTZ 2007).
Recommended Deployment Phases
Te above BRT features are those most commonly found in operational systems.
However, not all features must appear for a system to be called BRT. As feature
selection and design depend on the project budget, local users, and trac and
corridor characteristics, the authors have grouped feature combinations in three
deployment phases. Infrastructure features are listed in Table 2, and operational
features are listed in Table 3. Te three phases are limited, moderate, and aggres-
sive, in increasing order of system cost, ridership attraction, and operating speed.
Te recommended features in Tables 2 and 3 may be viewed as market packages
in the dierent deployment phases. Note that not all the features listed in each of
the phases in Tables 2 and 3 must be followed strictly.
Te three deployment phases may be implemented progressively, starting from
limited phases when funds are limited and ridership is uncertain. Te limited
phase consists of features that can be implemented in relatively short time at
relatively low costs. Tis setup is particularly suitable for most U.S. cities because
of the initial low ridership and high right-of-way cost. Once the limited-phase
BRT has gained acceptance by policy makers and users, and with increasing rider-
ship and experience, the system may be upgraded to the moderate or aggressive
phases. Tat is, the sequence of deployment does not need to be in sequential
order. If the right-of-way and funds are readily available, a transportation agency
may opt to implement the aggressive phase directly without having to go through
the rst two phases. Note that it is also possible to upgrade one feature at a time,
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
32
for example AFC. Terefore, the shift from one deployment phase to the next may
take place gradually over time.
Summary
Tis paper has reviewed and summarized the infrastructure and operational
features of BRT systems worldwide. Most of the BRT systems reviewed share
common but not all BRT features. When designing a BRT system, the features
should be selected according to project budget, local users, and trac and corri-
dor characteristics and combined to produce maximum ridership attraction and
operating speed. Taking into consideration the limited BRT success and ridership
and high right-of-way cost in U.S. cities, the BRT features have been grouped into
three deployment phases. Te features recommended in the dierent phases are
in increasing order of cost, engineering sophistication, and implementation time
frames, but they also correspond to more positive eects on ridership attraction
and operating speed. Te phases may be implemented in sequential order for a
BRT system to be sustainable.
Table 2. Recommended BRT Infrastructure Features at
Different Stages of Deployment
INIkAS1kUC1Ukl IlA1UklS
HASl 1
(3000 to 9,300
pax/trip/day)
HASl 2
(3,500 to 26,000
pax/trip/day)
HASl 1
(120,000 to
1,450,000 pax/
trip/day)
CUIUlwAY ANU lANl IMkOVlMlN1
Mixed-ow x
Dedicated guideway x x
Contra-ow way x x x
Segregated lane or
exclusive guideway
Below grade x
At grade x
Aerial x
Queue jumper x x
Overpass lane x
Median lane runway x x
Curb lane x
Curb extension x
Bus Rapid Transit Features and Deployment Phases for U.S. Cities
33
INIkAS1kUC1Ukl IlA1UklS
HASl 1
(3000 to 9,300
pax/trip/day)
HASl 2
(3,500 to 26,000
pax/trip/day)
HASl 1
(120,000 to
1,450,000 pax/
trip/day)
S1A1IONS
Enhanced shelters with seats and lighting x x
Air conditioning/heater x x
Level platforms x x
Other amenities (route & schedule, vending
machines, telephones) x
Pedestrian crosswalks with signal x x
Pedestrian bridge access x
Automatic passenger counter x x
Akk-ANU-kIUl IACIlI1IlS
Open lot parking x x
Multi-level parking x x
Transfer areas (inside buildings) x x
Bicycle parking x x x
Taxi stands x x x
SUkkOUNUINC lANU USl
Sidewalk condition improvements x x x
Security systems near stations x x
Mixed land use near station x x x
Commercial activities around stations x x
Clustered business facilities
(integrated building) x
Table 2. Recommended BRT Infrastructure Features at
Different Stages of Deployment (contd.)
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
34
Table 3. Recommended BRT Operational Features
at Different Stages of Deployment
OlkA1IONAl IlA1UklS
HASl 1
(3000 to 9,300
pax/trip/day)
HASl 2
(3,500 to 26,000
pax/trip/day)
HASl 1
(120,000 to
1,450,000 pax/
trip/day)
VlHICllS
40 ft-60 ft articulated x x
80 ft double articulated x
Diesel, CNG or electric vehicle x x x
Hybrid vehicle x x
Low-oor vehicles x x
Multiple entrance-exit doors x
Wi- service x
IN1lllIClN1 1kANSOk1A1ION SYS1lM
Transit signal priority x x
Automatic vehicle location x x
Real-time information system (at stations) x x
Real-time information system (on board) x
Collision warning x
Precision docking x
Lane-assist system x
Automatic steering- guidance system x
Automatic speed and spacing control system x
Voice and video monitoring x
IAkl COlllC1ION
On-board fare collection x x
Pre-board fare collection x x x
Cash payment x
Magnetic strip cards x
Smart cards x x
Bus Rapid Transit Features and Deployment Phases for U.S. Cities
35
OlkA1IONAl IlA1UklS
HASl 1
(3000 to 9,300
pax/trip/day)
HASl 2
(3,500 to 26,000
pax/trip/day)
HASl 1
(120,000 to
1,450,000 pax/
trip/day)
SlkVICl ANU OlkA1ION
Marketing identity x x x
Reduced number of stops x x x
Route length extension x x
Increased overage area with multiple routes x
High service frequency x x
Feeders system x x
On-time performance monitoring x x
OlkA1INC SllU
Operating speed <20 mph x
Operating speed >20 and <30 mph x
Operating speed >30 mph x
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
Tis research is supported by Texas Department of Transportation under Research
Agreement 0-5668. Te contents and views expressed in this paper are the sole
responsibility of the authors.
References
Boushka, M. 2006. Fare collection update: Putting the smart in smart card.
Mass Transit Magazine, February 14, 2006. http://www.masstransitmag.com/
print/Mass-Transit/Fare-Collection-UpdatePutting-the-Smart-in-Smart-
Cards/1$346. Accessed June 17, 2008.
Cain, A., G. Darido, M.R. Baltes, P. Rodrguez, and J.C. Barrios. 2007. Applicability
of Bogotas Transmilenio BRT system to the United States. Paper 07-1538,
Preprints of the 86th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board,
CD-ROM.
Currie, G. 2006. Bus rapid transit in Australasia: Performance, lessons learned and
futures. Journal of Public Transportation 9(3): 8-14.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
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Dahlgren, J., and B. Morris. 2003. Advanced bus stops for bus rapid transit. Final
Report for RTA No. 65A028. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of
California at Berkeley.
Darido, G., R. Diaz, E. Kim, and P. Schimek. 2006. Performance and lessons from the
implementation of BRT in the United States. Paper 07-3446, Preprints of the
86th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, CD-ROM.
Gillen D. and D. Johnson. 2002. Bus rapid transit and the use of AVL technology: A
survey of integrating change. Final Report UCB-ITS-PRR-2002-17. Institute of
Transportation Studies, University of California at Berkeley.
FTA. 2007. Bus rapid transit. Federal Transit Administration. http://www.fta.dot.
gov/assistance/technology/research_4240.html. Accessed June 17, 2008.
GAO. 2001. Mass transit: Bus rapid transit shows promise. GAO-01-984, United
States General Accounting Oce.
GTZ. 2006. Planicacin de sistemas de bus rpido midiendo impactos, servicio
al cliente y mercadeo and errores en planeacin. Deutsche Gesellschaft fr
Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ). Presented at the 2nd international Con-
ference of Sustainable Transportation. Mexico CityQuertaro, CD-ROM.
Hidalgo, D., P.S. Custodio, and P. Graftieaux. 2007. Planning, implementation and
operation of BRT systems: Te cases of Quito, Bogot, Leon, Mexico City,
Jakarta and Beijing. Paper 07-0938, Preprints of the 86th Annual Meeting of
the Transportation Research Board, CD-ROM.
Kulyk, W., and M. Hardy. 2003. ITS enhanced bus rapid transit systems. Fed-
eral Transit Administration. http://gulliver.trb.org/conferences/VHA-BRT.
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Kittelson & Associates, KFH Group, Parsons Brinckerho Quade & Douglass,
and Hunter-Zaworski. 2003. Transit capacity and quality of service manual
(TCQSM). Transit Cooperative Research Program Report 100, 2nd Edition,
Part 3. Federal Transit Administration.
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rail, but cheaper? A Photo-Report Reality Check. Part 2. Light Rail Progress.
http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_brt_2006-10a.htm. Accessed August
19th 2008.
Bus Rapid Transit Features and Deployment Phases for U.S. Cities
37
Levinson, H., S. Zimmerman, J. Clinger, S. Rutherford, R.L. Smith, J. Cracknell and
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About the Authors
lus Unvn Cntcn (ldgalicia@miners.utep.edu) is a Graduate Research Associate
at the Center for Transportation Infrastructure Systems at Te University of Texas at
El Paso (UTEP). He received a bachelors degree in civil engineering from the National
Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City in 1998, and a masters degree in transporta-
tion engineering from University of Southern California in 2003. He joined UTEP
in 2006 and has completed research projects related to incident management and
evacuation planning. His research focuses bus rapid transit planning.
kurv l. Cnru (rcheu@utep.edu) is an associate professor at the Department of
Civil Engineering at UTEP. He received a Ph.D. from the University of California at
Irvine in 1994. He served as faculty at the National University of Singapore for 12
years prior to joining UTEP in August 2006. His research focuses on border trans-
portation with emphasis on transportation planning, public transportation, and
transportation security. He is on the editorial boards of Transportation Research
Part C: Emerging Technologies and the Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems,
a licensed professional engineer in Texas, and a member of two Transportation
Research Board committees, ASCE, IEEE and ITE.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
38
knunv . Mncnrmrnt (rbm@mail.utexas.edu) is the Al-Rashid Centennial Pro-
fessor in Transportation Engineering in the Department of Civil, Architectural and
Environmental Engineering at Te University of Texas at Austin and is President of
the Council of University Transportation Centers. He has a Ph.D. from UTA and
has taught and performed research in transportation system operations for more
than 25 years. In 2006, he received the S. S. Steinberg Award from the Research and
Education Division of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.
For the last three years he has served as Associate Chair of the UTA Civil Engineer-
ing Department and became Director of the Center for Transportation Research in
1999. His research interests include solving operational problems of urban freeways,
optimizing urban trac signal systems, and making public mass transportation a
more desirable travel mode.
Houccnno lu (Hongchao.Liu@ttu.edu) is an assistant professor in the Depart-
ment of Civil Engineering at Texas Tech University. Prior to joining Texas Tech
University in 2004, he worked as a sta researcher and Principal Investigator at the
Institute of Transportation Studies at University of California, Berkeley and was the
key developer of Californias rst adaptive transit signal priority on El Camino Real
corridor in San Mateo County. His major research interests include trac manage-
ment and control systems, intelligent transportation systems, design and operation
of bus rapid transit facilities, and microscopic trac simulation. He is a member
of ITE, ASCE, IEEE and the TRB Committee on Articial Intelligence and Advanced
Computation and has published more than 40 papers and technical reports.
39
GIS-Based Safety Bus Stops
GIS-Based Safety Bus Stops
Serdang and Seri Kembangan
Case Study
Khaled Hazaymeh
University Putra Malaysia
Abstract
Enhancing a bus transit system is a possible solution to the growth of congestion in
urban areas. Issues related to the safety of bus passengers, either on board or during
their travel to a bus stop, should be considered. Tis article presents a GIS method
to identify risky bus stops on a single bus route in the Serdang and Seri Kempangan
area according to three attributes: location, characteristics, and surface. Te aim is
to improve the safety of bus stops in the area. Results show that GIS is a good tool to
achieve the purpose of this study.
Introduction
Enhancing a bus transit system is a possible solution to the growth of congestion
in urban areas. Bus transit market potential cannot be explored to its full extent
unless issues related to the safety of bus passengers, either on board or during their
travel to a bus stop, and accessibility to bus stops are addressed (Pulugurtha and
Vanapalli 2008, Hamby and Tompson 2006).
Personal safety is an important issue in an eective transit system because it
greatly impacts transit users. Te real safety of transit users and their perception
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
40
of their safety are often crucial factors in the decision to use or not to use transit
(Vogel and Pettinari 2002).
At a minimum, bus stops should have safety amenities such as lighting, curbs, and
shelter. Lighting is crucial for visibility and safety throughout the day and night. In
transit environments, lighting should illuminate the faces of people. Curbs should
be clearly designated and assigned as no parking areas. Te shelter should be
large enough for sidewalks and visually disruptive. In this paper, a shelter was con-
sidered a risk factor because of weather conditions in the area of study (rain and
thunderstorms)pedestrians seeking cover at a shelter may suddenly jump into
the street when their bus arrives. Tus, a level of risk may occur for pedestrians
and vehicles.
Bus stops should be at safe locations, no more than 50 meters after a trac light
or road intersection (Higher Committee of Planning Cities 2000). Tey should not
be located on sloped surfaces. Stops that are not located within a distance of 50m
after a trac light or road intersection, that do not have lighting, curbs, and shel-
ters, and that are located on a sloped surface are considered unsafe.
Pulugurtha and Vanapalli (2008) developed a Geographic Information System
(GIS)-based methodology to assist decisionmakers in identifying and ranking bus
stops in high auto-pedestrian collision areas. Te GIS-based methodology is illus-
trated by using 2000-2002 auto-pedestrian collision data, trac volumes, bus stop
coverage, transit ridership data, and street centerline coverage for the Las Vegas
metropolitan area.
Vogel and Pettinari (2002) focus on the design of transit environments as they
consider the personal safety of transit users and address the nature of the larger
environment in which the transit stop or station is located. Issues of access also are
addressed because the characteristics of the pathways leading to and from transit
stops are integral parts of the transit environment.
Studies such as the one by Moudon and Hess (2003) show a strong relationship
between autos and pedestrians. Providing appropriate pedestrian facilities along
bus transit corridors makes access to transit systems more eective.
Tis study aims to enhance public transportation service in an identied area
by determining bus stops that may cause risk for pedestrians or vehicles. It also
describes a step-by-step approach for validation of bus stop safety using the geo-
processing tools available with ArcGIS 9.2.
41
GIS-Based Safety Bus Stops
Data and Area of Study
Te data required to identify the safety of bus stops include road network maps,
bus routes, bus stop locations, trac light locations, and road intersections. Te
road network map was obtained from Google Map and was geo-referenced to the
WGS84 coordinate system, then transformed to the Kertau coordinate system.
Te locations and the attributes of bus stops, trac lights, and road intersections
were obtained by means of GPS techniques and ground surveys. Table 1 shows
the attributes of these features. Te area of study was limited to a single bus route,
T432, which serves the area between Serdang KTM Komuter, Bandar Puncak Jalil
of Serdang, and Seri Kembangan city.
Table 1. Attributes of GPS_points Shapele
Iie|d Name 1ype Uescription
FID Object ID A default eld created by ArcMap; represents the objects in
a sequential order
Shape Geometry/ A default eld created by ArcMap; represents the shape of
point the object
ID Short Unique ID for each object
Longitude Double Te longitude of the point in decimal degrees
Latitude Double Te latitude of the point in decimal degrees
Type String Te type of GPS point (bus stop T432, trac light or road
intersection)
Location String Te location of the bus stop (before or after a trac light or
road intersection)
Describe String Describes the bus stop as very good, good, or bad, based on
their characteristics
Grade Double Te slope as a percentage
Methodology
Data were collected, and a spatial analysis and spatial queries were performed to
identify risky bus stops. Figure 1 shows a brief description of the methodology.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
42
Figure 1. Methodology Flow Chart
Tree categories of risky bus stop locations in the area of study were dened and
tested, as follows.
Risky bus stops due to location
A bus stop is considered risky if it is located before a trac light or road intersec-
tion due to the trac rule that bus stops should be located after trac lights or
road intersections and not within more than 50 meters of those trac lights or
road intersections. Te bus stops, trac lights, and road intersections were over-
laid onto the road network. A buer zone with a radius of 50m was created around
each trac light and road intersection to select those bus stops not located within
50m by using the Select by Location method in ArcGIS 9.2. Bus stops located
before trac lights or road intersections were selected using the Select by Attri-
butes method based on the Location eld in the attribute table (Table 1).
Risky bus stops due to characteristics
To determine risky bus stops due to characteristics, the bus stops were categorized
in three levels of very good, good, and bad. Tese three levels were dened
based on three bus stop characteristics: lighting, curbs, and shelters. Te criteria
are as following:
43
GIS-Based Safety Bus Stops
If the bus stop has all three characteristics, it is described as very good.
If the bus stop has one or two characteristics, it is described as good.
If the bus stop has none of the characteristics, it is described as bad. A
bad bus stop is considered a risky bus stop.
A eld of attributes was added to the table of attributes and named
Describe. It was lled with the description levels. Te bad bus stops were
selected by using the Select by Attributes method based on the describe
eld in the table of attributes (Table 1).
Risky bus stops due to surface
Bus stops should not be located on a sloped surface because this is considered
unsafe. Te slope modier was expressed as a percentage (grade) and was calcu-
lated using the following formula:
Grade = (rise run) * 100
Rise is dened as the change in altitude between two points. Te altitude points
in this study were the start point of a road or a bus stop. Run is dened as the
distance between two altitude points (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Rise and Run Denition
Te standard grade of a bus stop location was set to be 2 percent, based on ADA
standards for accessible design (U.S. Department of Justice 2002). Te grade for
each bus stop was added to the attribute table, and the Select by Attribute
method was used to select the bus stops with a grade greater than 2 percent.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
44
High-Risk Bus Stops
High-risk bus stops were dened as any bus stop that has two or three of the three
categories of risk. Te Select by Attribute method was used to select the bus
stops with two or more categories of risk.
Results and Discussion
Risky bus stops due to location
Risky bus stops due to location were identied in a two-step process: the bus stops
that intersect the buer zone (50 meters) were selected, and then the bus stops
that are located before trac lights or road intersections were selected. Te SQL
query statement that selects the bus stops that intersect the buer zone was made
by using the Select by Location method as follows:
(bus stop) features that (intersect) features in (buffer zone 50)
Te result of this query showed that there is no bus stop within the buer zone
in the study area. Tis did not mean, however, that all bus stops are risky because
some are located in a straightaway where there are no trac lights or road inter-
sections. Tus, the second step, which selects the bus stops that are located before
trac lights or road intersections, is taken. Te SQL query statement that selects
the bus stops that are located before the trac lights or road intersections is:
(Location = before traffc light OR Location = before intersection)
Te result of this query shows that there are two bus stops in the study area with
locations before a trac light or road intersection and that are not within 50
meters of the trac light or road intersection, and thus may cause risk for pedes-
trians or for vehicles, according to these two criteria. Figure 3 shows risky bus stops
due to location.
Risky bus stops due to characteristics
Te SQL query statement that selects the bus stops characterized as bad is:
(describe = bad)
In Figure 4, the result of this query shows that there are six bus stops in the study
area that do not have lighting, curbs, or a shelter and thus may cause risk for
pedestrians or vehicles.
45
GIS-Based Safety Bus Stops
Figure 3. Risky Bus Stops Due to Location
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
46
Figure 4. Risky Bus Stops Due To Characteristics
Risky bus stops due to surface
Te SQL query statement that selects the bus stops that are located on surfaces
sloped greater than 2 percent is:
(Grade >2)
In Figure 5, the result of this query shows that there is one bus stop in the study area
that is located on a sloped surface that may cause risk for pedestrians or vehicles.
47
GIS-Based Safety Bus Stops
Figure 5. Risky Bus Stops Due To Surface
High-Risk Bus Stops
A high-risk bus stop is a combination of the three previous results. Te SQL query
statement that selects the bus stops that have two or more potential risk attri-
butes is:
(Location = before intersection OR Location = before traffc
light OR describe = bad AND Grade >2)
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
48
In Figure 6, the results of this query show two bus stops in the study area that have
two or more risk attributes and thus may cause a high level of risk for pedestrians
or vehicles.
Figure 6. High-Risk Bus Stops In Study Area
49
GIS-Based Safety Bus Stops
Conclusion
Tis paper presents a GIS-based methodology to identify risky bus stops in a
selected study area. Bus stops were identied as risky based on three categorical
attributes: location (if located before a trac light or road intersection), charac-
teristics (no lighting, curb, or shelter), and surface (located on a sloped surface).
High-risk bus stops (exhibiting two or three types of risk) were identied. Te
Select by Attribute and Select by Location methods in ArcGIS 9.2 were used to
identify the risky bus stops. Results identied two risky bus stops due to location,
six due to characteristics, one due to surface, and two high-risk bus stops in the
study area. A follow-up study will apply the methodology to dierent routes and
areas.
Figure 7. Example of Safe Bus Stop
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
50
Figure 8. Example of High-Risk Bus Stop
51
GIS-Based Safety Bus Stops
References
Hamby, B., and K. Tompson. 2006. New toolkit provides practical tools to build
better bus stops. ITE Journal 76 (9): 2226.
Higher Committee of Planning Cities. 2000. Urban Planning Standards. Muscat,
Sultanate of Oman (Arabic Edition).
http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/statestreet/ProbsandOpps.htm (September - 15 -
2008)
KFH Group. 2003. Arlington County bus stop design standards. Arlington County,
Department of Public Works.
Pulugurtha, S., and V. Vanapalli. 2008. Hazardous bus stops identication: An illus-
tration using GIS. Journal of Public Transportation 11: 65-83.
Moudon, A. W., and P. M. Hess. 2003. Pedestrian safety and transit corridors. Final
Report (# WA-RD 556.1). Seattle, WA: Washington State Transportation Cen-
ter (TRAC), University of Washington.
U.S. Department of Justice. 2002. ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Section
10.2, Bus Stops and Terminals. http://www.ada.gov/adastd94.pdf.
Vogel, M., and J. Pettinari. 2002. Personal safety and transit: Paths, environments,
stops, and stations. Final Report (#CTS 02-05), Minneapolis, Minnesota: Cen-
ter for Transportation Studies.
Volinski, J., and L. E. Tucker. 2003. Public transportation synthesis series: Safer stops
for vulnerable customers. Final Report (# NCTR-473-13), Tampa, FL: National
Center for Transit Research, University of South Florida.
About the Author
knntrn Hnznvmrn (khazaymeh@yahoo.com) is with the GIS and Remote Sensing
section of the Department of Civil Engineering at University Putra Malaysia. He
has an MS in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS)
from University Putra Malaysia and a BA in Geography and Spatial Planning from
Yarmouk University in Jordan. His research interests include transport services plan-
ning and management, the socio-economic impacts of transportation congestion,
and urban planning applications.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
52
53
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
Public Transport in Pakistan:
A Critical Overview
Muhammad Imran
Massey University, New Zealand
Abstract
Urban transport problems in Pakistan are managed by building larger and better
roads. By contrast, the principles of sustainable transport encourage using low-
cost public transport that could perform well in mixed land use and high density
Pakistani cities. Te purpose of this paper is to provide a critical overview of public
transport policy in Pakistan from the British India period through to recent years.
Tis overview highlights the core problem of the continuing failure of Pakistani cities
to develop and manage their public transport systems in such a way as to provide a
high level of mobility, equity, and environmental sustainability. Te paper identies
several factors, including the importance of governance, capacity building, and urban
planning in providing adequate, ecient, and eective public transport in Pakistan.
Introduction
Tis paper highlights the core problem of the continuing failure of Pakistani cities
to develop and manage their public transport systems in such a way as to provide
a high level of mobility, equity, and environmental sustainability. For at least 60
years, public transport policy makers have formulated many dierent policies for
public transport development in Pakistan. Tese policies make little sense in the
presence of an extensive suburban railways infrastructure and high density mixed
land use in urban areas.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
54
Te purpose of this paper is to provide an historical overview of public transport
policy in Pakistan from the British India period through to recent years, as viewed
through the public transport planning literature. Tis paper outlines the discus-
sion of public transport planning in Pakistan by (1) reviewing current literature
and data, (2) reviewing the history of public transport planning and policy, and
(3) listing several factors overlooked in the development of public transport in
Pakistan. Te data presented have been collected mainly through policy docu-
ments and published scholarly articles. Te paper concludes with discussion on
the importance of governance, capacity building, and urban planning in providing
adequate, ecient, and eective public transport in Pakistan.
Public Transportation Planning and Policy
Literature Review
Te signicance of public transport for urban mobility varies in South Asian cit-
ies. Traditionally, South Asian cities are characterized by high population and
employment density, mixed land use patterns, short trip length, and high shares
of non-motorized transport (Tomson 1977; Tiwari 2002; Imran and Low 2003;
Badami 2005; Singh 2005; Imran 2006; Haider and Badami 2007; Imran and Low
2007). However, these characteristics have been changing by spatial structure
that consists of medium- to low-density housing schemes built at the edge of the
city. Usually, these housing schemes are designed for the middle- to high-income
groups and are accessible only by public transport and private vehicles, either cars
or motorcycles. Terefore, the share of public transport and private vehicles trips
is growing at the cost of non-motorized trips in South Asian cities.
Table 1 shows the percentage of total trips made on dierent modes of transport
in Indian and Pakistani cities. Te data show a large share of public transport trips
in Indian cities as compared to trips made by private vehicles. On the other hand,
shares of private vehicles trips are higher in Pakistani cities compared to public
transport trips. One reason for the dierences in Indian and Pakistani cities is
the services of rail-based public transport in Mumbai and Kolkata and the recent
opening and ongoing expansion of the Delhi metro. In contrast, Pakistani cities
are served by bus- or wagon (minibus)-based public transport, which provides a
very low level of service and comfort (see photos). In fact, Pakistani cities entered
the 20th century with an urban tram system and suburban railway system. One
hundred years later, these systems were either shut down or nearly shut down.
Although a large number of non-motorized trips still exist in Lahore and Karachi
55
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
(see Table 1), the expansion of Pakistani cities has increased the trip length for
most urban residents, which makes walking and cycling less feasible than before,
encouraging a continuous shift from non-motorized to motorized modes. In this
situation, public transport can provide high-quality services for urban populations
at a much lower cost than a system devoted to private motorized transport and
road expansion. Almost no attention is paid to the ways and means by which the
demand for motorized transport could be met by improving the quality of public
transport. Terefore, in the presence of a low level of public transport services,
middle- and higher-income people living in larger cities prefer private vehicles,
either motorcycle or car, for travel. Tere is an argument that public transport
trips are declining or static with popular demand or aspirations for private
vehicles. An alternative view is that the lack of investment in public transport and
ill-considered replacement of trams and trains with diesel buses have accelerated
the move away from public transport. Te historical narratives presented by Imran
(2006) conrm this alternative view.
Table 1. Modal Split in South Asian Cities

Cities Total Trips
Private Public Non-Motorized
Transport (%) Transport (%) Transport (%)
Lahore 24 16 60
Karachi 27 23 50
Delhi 18 40 42
Mumbai 18 60 22
Kolkata 5 78 17

Sources: Trac Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (TEPA) and Japan International Co-
operation Agency (JICA), 1992 (Lahore); Malik 2004 (Karachi); World Bank 2002 (other Indian
cities).

Numerous factors have contributed to the upward trend of private vehicle use
and the declining or static role of public transport in most cities. Te most impor-
tant factor is continuous investment in roads, which left few or no funds for public
transport provision in most cities of the developing world. For example, Howe
(1996) reported how the heavy investment in roads in Bangladesh has become
a threat to the social and natural environment. Badami (2005) mentioned that
urban transport policy in India has been biased in favor of private transport
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
56
Bus-based Public Transport in Lahore
57
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
Wagon-based Public Transport in Lahore
modes. Imran and Low (2007) reported how scarce resources in Pakistani cities
are deployed in road development at the expense of public transport and non-
motorized transport. Tey found that road investment policies are not the result
of any industrial development in Pakistan, and that private vehicles did not come
to Pakistani cities until after World War II happened in developed world countries.
Tese policies developed primarily due to involvement of international develop-
ment institutions and their consultants, which favored roads instead of the inher-
ited railway that passed through most of the cities. Tey concluded that heavy
investment in roads left no money for public transport in Pakistani cities.
Tiwari (2002) and Pucher et al. (2004) favor privatization of public transport ser-
vices to generate funds to operate ecient bus services and reduce government
subsidies. Tiwari (2002) found that large-scale privatization of buses in New Delhi
increased the capacity of public transport. Pucher et al. (2004) reported that the
privately-run services in Indian cities have higher productivity, lower costs, and
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
58
higher revenues per bus km of service. Tey concluded that privatization does
have potential to improve eciency, but it must be accompanied by institutional
capacity-building, which ensures an integrated network of public transport ser-
vices. Tis suggestion is very dicult to implement quickly because institutional
coordination and sufficient human, technical, and financial capacity among
transport organizations in the developing countries is a long way o (Vasconcellos
1997; Kah 2001). Even in Europe and Australia, which have well-established institu-
tions, the privatization and deregulation of public transport has been a signicant
factor behind the decline in patronage and services (Cervero 1998; Mees 2005).
Beside nancial factors, there are a number of other factors that have been sug-
gested as having an inuence on the level of success of public transport systems.
Tese include car ownership, trac volume, parking policies, fuel cost, travel
choices and capacity, urban density, urban sprawl, public transport network
planning, public transport mode attractiveness and perception and governance
(Cervero 1998; Vuchic 1999; Newman and Kenworthy 2000: Mees 2000; Cox 2003;
Whitelegg and Haq 2003; Litman 2004; Kennedy et al. 2005). An investigation into
how and to what extent these factors are contributing in the development and
implementation of public transport planning and policies in Pakistani cities will be
discussed in the next section.
Public Transport Planning and Policy in Pakistani Cities
Historical Overview
Tis section views public transport planning and policies in Pakistan in a historical
context. Te discussion separates the historical overview into three time frames:
the British India period (up to 1947), 1947-1990, and 1991 forward. First, such an
analysis provides a picture of public transport development during British India.
Ten, it is important to document public transport policies and development after
independence from British India in 1947 because the period since then represents
and symbolizes the aspirations of the newly-independent country. Te discussion
of 1991 forward is particularly concerned with exploring how public transport
policy is accommodated within a sustainable development context. Overall, this
section discloses the history of public transport planning viewed through govern-
ment transport planning and policy documents and published scholarly papers.
59
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
Public Transport in British India
Te history of public transport development in British India must start from the
development of the Indian railway system. In 1853, the rst passenger train started
from Howrah to Hoogly (currently in India) (Indian Railway Fan Club). Te region
that would later become Pakistan was connected by railway in 1861 by building
the section between Karachi and Kotri. Up to 1865, the important cities of the
now-existing Pakistan were connected by the railway to the rest of the country.
Te railway network in Pakistan was extended to the Afghanistan border in 1878
and to Zahidan, Iran, in 1918. In total, British India had an extensive network of
railways of 41,000 miles in 1944; of this total, 8,070 miles was in the area of Pakistan
(Vakil 1944).
In addition to intercity railway development and operation, the British govern-
ment introduced urban public transport services (Qadeer 1983). Te Karachi
Tramways Act was passed in 1884, and the rst steam tramway was opened for
operation in 1885 along with the horse-drawn tram. Subsequently, these trams
were converted to petrol engine trams in 1908. Despite this development, the
tonga (horse-drawn carriages) were the only means of public transport in Paki-
stani cities until the late 19th century (Stalley 1972).
Tese urban tramways and intercity railways were supported by buses providing
feeder services (Vakil 1944). Like Karachi, the city of Lahore was connected with
the railway network and, in 1904, the locomotive workshops were established
there to fulll the needs of the extensive railway network. Additionally, new and
wider roads were constructed in Lahore (Goulding 1924), and bus-based public
transport was initiated to connect the major civic and government buildings
located on the Mall Road (Rudduck 1965). During the 1920s, British elites built and
settled in Model Town on the outskirts of Lahore (Glover 1999). Model town was
not only designed on the principles of Ebenezer Howards garden city, but was also
managed by Howards envisioned Model Town Co-operative Society. Te Model
Town Co-operative Society had not only developed its own municipal services,
but also initiated a bus-based public transport service that connected the town
to the rest of Lahore (Glover 1999; Russell and Anjum 1997). Overall, these public
transport facilities altered the face of transport system in Pakistani cities.
Irrespective of the debate about the positive or negative aspects of public trans-
port on the economic and social systems of British India, Torner (1955) believed
that independence in 1947 provided an opportunity for Pakistan and India to
formulate new public transport policy that could be designed according to the
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
60
newly-independent countries needs, which were dierent from their colonial
obligations.
Public Transport in Pakistan1947 to 1991
In 1947, the railways constituted the most valuable capital asset of the country and
were the only intercity public transport mode (Hasan 1998). At that time, Paki-
stan Railway (North Western Railway) carried the largest number of passengers in
Pakistan (Govt. of Pakistan, National Planning Board 1957). Te First Five Year Plan
(1955-60) acknowledged this fact and stated:
Te backbone of [West] Pakistans transport system is a broad-gauge railway
network. It is a system of main lines, one in each of ve parallel river valleys,
interlinked and stretching from the coast to Afghanistan and Indias frontiers
(Govt. of Pakistan, National Planning Board 1957: 485).
However, the plan proposed that in [West] Pakistan a powerful railway system
and growing road transport system operate side by side and should complement
each other (Govt. of Pakistan, National Planning Board 1957: 485). Accordingly,
70 per cent of the total land transport investment was made for Pakistan Railway
(North Western Railway), as compared to 30 per cent for road transport during
the plan period of 1955-60 (Govt. of Pakistan, National Planning Board 1957). Te
Road Transport Board was set up to coordinate the rail and road networks with
an intercity passenger ratio of 75 and 25 per cent in the favor of railway (Govt.
of Pakistan, National Planning Board 1957). It is important to note here that
although resources were allocated in the favor of the railways, the plan proposed
that the ratio of road to railway would increase to 25:75, as compared to 10:90 in
1947. Moreover, this plan did not propose any extension of the railway network.
On the other hand, 1800 miles of new roads were planned to be constructed along
with the improvement of 2000 miles of existing roads (Govt. of Pakistan, National
Planning Board 1957).
In urban areas, motorized trac was very limited until 1947 (Qadeer 1983). For
example, in the city of Lahore, homes, work places, bazaars (commercial areas),
and community places were located in a mixed land use pattern within a short
distance. Terefore, walking was the largest mode of transport followed by tonga
(horse-drawn carriage). In spite of this fact, Omni Bus was operated in the cities
of Lahore and Karachi, while tramway provided services in Karachi only (Qadeer
1983). Te Omni Bus (public transport) service has been a public monopoly from
61
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
the beginning of its inception and expanded both in organization and resources
over time. On the other hand, the tramway in Karachi was abolished in the early
1970s.
In 1951, the Motor Vehicle Act 1939 was amended, and the Road Transport Board
was established in Punjab. Te main function of the Punjab Road Transport Board
was to provide ecient, adequate, economical, and coordinated public transport
services in the province. In 1957, the (West) Pakistan Road Transport Board was
established according to the recommendation of the First Five Year Plan (1955-60).
Accordingly, the Karachi Road Transport Corporation (KRTC) was created in 1959
to be responsible to run bus-based urban public transport in Karachi.
Te Second Five Year Plan (1960-65) became the rst planning document in Paki-
stan in which the roads sector was given priority over railways by being allocated
more nancial resources (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1960). Te per-
ception behind this act was stated in the plan as:
Road transport is particularly suited to the conditions and requirements of
Pakistan the motor vehicle is more adaptable than the railways to varying
degrees of trac intensity and permits a greater degree of speed and eciency
in haulage over short distance there is close relationship between the volume
of transport and the level of economic activity because each depends upon the
other (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1960).
Under these beliefs, the Second Five Year Plan (1960-65) had initiated a new era of
road construction in Pakistan.
Te large cities of Pakistan were also inclined towards the construction of new
roads and implementing road-based public transport. Te Second Five Year Plan
allocated considerable money to the [West] Pakistan Road Transport Board to
introduce 500 new buses in its eet for intercity public transport (Govt. of Paki-
stan, Planning Commission 1960). For urban transport, money was allocated to the
Karachi Road Transport Corporation (KRTC) for building up a eet of 1200 buses,
procuring 700 vehicles in addition to the 500 obtained in the First Plan period
(Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1960). Te Second Plan took an initia-
tive to encourage the private sector to come forward and run road based public
transport. Te reason for this initiative was the rapid population growth that
resulted in a corresponding growth in the demand for public transport. Originally,
the public sector had a monopoly on public transport in Pakistani cities. After the
encouragement of private sector policy, private wagons started their operations
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
62
along assigned routes to fulll the growing demand for public transport. Initially,
these services were reliable, fast, and comfortable, but they eventually became
crowded and unsafe. Although many regulations existed and many promises were
made over time, the situation has not been improved yet.
Moreover, the Second Five Year Plan (1960-65) supported the inclusion of the
Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) as the rst (and last to date) rail-based urban pub-
lic transport project in Pakistan (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1960).
Te KCR was planned to serve the whole of Karachi, including the periphery of the
city. It was projected as a regular, cheap, and ecient transport for the residents
of Karachi (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1960). Later, some sections of
the KCR were built. Tis service was very successful in the rst 15 years; however, it
started to decline due to lack of investment in the infrastructure. In city of Lahore,
the Master Plan for Greater Lahore proposed a mass transit system in the form of
a circular railway in 1965 to connect existing railway that passes through the city
(Govt. of Punjab 1973). However, the recommendations concerning the circular
railway as a mass transit system did not catch the attention of decision makers.
In the early 1970s, public transport was deregulated; this allowed the private sector
to compete with public-owned bus services (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commis-
sion 1978). However, it was observed that public-owned bus services were given
priority over private operators in the allocation of routes. In 1977, the Punjab Road
Transport Corporation(PRTC) and Punjab Urban Transport Corporation (PUTC)
were established in the province of Punjab (Lahore Development Authority and
World Bank/International Development Association 1980). Te functions of the
PRTC and PUTC were to provide an ecient, adequate, economical, and properly-
coordinated system of road-based intercity and urban public transport services,
respectively. PUTC was also responsible to provide bus stands; develop amenities;
purchase, manufacture, maintain, and repair buses; and provide other related ser-
vices in urban areas. Later, PUTC developed its own maintenance and body build-
ing workshops, central stores, oces, and a central transport training institute.
Although public-owned Omni Buses were merged into PUTC, it had always been
short of buses due to a lack of investment by the government and international
organizations. To fulll this deciency, PUTC and the Volvo International Devel-
opment Corporation completed a study for the Model Urban Transport System
in Lahore (Volvo 1980). Te PUTC-Volvo Model Transportation System project
comprised transport planning, organizational restructuring, capacity building,
and the provision of vehicles. Tis study identied dierent issues for an ecient
63
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
bus-based public transport network in Lahore. It recommended a continuation of
the mixed public and private bus system. As a result of this study, 350 Volvo buses
were gifted by the Swedish government to Lahore. Tese buses were added to the
eet of PUTC.
Although Omni Buses were merged with PUTC and the Volvo buses were intro-
duced, PUTC did not expand its eet as required to cope with the enlarged system
of routes and growing demand in Lahore. Terefore, PUTC tried to attract private
sector by starting a leased buses scheme on specic routes run and managed by
the private sector (LDA 1997). However, all these eorts were not successful over
time and, gradually, PUTC bus services declined. Due to lack of investment, new
buses were not purchased after 1989. Terefore, the public-owned bus system in
Lahore managed by PUTC collapsed after being operational for a couple of years.
Finally, the government disbanded the PUTC in 1998.
Public Transport in Pakistan1991 Onward
Public Transport in the National Transport Policy, 1991
In 1991, a draft National Transport Policy was published by the National Transport
Research Centre (NTRC). Tis policy suggested the adoption of a bus-based public
transport system, as compared to a rail-based mass transit system, as the preferred
urban transport model in the metropolitan cities of Pakistan (Govt. of Pakistan,
NTRC 1991). Tis approach may have been adopted due the lack of nance avail-
able from the World Bank to implement a rail-based mass transit system. How-
ever, at the same time, heavy- and light-rail-based public transport was proposed
in Lahore by the technical and nancial assistance of JICA (TEPA and JICA 1992).
Te NTRC transport policy also proposed that government responsibility should
be limited to low-income groups by providing a sucient number of subsidized
public transport services (Govt. of Pakistan, NTRC 1991). It was argued that
the introduction of low-quality public transport in urban areas would convey a
negative image of government-owned transportation, ultimately discouraging
the eorts towards promoting public transport. Tis policy also proposed that
the government should encourage the private sector to provide ecient and
high-quality public transport services for the middle class. Several steps were
proposed to encourage the involvement of the private sector, including soft loans
from banks, a reduction of custom duty, and tax incentives for the importation of
vehicle spare parts.
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64
Public Transport in the Prime Ministers Public Transport Scheme, 1991
In 1991, the Prime Ministers Incentives Scheme to Revamp the Public Transport
Scheme was initiated by the Nawaz Sharfs government (Govt. of Pakistan, Min-
istry of Communication 1991). Tis policy included incentive packages to import
taxis, buses, and mini-buses for an ecient public transport system. Te incentive
packages included duty free imports of taxis, buses, and mini-buses; loan arrange-
ments from banks at a 15 per cent annual interest rate; and special registration
numbers for new public transport. Tis policy was implemented, and the public
transport eet was upgraded. However, the policy was changed after the Nawaz
government left oce.
Public Transport in the National Conservation Strategy (Agenda 21), 1992
Te National Conservation Strategy (NCS) was the rst comprehensive strategy to
provide a framework for addressing the specic environmental concerns of Paki-
stan (Govt. of Pakistan, Environment and Urban Aairs Division and International
Union for Conservation of Nature 1992). Te Transport sectors received very little
attention in the NCS. Te strategy recognized the wider ecological consequences
of transport use, and particular attention was paid to energy and air pollution
problems. However, the emphasis was clearly on technical solutions to solve envi-
ronmental problems associated with improving the energy eciency of motor
vehicles. Although the roles of public transport and non-motorized transport in
reducing the impact on the environment were acknowledged, at the same time,
fuel ecient cars were promoted by providing incentives in the form of tax and
customs duty relief.
Public Transport through Community-Based Welfare Organization
In 1990s, two cities of Punjab province (Faisalabad and Lahore) conducted an
innovative experiment to run public transport services by creating NGOs in
collaboration with local private operators (Anjum and Russell 1997; LDA 1997).
Accordingly, the Faisalabad Urban Transport Society (FUTS) was created in 1994
followed by the Lahore Transport System (LTS) in 1997. Te FUTS and LTS were
registered with the provincial Social Welfare Department with funding arranged
from private operators. Tese NGOs were regulated by the law of social companies
and administrated by a governing body. Te governing body typically comprised
concerned government ocers, community representatives, transporters, and
bus owners.
Tis governing body was developed on the basis of public-private-community
participation to provide ecient public transport services in the city of Faisalabad
65
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
and Lahore. Tese NGOs generated their funds through the private sector, rent-
ing existing infrastructure facilities and setting higher fares. Te most interesting
features of these NGOs were the setting of their own fares (without approval of
the government) and enforcement. Initially, this experiment (especially in the case
of FUTS) was successful in providing ecient, reliable, and decent public trans-
port services by incorporating the private and community sectors in the decision
making process. However, lack of investment by the private and public sectors in
inducting new vehicles made this venture unsuccessful.
The Peoples Train and Awami (Peoples) Bus Train Projects
In 1996, under Prime Minister Benazir Bhuttos Development Programme for big
cities, a mass transit project was started in the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Tis system was based on a rail-road mixed mode that contained an urban rail link
between Rawalpindi and Islamabad connected with feeder coasters (mini buses)
in Islamabad. Te main objective of this service was to reduce peak-hour trac
congestion, reduce air pollution, and make use of existing railway infrastructure
(Govt. of Pakistan, NTRC 1996).
Initially, the train service was designed for 6,000-8,000 commuters per day. Tere-
fore, only three train services at the frequency of 1.5 hours in the morning peak
and three train services at the frequency of 3 hours in the afternoon peak were
started. However, after three months of operation, these services were reduced to
four train services per day. Finally, this rail-road mass transit system was shut down
due to heavy nancial losses. Te main reasons behind its failure were inadequate
service planning, which includes the absence of feeder buses in Rawalpindi; very
low frequency; lack of information about timetabling; lack of amenities on railway
stations; and relatively higher fares without any time savings. Additionally, this
train service caused trac jams at the level crossing roads in Rawalpindi.
A similar kind of project, the Awami (Peoples) Bus Train, was started in 1989 by
Ms. Bhuttos rst government in Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad (Govt. of
Pakistan, NTRC 1992). In this project, the National Transport Research Centre
(NTRC) designed and developed a Bus Train (prime mover plus three trailers)
using old discarded buses to provide high-capacity bus services at peak hours.
Te Awami Bus Train provided services on main corridor that had sucient road
width. Initially, this project was started in Karachi, and, after one year of operation,
the Bus Train was shifted to Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Te Bus Train had, for the
rst time, introduced an imaginary bus lane on the extreme left of the road. It was
estimated that the Bus Train attracted a large number of commuters in Rawal-
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
66
pindi and Islamabad from 1991 to 1993. Tis service used 45 per cent of its capacity
and recovered 68 per cent of its cost from fares in two years of operation (Govt. of
Pakistan, NTRC 1996). However, this service was shut down due to lack of interest
from the government in providing public transport services.
Public Transport in the National Integrated Transport Policy, 1998
In 1998, the Ministry of Communications gave the mandate to the Chartered
Institute of Transport (now Chartered Institute of Logistic and Transport - CILT)
for preparing a draft National Integrated Transport Policy (CILT 1998). Tis policy
emphasized land use and transport integration to reduce the need to travel and to
maximize the accessibility of public transport. However, the policy also suggested
a zoning plan for dierent land uses with reservation of land for future urban
transport infrastructure. It is now widely accepted that land use planning based
on separated zones will generate more travel and reduce the viability of public
transport.
Public Transport in the Transport Sector Development Initiative (TSDI), 1999
Te Transport Sector Development Initiative (TSDI) was a joint eort among
the Government of Pakistan, international development institutions (especially
the World Bank), and the private sector to collectively develop a comprehensive
transportation policy (TSDI 2001). Te TSDI policies were heavily framed by a
perception that privatization and deregulation of public transport would bring
about more ecient and cost eective transport. In relation to privatization, the
document states, each mode should be developed according to the guidance of
market forces the private sector should be encouraged to play its part in public
transport a common platform of public and private sector should be estab-
lished to discuss issues regarding dierent modes of transport existing laws and
tax duties should be modied in favor of privatization (TSDI 2001). It is noted
that the emphasis on privatization has been found in all transport documents
prepared with the collaboration of international development institutions. Later,
these policies and recommendations were reproduced by the NTRC transport
policy in 2001.
Public Transport in the National Transport Strategy, 1999
In 1999, the National Transport Strategy was developed by the Small and Medium
Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA), under the Federal Ministry of Indus-
tries and Production (Govt. of Pakistan, SMEDA 1999). In the presence of dierent
transport ministries, the SMEDA national transport strategy showed the Nawaz
67
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
governments intention to attract private investment to the road transport sector.
Tis strategy was approved quickly by the federal government in 1999. It should
be noted that all other transport documents were draft policy documents and not
formally approved by the government.
Although the strategy is called the National Transport Strategy, it merely focused
on the introduction of buses as the mode of urban public transport. Terefore,
an institutional reform package for government organizations that enabled them
to attract private investment in bus-based urban public transport was proposed.
Accordingly, a franchise system of bus operation was introduced to run bus-based
public transport. Terefore, favorable policies, tax incentives, and regulations were
formulated to attract the private sector to invest in the franchise system of public
transport. Government also encouraged commercial institutions and banks to
cooperate with private investors to help the franchise system succeed.
At the same time, a SMEDA-type of a bus-based public transport policy on a fran-
chise basis was introduced by the provincial (Punjab) Transport Department with
the help of the World Bank (Meakin 1998). Te goal was to phase out the aged
public transport vehicles by introducing a regulated bus system owned and oper-
ated by the corporate private sector on the basis of route franchises (Govt. of Pun-
jab 1998). Te main role of government was the regulation of services; operational
aspects were left to the private sector. Under this new policy, the government
provided a package of incentives to attract private investment. Tese incentives
consisted of a subsidy on the interest of loans, exemption of customs duty on the
import of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and diesel buses, and subsidized lease
of depots. In response to this policy, corporate private sectors introduced new
buses on dedicated routes in various cities of Punjab. Te policy was widely appre-
ciated by public transport users due to the improved quality of public transport.
Initially, this policy made a signicant dierence in the quality of public transport
but started to decline due to lack of investment by the private sector. Over time,
it was realized that the lack of institutional capacity in the government meant
that it was not able to play an eective role in attracting private investment and
managing and solving conicts of franchised bus operations. As a result, the public
transport franchising operations in the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad ended
in early 2000.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
68
Public Transport Policies in 2000s
In 2000s, the federal Planning Commission prepared a draft Transport Policy
through an in-house process (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 2000). Tis
document also presented a bus-based public transport system as the transport
solution for metropolitan cities in Pakistan. Te policy was the rst to propose
reserving special bus lanes at grade or grade-separated road infrastructure. Te
policy encouraged revitalization of the KCR as an urban rail line; the KCR had
been abandoned in the late 1990s. Tis policy also encouraged the private sector
to operate public transport.
Te Ten Year Perspective Development Plan and a Medium Term Development
Framework (MTDF) were prepared by the Planning Commission to be imple-
mented between 2001 and 2011. Te MTDF stated that the development of an
ecient public transport system primarily based on buses needs to be linked to
mass transit systems, with light rail as an option (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Com-
mission 2005). However, no money has yet been allocated for the recommended
public transport system.
Franchised Bus in Lahore
69
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
Te latest eort to formulate a National Transport Policy was initiated at the end
of 2003, through technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB and
Govt. of Pakistan, NTRC 2003). Stage one of the assistance appeared in the form
of a report, Assessment of Critical Current Transport Sector Needs, prepared by
international consultants appointed by the ADB. However, this document was
silent on the assessment and development of public transport in Pakistani cities.
Stage two of the technical assistance, which will mainly contain sub-sector policy
statements, has not yet been completed.
In early 2000, the Integrated Master Plan (2001-2021) was prepared in Lahore to
guide future development (LDA 2004a). Like all previous Master Plans prepared
for Lahore, this plan favored the urban road network and ignored the potential
of developing public transport. Accordingly, the rst ve-year program for trans-
portation development in Lahore proposed to include 94.8 percent of funding
for road development, management, and maintenance and only 5.2 percent for
a public transport terminal (LDA, 2004a). Clearly the plan is a road development
plan, not, as it is called, a comprehensive transport plan.
In 2005, the Government of the Punjab, Transport Department, commissioned
MVA Asia Ltd (international consultants) to develop a network for a mass transit
system (Govt. of Punjab, Transport Department 2006). Te study recommended a
rail-based four-line network called the Lahore Rapid Mass Transit System (LRMTS).
Tis rail system was proposed on the assumption that air-conditioned franchised
buses introduced in the past became successful due to the rising income of the
growing population. Terefore, people were willing to pay for a better service.
However, no evidence was provided in support of this argument.
In 2005, the Government of Punjab prepared a Medium Term Development
Framework to be implemented in 2006 to 2009. Under this framework, urban
development policy objectives encompassed the establishment of an Urban
Commission for preparing a comprehensive urban policy. It was proposed that a
Provincial Urban Transport Policy (PUTP) would be developed to guide the future
Comprehensive Urban Transport Strategy for Lahore. Tis strategy will be a part
of the proposed Lahore City Development Strategy, which would be prepared
with the technical and nancial assistance of Cities Alliance. Te Alliance sup-
ported cities in preparing city development strategies that link the process by
which local stakeholders dene their vision for their city and its economic growth,
environmental and poverty reduction objectives, with clear priorities for actions
and investments (Cities Alliance 2006: 1). Te strategy would be implemented by
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
70
the proposed Punjab Large Cities Development Policy Loan (DPL), with technical
and nancial assistance from the World Bank (World Bank 2006). Te objectives
of the proposed DPL project complement city development strategies to promote
economic growth in the major cities of Punjab. Tis growth would be achieved
through metropolitan level strategic planning, integrated infrastructure invest-
ment programs, and ecient urban service delivery. Te improvement of urban
transport is one of the key areas in the project.
Tis historical review shows that a number of policy documents were produced
at the national, provincial, and local levels that addressed public transport directly
or indirectly in Pakistan. Tese policy documents consistently armed the need
for the development of public transport. Reasons why this development has not
happened will be discussed in the next section.
Discussion:
Why Did All Public Transport Policies in Pakistan Fail?
Te review of public transport planning and policy in Pakistan has provided a
fascinating example of the ways in which policy paradigms have developed histori-
cally and have been gradually changed and then maintained over time. Despite
the unquestionable benets that public transport planning and policy can bring
to Pakistan, there have been many shortcomings in the development and imple-
mentation of public transport policy. Te primary purpose of this section is to
discuss those concerns that were largely overlooked in the development of public
transport policies in Pakistan.
Overstating the Role of the Private Sector in Public Transport
From the beginning, there was an issue with investing, managing, and operating
public transport in Pakistani cities. Historically, the provincial governments in
Pakistan have owned and operated intercity and urban public transport services.
However, over the years, the government, according to the guidelines of the World
Bank, advocated to encourage the private sector in operating public transport.
Te decline of state-owned public transport services created a vacuum that was
lled by private operators in accordance with these guidelines. Initially, the mar-
ket was open to private operators in parallel with public-owned public transport.
However, the availability of public transport has not grown at the same rate as
the population in Pakistani cities (Sohail et al. 2006). Terefore, a large number of
small private operators operating Toyota 18-seater, Mazda 25-seater, and Suzuki
71
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
12-seater wagons were permitted to full this gap in a fragmented way (LDA
1997). Mees (2000) argued that an improvement of service frequency and the inte-
gration of public transport were needed for making public transport successful. It
has been observed that an average frequency for small private public transport in
Lahore was only four minutes, while maximum and minimum frequency observed
were eight and one minutes, respectively (LDA 1997). However, the improved fre-
quency has not provided the best service quality that was also managed in a frag-
mented manner. As a result, a chaotic mass of individually-owned small vehicles
operated in urban areas, competing for road space. Over time, the public sector
became regulators of the private operation of public transport.
Karachi Strategic Development 2020 proposed to revive and extend the Karachi
Circular Railway, construct Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and introduce Light Rail
Transit (LRT) (City District Government Karachi 2007). But all these plans were
conditional on investment by the private sector. Te Punjab government also
initiated bus-franchising schemes that oered exclusive rights to private transport
operators on selected routes. Te public transport operators, in turn, guaranteed
a minimum quality of services on a higher fare structure decided by mutual agree-
ment. However, after operating for few years, franchised services in many cities
were closed down due to a lack of investment from the private sector and the
inability of the public sector to resolve conicts that arose from this initiative.
Now, individually-owned small-vehicle-based public transport is back in the city
of Rawalpindi.
In the early 1990s, a change occurred in relations between the private sector and
the government. TSDI and SMEDA transport policies were developed to promote
these stronger public-private relations. Te government wanted more involve-
ment by the private sector in the development and operation of public transport.
Te introduction of franchised public transport in dierent cities of Punjab prov-
ince is an example of these relationships. Recently, the World Bank and ADB sup-
ported the development of the BRT system in Pakistani cities. Tese organizations
always advocate the involvement (in terms of policy making, investment, and
running public transport) by the private sector. It is important to note here that
it has been the private sector that invested in and ran public transport services in
Pakistan since the early 1960s. Even now, 20,000 privately-owned buses and mini-
buses provide public transport services to the people of Karachi (CDGK 2007). On
the other hand, public sector nance has been devoted to roads only. Over the
last few decades, government has constructed 46 yovers, 12 interchanges, and 1
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
72
underpass in Karachi (CDGK 2007). In contrast, government always looks to the
private sector for investment in public transport. International development orga-
nizations have always supported and even provided nancing for roads. But such
support is absent for the development of adequate public transport.
Lack of Capacity among Public Transport Organizations
Kennedy et al. (2005), in their article Te Four Pillars of Sustainable Urban Trans-
portation, reviewed the factors contributing to best practice in urban transport.
Tey concluded that adequate nance, infrastructure, and urban planning are
important for public transport planning, but the critical requirement is eective
governance. Eective governance included appropriate organizations with the
necessary powers, skills, nance, and responsibilities for public transport planning.
Tese characteristics of governance were not present in public transport organiza-
tions in Pakistan. Tese organizations have a long history of deciency in profes-
sional, administrative, and nancial capacity to manage public transport service
planning (Imran 2006; Haider and Badami 2007).
Te federal government has never denied the importance of public transport in
Pakistani cities. However, the government shifted the responsibility for public
transport to provincial governments in the early 1960s. On the other hand, the
federal government shared the responsibility for road building with the provinces
where the cost of the project was beyond the capacity of the provincial and local
governments. As the provincial and local transport institutional capacity was
obviously lacking in the Pakistani context, either the federal government provided
nance for building roads, or the federal government built roads on their own
account. In contrast, the federal government has neither provided nance for
the operation of adequate public transport in urban areas nor operated by them-
selves or improved the capacity of the provincial transport authorities. However,
the federal government helped provincial governments transfer the operational
responsibility for public transport to the private sector. In the absence of human
resources, coordination, research, and nancial capacity of public transport insti-
tutions in Punjab, public transport has now become fully the prerogative of the
private sector. Te incomplete routes, high fares, fewer-than-needed buses, gen-
der discrimination, and even absence of buses in some places are common in the
urban areas of Pakistan.
Kah (2001) found through his study of privatization of urban transport in Sub-
Saharan Africa that privatization was ineective if a strong governance structure
was not put in place. He explained that the privatization of public transport
73
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
became extremely chaotic in the absence of a properly coordinated and regula-
tory institutional mechanism, as in Senegal and Gambia. Terefore, he concluded
that the government has a signicant role to play in dening policy, developing
a national level coordination and local level implementation, accessing adequate
investment, and building technical and professional capacity for public transport.
Tis situation was not present in Pakistani cities; therefore, all policies for deregu-
lation and privatization failed over time. For example, Haider and Badami (2007)
reported that recent franchised bus operations in the cities of Islamabad and
Rawalpindi were eventually closed down by the private operators due to lack of
capacity in the public sector to resolve conicts. In fact, no one knows how long
franchised bus services in Lahore lasted because the institutional capacity of the
provincial Transport Department to support it was not strengthened. Te govern-
ment and the World Bank have simply ignored this reality and have never tried to
develop a capacity for the public transport organizations.
Despite the lack of capacity among public transport organizations, Pakistan has a
long history of appropriate organizations with necessary skills and funding for road
development. For example, the National Highway Authority (NHA) at federal level
and the Communication and Works (C&W) Department at provincial level are
ecient, well-managed public organizations with dedicated funding and strong
professional culture. However. there is a lack of equally competent organizations
in public transport planning. Tis deciency is apparent in the poor service qual-
ity of public transport in Pakistani cities. In 1977, this problem was realized, and
a single authority, Punjab Urban Transport Corporation, was created to manage
public transport in the province of Punjab parallel with the road organizations.
Te creation of a public transport corporation in Punjab contained the potential
to break the path of road building dominance in transport policy. But it did not
last long enough due to the unavailability of dedicated funds and a lack of interest
from the government to improve its professional capacity. Terefore, it did not
make an enduring impact.
Currently, overall responsibility for road development lies with the provincial
C&W departments, while public transport coordinating, planning, and monitor-
ing lies with the Department of Transport (DoT). On the other hand, land use
planning responsibilities are with the local government (City District Govern-
ments). Beside this disintegration, transport (mainly public transport) and land
use development are more market driven, as per the guidelines of the World Bank,
than they were in the past. A long history of the investment of the private sector in
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
74
public transport provision has already been shown as a saga of failed experiments.
Even if the private sector is willing to invest more, there is a lack of professional
and management capacity among counter public organizations to make public
transport successful. Terefore, a fully-capable public sector to manage public
transport planning and integration of transport and land use planning does not
exist at present. For that reason, it seems imperative that an eective governance
system run by a new, dynamic public transport organization at metropolitan level
is important, along with dedicated nancial, professional, and technical capacity
for managing public transport.
Negligence in the Development of High-Capacity Public Transport
Te review of public transport policies showed how a new paradigm of road
development emerged, despite the existence of an inherited railway network as an
alternative for intercity passenger transport. In contrast with intercity transport,
the policies for urban transport development were more complex in nature. Te
previous section demonstrated initial eorts on the establishment of both road-
based and rail-based public transport networks in the major cities of Pakistan.
Te development of rail- and road-based public transport in Pakistani cities high-
lighted the initial emphasis of the government in national development plans,
although such projects were also pursued alongside major road construction
initiatives. Traditional transport planning approaches combined road projects
with public transport projects. Cervero (1998), Vuchic (1999), and Newman and
Kenworthy (2000) argued that investment in public transport would be combined
with disinvestment in road development. Investment in both modes of transport
would only make private transport successful. Tis is evident in the case of Pakistan
where some sections of the Circular Railway in Karachi were built, operated, and
then shut down. Similarly, no serious eort was made to implement the proposal
of the Circular Railway in Lahore. Although JICA took the initiative in the early
1990s to propose an LRT project in Lahore, this initiative was not implemented.
On the other hand, a number of high-speed, grade-separated road projects were
implemented in all the cities of Pakistan.
Te current public transport system in Pakistani cities consists of buses and wag-
ons. Te government authorities, in the light of World Bank guidelines, tried to
improve bus systems rather than take the initiative in rail-based public transport
due to the exibility and lower cost of bus transport However, Hass-Klau et al.
(2003) believes that the high cost and inexibility associated with a rail-based mode
of travel gives it a high prole as a symbol of political commitment and nancial
75
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
security for public transport. Initially, it was declared that railways should be a
backbone of public transport in Pakistan. But this policy did not last long enough
due to the unavailability of nance for railway development. If the demand for
public transport in Pakistan would be estimated, only rail-based public transport
would have the potential to carry large numbers of passengers with higher speeds
and smooth rides. Te most signicant potential of rail over buses is its inuence
on urban land by enhancing development activity around rail lines and stations.
Fortunately, all Pakistani cities have an infrastructure of railways inherited from
British rule. Terefore, rail-based public transport can play a catalytic role in the
urban development and regeneration of Pakistani cities.
In short, Pakistani cities should not be persuaded that the growth of public trans-
port can be managed primarily by improvements to the bus systems. Both the bus
network and the rail systems are simultaneously required in Pakistan. However,
the future success of public transport depends on the management of the dier-
ent roles of each mode in an integrated system.
Failure to Utilize High-Density Mixed Land Use Patterns
Newman and Kenworthy (2000) are the leading advocates of the higher-density
mixed land use development for the success of a public transport system. Tey
presented a picture of a future sustainable city as high-density land use, called
urban villages, served by rail-based public transport. Fortunately, the requirement
of high-density mixed land use is historically present in almost all cities of Pakistan.
For example, 80 percent of the population in Lahore still resides within a seven
km radius of the city and comprises an average density of 150 to 250 persons per
hectare (LDA 2004b). Luckily, the rail track in Lahore passes through these areas.
However, no serious eort has been made to use high-density mixed land use and
rail infrastructure for the development of rail-based public transport. In contrast, a
large amount of money has been invested to build yovers or underpasses to cross
existing railway tracks in Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, and Rawalpindi.
Te Urban Resource Centre (2001) found that the problems of public transport
in Karachi were caused by its urban development policies. Tese policies were
prepared to segregate dierent land use into a zone allocated for them served by
a public transport system. Accordingly, lower- and middle-income people were
settled into the cheap land available in the periphery of the city. On the other
hand, jobs were not located near low-income populations nor was a public trans-
port system developed. Similar policies were adopted in other cities of Pakistan.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
76
Te fundamental message of Mitchell and Rapkin (1954) was that a transport
proposal should not be evaluated only on transport criteria, but also on land use,
social, and environmental grounds. It seems that these criteria have been over-
looked in the provision and development of public transport. Otherwise, the land
use pattern in Pakistani cities requires rail-based public transport due to its poten-
tial to transport large numbers of people quickly, reliably, comfortably, and safely
in high-density areas. Terefore, it is concluded that organizations in Pakistan need
to develop public transport policies that take into consideration the high-density
mixed land use pattern of its cities.
In summary, all policies to provide adequate and reliable public transport in Paki-
stani cities have failed badly in the presence of continuous demand, high-density
mixed land use patterns, and a long history of private sector involvement in the
provision of public transport. Still, passengers routinely hang out from doors
and windows on unreliable, unsafe, and inconvenient modes of public transport
(Imran 2006; Haider and Badami 2007). Te continuous decline in the quality of
public transport means that it has now become the mode of transport for those
who have no alternative such as car, rickshaw, or motorcycle.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Te purpose of this paper was to provide a historical overview of public transport
policy to identify factors responsible for the failure of the development of an e-
cient public transport system in Pakistan. Accordingly, overstating the role of the
private sector, lack of capacity among public transport organizations, negligence
in the development of high-capacity public transport, and failure to utilize existing
land use patterns for the development of reliable and ecient public transport
have been identied as major factors. Te essence of the historical review is that
once a policy path for road-based public transport and the involvement of pri-
vate sector had been taken, subsequent policies and institutional arrangements
supported the adopted policies and obstructed changes in policy. Overall, our
discussion concludes the importance of governance, capacity-building including
investment, and urban planning to provide adequate, ecient, and eective pub-
lic transport in Pakistan.
Te following section attempts to list some recommendations with regard to the
question, how can public transport planning and policies be made more successful
77
Public Transport in Pakistan: A Critical Overview
in Pakistan? While the recommendations are very general, they oer insights for
future public transport policy directions for Pakistan.
Te review of public transport in Pakistan clearly showed that public
transport planning became unsuccessful due to inadequacies in an overall
governance structure. For example, transport planning has traditionally been
divided between road organizations and public transport organizations in
Pakistan. Te road organizations have a full hierarchy and capacity, while
the public transport organizations existed primarily at the provincial level.
In the public transport area, a sophisticated institutional culture is lacking
due to low nancial capacity, shortage of human resources, and a lack of
professional and management skills necessary to facilitate the development
of public transport. Terefore, all policies to run public transport through the
public sector, the semi-public sector (corporations), the deregulated private
sector (privatization with fare regulation), the public-private-community
sector, and franchised private sector organizations (privatization with fare
deregulation) were failed over time. Te creation of the National Transit
Authority (NTA) as an equivalent of the National Highway Authority (NHA)
along with the development of public transport organizations at the met-
ropolitan level and accompanied by a strong and unambiguous capacity-
building program for the above-mentioned organizations are required for
the development of public transport services in Pakistan.
Te presence of mixed land use, high population and employment density,
and growing needs of motorized transport use in Pakistani cities shows a
potential to establish a multimodal transport system at metropolitan level.
In Pakistani cities, public transport has traditionally been provided by buses,
while rail-based public transport existed primarily at the intercity level.
Pakistani cities have an opportunity to convert existing intercity railway into
urban rail network and buses into light rail or high-capacity trolley buses
with dedicated right-of-way. Pakistani cities clearly need a hierarchy of public
transport modes that can carry a large to small number of passengers in
dierent times of the day in a well-coordinated network. Te multimodal
public transport system has potential to play a catalytic role in the regenera-
tion of Pakistani cities and discontinuation of the urban sprawl.
Transport investment approaches adopted in Pakistan combine road
projects with public transport and non-motorized projects. However, the
research mentioned earlier shows that investment and incentives to use
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
78
public transport would be combined with disinvestment and disincentives
towards car use. Te disincentive towards car use can be very eective in
dense, mixed land use settings that are, fortunately, present in Pakistani cities.
Terefore, strong economic controls to curb personal motor vehicle own-
ership and use by means of high taxes, parking costs, and trac restraints
would be required in Pakistani cities. Te investment in public transport
system in Pakistan demands these restrained measures to be implemented
on private vehicles. Otherwise, investment towards both modes of transport
would only make private transport successful.
Note
An earlier version of this paper was presented (with Ayesha Sadia) at the 13th
International Planning History Society Conference in Chicago in 2008.
Acknowledgments
Te author would like to acknowledge Ayesha Sadia for contributions in data col-
lection and anonymous referees for comments. All errors are the responsibility of
the author.
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About the Author
Ua. Munnmmnn Imanu (m.imran@massey.ac.nz) is a lecturer in the Resource
and Environmental Planning program at Massey University, New Zealand. He holds
bachelors and masters degrees in City & Regional Planning from the University of
Engineering & Technology, Lahore; a Master of Urban Planning degree from the
University of Hong Kong; and a Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne. In his
Ph.D., he worked on identifying and examining institutional barriers that hinder
the development, application, and implementation of sustainable urban transport
policies in developing countries. His research concentrates primarily on public
transport and non-motorized transport in developed and developing countries.
He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
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85
Exploring the Willingness and Ability to Pay for Paratransit in Bandung, Indonesia
Exploring the Willingness and
Ability to Pay for Paratransit in
Bandung, Indonesia
Tri Basuki Joewono
Parahyangan Catholic University
Abstract
Tis article explores the willingness and ability to pay of the paratransit user. Para-
transit (jitney) in this study refers to a public mode of transport of passengers that is
owned and operated by private individuals or very small enterprises. Te data were
collected from a survey in Bandung, Indonesia, and analyzed using ordinal probit and
binomial logistic regression. Te ndings illustrate a gap between the values of willing-
ness and ability, and also reveal that people have dierent valuations regarding their
related perceptions. Te analysis explains the groups of users who have a tendency to
assign a higher value, including the characteristics of users who agree with higher fare
increments. Tis study also discusses the policy implications of this analysis.
Introduction
Tere is a growing awareness among transport policy makers that public accep-
tance and support of transport-related decisions are essential for the success
of such decisions. Long-term policies on the physical conditions, as well as the
scal, budgetary, and strategic issues of transit systems, are particularly in need
of public and user support (Shadewald et al. 2001, Koushki et al. 2003). Indeed,
fare determination for public transport is crucial as well. Unfortunately, there is
little consideration given to users in the fare determination process in developing
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
86
countries, which results in an inability to conrm user willingness and ability to
pay the fare.
Te predictability of consumer contributions has two elements, namely consumer
willingness and ability to pay (Al-Ghuraiz and Enshassi 2005). In economics, the
consumers willingness to pay (WTP) is the maximum amount that a person
would be willing to pay for a service rather than do without it (Al-Ghuraiz and
Enshassi 2005) or would give up in order to enjoy an improvement in quality
(Whitehead 2005). Te WTP concept is useful in visualizing the viewpoint of users
of a system (Khisty and Lall 2003) and as the key component of the benetcost
evaluation (Hoehn and Krieger 2000, Al-Ghuraiz and Enshassi 2004). Further, a
positive WTP indicates not only a positive attitude toward the thing valued, but
also has the advantage of indicating the strength of that attitude constrained by
factors such as an ability to pay (Jones-Lee 1993, Walton et al. 2004). Meanwhile,
the ability to pay (ATP) principle, in addition to the benets principle, is one of
the normative approaches underlying the theory of taxation (see, for example,
Musgrave and Musgrave 1975, Deb et al. 2003). Te ATP principle means that for
a public project, those who are able to aord to pay more should pay more. Te
most popular variant of the ATP principle is called the equal marginal sacrice
principle (Musgrave and Musgrave 1975).
A usual assumption is that individuals who declare themselves willing to pay the
price should, somehow, be able to do so (Russell 1996, Mataria et al. 2006). In fact,
as Senbil and Kitamura (2004) stated, individuals are apt to report values below
the real value that can be paid, because they might feel more comfortable leaving a
gap that might be traversed in the case of increased risk, and they might gradually
increase the value or suddenly switch to the real WTP when their reported values
turns out to be of no use. Tus, the relationship between WTP and ATP remains a
matter of debate. Some economists argue that the two notions should be strongly
distinguished (Mataria et al. 2006).
Te basic motivation for this study is the question of how users perceive the fare
based on their W/ATP. Tus, this study explores the willingness and the ability to
pay of the user of paratransit (jitney). Paratransit in this study refers to a public
mode of transport of passengers that is owned and operated by private individuals
or very small enterprises. It is a well-known mode of urban transport in Indonesia
as well as in the Philippines, Tailand, and in some African countries. It refers to
various local names and types of cars, vans, and minibuses with a capacity of 1214
seats. Tey are available to everyone, unlike in the U.S. context, where the term
87
Exploring the Willingness and Ability to Pay for Paratransit in Bandung, Indonesia
tends to refer to government-subsidized transport for the elderly or persons with
disabilities. Tis study employed a questionnaire survey to investigate the opin-
ions of paratransit users in Bandung, Indonesia. Te users were asked to express
their W/ATP regarding the available services and funds in their household. Te
user acceptance and the amount of fare increment were also explored in order to
express the relationship between fare and W/ATP. Tis article is not intended to
estimate theoretically the amount of WTP and ATP solely, but intends to apply
the concept into the practice of fare determination, i.e., exploring the range of
nancial capability, shown by the value of ATP and WTP. Based on the authors
knowledge, the study of this topic in Indonesia using a similar approach is very
rare, indeed perhaps not available at all. Tus, the author cannot refer to prior
studies regarding this topic.
In the sections that follow are a concise explanation of the terminology of abil-
ity and willingness to pay, including the underlining debate; data collection and
description; estimation results of the models, which are accompanied by the
signicance tests; and a conclusion and outline of the policy implications of this
research.
Ability and Willingness to Pay
Economic Framework
Te basic premise underlying the use of economic variables to reect the impact
on users is that the demand function for a group of users shows the values they
place on dierent levels of service. Tus, the demand function expresses the users
relative willingness to pay for dierent service levels (Manheim 1979). Tere are
three alternative views on how to measure the benet to users: the gross-benet
view (corresponding to the willingness to pay argument), the consumer-surplus
view, and user-cost view (see Manheim 1979 for more detail explanation). Te
important limitation of these measures of user benet is that, if used carelessly,
they are biased toward upper-income travelers (Manheim 1979). Te general
eect is that projects beneting high-income travelers would show greater user
benets than those beneting low-income users. Tis is undesirable where it
explains the concept of willingness to accept (WTA) (Manheim 1979). More
detailed discussion regarding WTA can be found in Senbil and Kitamura (2004),
which is rooted in compensating variation (CV) and equivalent variation (EV) as
approaches to the changes in consumer surplus (Hicks 1943, 1956).
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
88
Moreover, during the past few decades, a shift away from the narrow view of
traditional neoclassical economics has taken place in the theoretical foundations
of microeconomics in general and household behavior in particular (Linscheidt
1999). Firstly, there is the new consumer theory from Lancaster (1966a, b), which
is discussed in detail by Roth (1979). Tis theory introduces the notion of goods
characteristics; accordingly, the problem of choice can be understood properly by
accounting for the fact that characteristics can be obtained through the purchase
of market goods, which in turn requires money (Jara-Daz 1998). Te fundamen-
tal idea of this approach is that market goods and services are merely inputs of
the consumption process. Te commodities or needs, not the goods themselves,
are what the consumer really cares about. Consequently, the utility function a
household maximizes is related to these commodities (Linscheidt 1999). Tus, the
satisfaction of a specic need does not depend on a single market good (Lancaster
1966a).
Second, there is the concept of bounded rationality questioning the view of house-
holds as perfectly-informed maximizers. Tus, if we assume the more realistic con-
cept of bounded rationality, including incomplete information, cognitive limits,
and satisfaction (Simon 1957), it becomes obvious that consumers choices are
probably inecient most of the time (Linscheidt 1999). Accordingly, behavioral
or social innovation means that a household introduces a new combination of
purchased market goods, time, and human capital to obtain a higher commod-
ity output with its given income. As a result, consumption patterns seem to be
much more exible in the long run than traditional neoclassical theory suggests
(Linscheidt 1999); where there are externalities in consumption, the decision to
consume is essentially dynamic in nature (Kemp 1999).
Moreover, there is development in normative and behavioral economics in the
way that they understanding the human decision-making process, emphasiz-
ing the accumulation of evidence regarding the disparities in the measures of
values (see Knetsch and Sinden 1984, Loomes et al. 2006, and Sugden 2003 for
more discussion regarding this topic). Sugden (2005) states that the preferences
that govern peoples actual behavior are often incoherent and unstable. Indeed,
psychologists have shown that people often treat gains and losses asymmetrically
and tend to require a substantially larger increase in wealth to compensate for a
loss than the amount they would be willing to pay for an equivalent gain (Guria
et al. 2005).
89
Exploring the Willingness and Ability to Pay for Paratransit in Bandung, Indonesia
Relationship between WTP and ATP
If a person expresses a WTP for a service, and even if she/he proceeds to pay for it in
the real world, such stated and revealed behavior may not be automatically inter-
preted as proof of aordability. Payments might be made at considerable social
cost, obliging the person to give up essential consumption such as education, just
to be able to acquire the service (Mataria et al. 2006). Indeed, when confronted
with a severe social and/or economic exogenous shock, such as rapid impoverish-
ment, individuals may begin a process of re-prioritization of what is important and
what is not, leading them to underestimate issues in which they were previously
expressing relative interest (Mataria et al. 2006). In these situations, the role of ATP
becomes clear, which underlines the dierence between WTP and ATP.
Indeed, it seems fair, even for the poor, to give a high value of WTP for good ser-
vices, even though they are unaordable; as Ajzen et al. (2000) and Walton et al.
(2004) have stated, WTP values are based on psychological considerations. Also, it
seems fair for the poor to express a very low ATP, even for very good services, since
ATP is dened as the real allocation or sharing from his/her income in order to buy
the service, which limits the capability to buy that service. It is highly possible that
someone shows a high WTP while simultaneously showing a low ATP. Tis means
that the poor have a high appreciation for the services that are too expensive for
them to aord. Tis is a possible situation for captive riders, especially the poor.
In the case of high income (generally choice) riders meeting an unsatisfactory or
low service quality, they will be highly likely to have a very low WTP, although in
fact they have a high ATP.
Data Collection
Materials
Te data used to study the users ability and willingness to pay were collected
using the questionnaire devised by Hadi (2004). Te questionnaire was distributed
to the respondents using simple random sampling both o-board (in terminal)
and on-board. To eliminate bias, the questionnaire was distributed in both peak
and o-peak periods and on both weekdays and weekends. Te questionnaire was
distributed to paratransit users taking the Kebon Kelapa Ledeng route, which is
26km long, the median length for all paratransit routes in Bandung. Tis one route
was selected as the focus of the analysis of users perceptions of fares and how they
value the service, because there is a dierent fare for each route. Te sample size
was 345 respondents, which were selected as 5 percent of users taking this route.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
90
Tere are 245 vehicles operating on the route, and each vehicle operates 12 round
trips per day. Te number of passengers per trip is 12.
All questions were constructed based on the questionnaire structure of including a
detailed explanation of the research question, which means that the questionnaire
has validity. Moreover, internal consistency of the questionnaire was tested using
the alpha-cronbach test. Tis is a test of the consistency of responses to all the
items (Sekaran 1992) and measures the extent to which item responses obtained
at the same time correlate highly with each other, where the widely-accepted
cut-o is that alpha should be 0.70 or higher for a set of items to be considered a
scale (Garson 2006). Te test has shown that the value of alpha-cronbach was 0.87,
which means that the questionnaire is reliable.
In this study, the questionnaire consisted of four parts. Te rst part asked respon-
dents to express their social demographic data. Te second and third parts were
about the journeys of the users and the perceived service quality. Te last part asked
respondents to assess their nancial situation, including expressing their W/ATP
under several conditions, such as the level of service of paratransit and their familys
nancial conditions. In this part, respondents were asked to choose a range of sums
of money that they consider to be the most suitable for their W/ATP by referring to
those conditions. Te typical question of WTP in this nancial part was, How much
money are you willing to pay for the current paratransits service quality?, while the
question of ATP was How much money do you think you are able to pay for the
current paratransits service quality? By asking about these current conditions, the
questions explored revealed preference, except for the fare increment question. Te
last question asked about respondents agreement with fare increments when there
is an improvement in service quality. If the respondent agrees, he/she was asked to
express the amount of the increment they agree to be reasonable.
Descriptive Statistics
Males comprised 56.5 percent of respondents, and 80.3 percent of respondents
were not yet married. Te age distribution was dominated by young users, age
25 or younger (73%). Te highest education of the respondents was Diploma or
higher (39.4%). Regarding ownership of vehicles, 43.8 percent of the respondents
families did not own a car.
Te highest percentage (41.7%) for the category Reasons for making use of para-
transit was the family not owning a car. Other users (19.1%) stated that paratransit
was faster, more comfortable, and safer, while 22 percent of respondents perceived
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Exploring the Willingness and Ability to Pay for Paratransit in Bandung, Indonesia
that paratransit is a cheaper mode of transport. Te trip purpose for using para-
transit was for study (58.6%), work (20.0%), shopping (16.2%), and other reasons
(5.2%). Te big proportion of students using paratransit is a somewhat unique
characteristic of this mode in Indonesia, which is conrmed by several studies
(Joewono and Kubota 2007). Te monthly expenses of the users was dominated
by a group owning less than 0.5 million IDR (58.6%). Te transportation expenses
per month were less than 100,000 IDR (62%). As a way of comparison, in 2004, the
value of one USD was equal to 9,400 IDR, while the GDP of Indonesian per capita
at this time was 3,500 USD. More information regarding the respondents has been
reported in Joewono (2008).
Model Estimation
As there are dierent types of data - ordered values and binary - two kinds of
analyses are employed. Te value of A/WTP is an order, thus the ordinal probit
regression model is used in this case. Tis analysis intends to explore users stated
values. Te following analysis is binomial logistic regression, which is employed to
explore the characteristics and predict the user agreement in regard to the fare
increment, including its amount.
Ordinal Probit Regression
Tables 1 and 2 provide the parameter estimates using ordinal probit regression,
and each table consists of two models. Detailed explanation regarding ordinal pro-
bit regression is available in Kennedy (2003) and Greene (2003). Table 1 consists of
the models for WTPq (WTP based on quality perception) and ATPq (ATP based
on quality perception), while Table 2 consists of WTPf (WTP based on nancial
perception) and ATPf (ATP based on nancial perception). Detailed explana-
tion regarding the analysis of whether there is a dierence between the value of
WTP and ATP and between the value based on quality perception and nancial
perception can be found in Joewono (2008). Te model t is explained by the dif-
ference between the log-likelihood for the model with the estimated parameters
and the log-likelihood with just the thresholds (intercepts). Its signicance value
is far below 0.0005, which means rejection of the null hypothesis that the model
without predictors is as good as the model with the predictors. Tis is the case for
all four models. In addition, in tting an ordinal regression, there is the assump-
tion that the relationships between the independent variables and the logits are
the same for all the logits, which means that the results are a set of parallel lines
or planesfor each category of the outcome variable (Noruis 2006). Te result of
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
92
the test of parallelism shows that the model is an adequate parallel model. Tis is
explained by the large signicance level (1.000), which results in failing to reject the
null hypothesis that the slope coecients are the same across response categories.
Te signicance level tests the dierence between the log-likelihood for the null
hypothesis that assumes the lines are parallel, and the log-likelihood for the model
with separate lines or planes. Tis is the case for three models, but not for the ATP
model based on quality perception. Tis means that the relationships between the
independent variables and the value of ATP based on quality perception (logits)
are not the same for all logits. All four models appear to t, since the signicance
levels of deviance goodness-of-t of these models are large. Te strength of asso-
ciation between the dependent variable and the predictor variables is provided
by several pseudo R
2
, i.e., Cox and Snell R
2
, Nagelkerke R
2
, and McFadden R
2
. Tese
models have medium R
2
-like statistics, which range from 0.291 to 0.613.
Te independent variables in these models consist of user characteristics for both
the social demographic and nancial aspects, and for the quality aspects of para-
transit service. All models seem to explain a similar tendency. Males are less likely to
assign higher WTPq, but they are more likely to assign higher WTPf. Younger people
are less likely to assign higher WTP and ATP than older people. Single people are
more likely to assign higher WTP and ATP for all situations. People with a university
education are more likely to assign higher WTPq and ATPq than people with junior
high school education. Tis explains that people with higher education express posi-
tive appreciation to quality aspects. On the contrary, people with less education are
more likely to assign higher ATPf and WTPf. Users who are students are more likely
to assign higher ATPq and ATPf than users who are entrepreneurs, but the students
are less likely to express higher WTPq. It is easy to understand that users who have
no car are less likely to assign higher WTP and ATP than people with a car.
Te trip purpose of shopping is less likely to be assigned a higher valuation than
studying or working. A longer trip (more than 10km) is less likely to be assigned a
higher valuation. Tis is also the case for waiting time, so a longer waiting time is
less likely to be assigned higher WTPq and ATPq. Easier accessibility is more likely
to receive a higher valuation by the users. Similarly, people are less likely to assign a
higher valuation for a less comfortable service. It is interesting to notice that what-
ever the condition of service and the households nancial situation, people are less
likely to assign higher ATPf. Tis fact is understandable, as people tend to express a
lower ability to pay. Te models also show that people who perceive the price as too
cheap are more likely to assign higher ATP and WTP for all conditions.
93
Exploring the Willingness and Ability to Pay for Paratransit in Bandung, Indonesia
Table 1. Ordinal Probit Models Based on Quality Perception

Variab|es w1 A1
Sig. Sig.

1resbo|d*

WTPq [less than 750 IDR] 1.447 .005
WTPq [7501000 IDR] .099 .845
WTPq [10001250 IDR] 1.054 .039
WTPq [12501500 IDR] 3.247 .000
ATPq [< 750 IDR] .633 .382
ATPq [7501000 IDR] .969 .183
ATPq [10001250 IDR] 2.285 .002
ATPq [12501500 IDR] 4.015 .000

location

Sex [male] .220 .112 .153 .291
Age [< 15 years old] .900 .033 2.177 .000
Age [1525 years old] .774 .001 1.348 .000
Age [2535 years old] 1.194 .000
Status [single] .529 .036 .643 .018
Education [junior high school] 1.178 .003 1.462 .000
Education [senior high school] 1.315 .001 1.506 .000
Education [university] 1.732 .000 1.894 .000
Job [entrepreneur] .395 .125 .822 .002
Job [student] .931 .003 .940 .001
Car ownership [car] .316 .071 .371 .044
Number of trip [twice per day] .430 .003
Trip purpose [studying] .420 .120
Trip purpose [ working] .301 .176
Trip purpose [shopping] .446 .056
Reason for using paratransit [no private car] .208 .187 .420 .032
Reason for using paratransit [faster, more .292 .106 1.218 .000
comfortable, or safer]
Reason for using paratransit [cheaper] .350 .102
Trip distance [510 km] .508 .000
Waiting time [< 5 minutes] .599 .001 .579 .003
Waiting time [510 minutes] .785 .000 .590 .003
Accessibility [easy] .868 .023
Accessibility [fair] .272 .057 .733 .055
Comfort [comfortable] 1.311 .000 .836 .018
Comfort [fair] 1.706 .000 1.289 .000
Safety [safe] .442 .019
Service quality [very bad] .685 .138
Service quality [bad] .390 .135 .517 .185
Service quality [fair] 1.037 .000 1.103 .002
Monthly expenses [0.51 million IDR] -.296 .055
Monthly transport expenses [< 100,000 IDR] -.283 .074
Price [too cheap] 2.957 .000 3.920 .000
Price [fair] .902 .000 1.474 .000
L (0) L (); df; Sig. 231.493; 24; .000 298.278; 30; .000
Pearson Goodness-of-t (
2
; df; Sig.) 926.922; 752; .000 1043.931; 766; .000
Deviance Goodness-of-t (
2
; df; Sig.) 719.493; 752; .798 688.247; 766; .979
R
2
(Cox and Snell; Nagelkerke; McFadden) .489; .519; .236 .579; .613; .299
Test of Parallel Lines (
2
; df; Sig.) 28.687; 72; 1.000 352.980; 90; .000
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
94
Table 2. Ordinal Probit Models Based on Financial Condition Perception

Variab|es w1 A1
Sig. Sig.

1resbo|d*

WTPf [< 750 IDR] 3.182 .000
WTPf [7501000 IDR] 1.619 .000
WTPf [10001250 IDR] .364 .378
WTPf [12501500 IDR] 1.960 .000
ATPf [< 750 IDR] 3.000 .000
ATPf [7501000 IDR] 1.844 .002
ATPf [10001250 IDR] .362 .536
ATPf [12501500 IDR] 1.551 .008
location

Sex [male] .340 .013
Age [< 15 years old] 1.320 .000 2.273 .000
Age [1525 years old] .840 .000 1.537 .000
Age [2535 years old] .906 .004
Age [3550 years old] .635 .047
Status [single] .957 .000 .785 .003
EDU [junior high school] 1.457 .000
EDU [senior high school] 1.119 .006
EDU [university] .314 .020 1.150 .005
Job [entrepreneur] .600 .023
Job [student] .921 .001
Car ownership [does not own a car] .686 .000 .586 .000
Car ownership [motor cycle] .381 .034
Car ownership [car] .420 .025
Trip purpose [shopping] .490 .011
Reason for using paratransit [faster, .507 .003 .501 .004
more comfortable, or safer]
Trip distance [< 5km] .419 .035
Trip distance [510km] .503 .001
Trip distance [1020km] .358 .022
Waiting time [< 5 minutes] 1.069 .000 .485 .000
Waiting time [510 minutes] .903 .000
Accessibility [fair] .241 .088
Comfort [comfortable] .679 .027 .486 .125
Comfort [fair] 1.051 .000 .765 .009
Service quality [bad] .494 .060
Service quality [fair] .450 .052
Monthly expenses [< 0.5 million IDR] .356 .158
Monthly expenses [0.5 million IDR] .458 .067
Monthly transport expenses [< 100,000 IDR] .471 .001 .445 .004
Price [too cheap] 3.689 .000 3.735 .000
Price [fair] 1.541 .000 1.408 .000
L (0) L (); df; Sig. 291.288; 19; .000 278.017; 24; .000
Pearson Goodness-of-t (
2
; df; Sig.) 5502.889; 761; .000 1540.854; 728; .000
Deviance Goodness-of-t (
2
; df; Sig.) 658.353; 761; .997 634.302; 728; .995
R
2
(Cox and Snell; Nagelkerke; McFadden) .570; .608; .303 .553; .590; .291
Test of Parallel Lines (
2
; df; Sig.) 29.154; 57; .999 9.583; 72; 1.000
*Note: WTPq = WTP based on quality perception; ATPq = ATP based on quality perception, WTPf
= WTP based on nancial perception; ATPf = ATP based on nancial perception;
95
Exploring the Willingness and Ability to Pay for Paratransit in Bandung, Indonesia
Binomial Regression Model
Table 3 shows two binomial regression models that estimate two things: the
agreement for fare increment (rst model) and the agreement to increase the
fare as much as 500 IDR or more (second model). Further explanation regarding
binomial regression model is available in Hair et al. (1998, 2006). Te omnibus tests
of model coecients have a very low signicance level (< 0.05), which means the
model is signicantly dierent from the one with the constant only. Hosmer and
Lemeshows goodness-of-t test of these models is far greater than 0.05. Tis test
statistic means that it is a well-tting model and fails to reject the null hypothesis
that there is no dierence between observed and model-predicted values, imply-
ing that the models estimates t the data at an acceptable level (Garson 2006).
Te models have 2LL as high as 258.298 and 261.912 for the rst and second
model, respectively. Te Cox & Snell R
2
and Nagelkerke R
2
of these models range
from 0.284 to 0.431 (see Newsom 2004 for more discussion about R
2
in logistic
regression). Tese models have overall percentages as high 82.9 percent and 72.8
percent for the rst and second models, respectively. Te values have a meaning
that the models are capable of explaining and predicting.
In these agreement modelsfare increment and amount of fare increment
younger people seem to have a higher agreement with a fare increment than older
people. People with junior high school education are more likely to agree with a
fare increment than people with university education, although people with less
education are less likely to agree with a higher fare increment. Student users are
less likely to agree with a fare increment. People with a motorcycle in their house-
hold are more likely to agree with a higher fare increment than people with or
without an automobile. Tis model explains that people with any trip purpose do
not seem to agree with a higher fare increment.
People with one trip per day are more likely to agree with a fare increment, and
a higher amount. Users who perceive paratransit as cheaper than other modes of
transport are more likely to agree with fare adjustment. It is understandable that
people who take short trips are less likely to agree with higher fares. People who
perceive the existing service as comfortable and safe are more likely to agree with
a higher fare increment. Similarly, a less accessible service is less likely to receive a
higher fare adjustment.
People with monthly transportation expenses less than 100,000 IDR are not likely
to agree with a fare increment, but they express agreement with a higher amount.
Similarly, people who perceive the current price as fair are not likely to agree with a
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
96
Table 3. Binomial Regression Models Regarding Fare Increment

Agreement to
Variab|es Agreement tor Increase s00
Iare Increment IUk or more
Sig. Sig.

Constant .228 .849 7.375 .000
Age (1 if 15 years old or less, 0 otherwise) 4.125 .000 1.283 .087
Age (1 if 1525 years old, 0 otherwise) 2.115 .000
Age (1 if 3550 years old, 0 otherwise) 1.531 .027
Education (1 if junior high school or less, 3.139 .006 1.085 .103
0 otherwise)
Education (1 if senior high school, 0 otherwise) 2.823 .008 .906 .010
Education (1 if university, 0 otherwise) 2.672 .012
Job (1 if student, 0 otherwise) 3.011 .000
Car ownership (1 if no car, 0 otherwise) 1.885 .017
Car ownership (1 if motorcycle, 0 otherwise) 2.112 .007
Car ownership (1 if car, 0 otherwise) 1.676 .033
Number of trips (1 if once, 0 otherwise) 1.487 .010 1.185 .013
Trip purpose (1 if studying, 0 otherwise) 1.355 .079
Trip purpose (1 if working, 0 otherwise) 2.450 .000 2.243 .006
Trip purpose (1 if shopping, 0 otherwise) 1.575 .070
Reason for using paratransit (1 if faster, 1.523 .002
more comfortable, and safer, 0 otherwise)
Reason for using paratransit (1 if cheaper, 2.903 .000
0 otherwise)
Trip distance (1 if 5km or less, 0 otherwise) .837 .074
Trip distance (1 if 510km, 0 otherwise) .596 .091
Accessibility (1 if fair, 0 otherwise) 1.044 .003
Comfort (1 if comfortable, 0 otherwise) .982 .044 5.649 .000
Comfort (1 if fair, 0 otherwise) 3.914 .000
Safety (1 if safe, 0 otherwise) .844 .091
Quality (1 if very bad, 0 otherwise) 1.712 .080 2.558 .013
Monthly transport expenses (1 if less than .910 .013 .846 .030
100,000 IDR, 0 otherwise)
Price perception (1 if fair, 0 otherwise) 1.390 .000 .625 .064
ATPq (15)* 1.027 .000 .617 .001
WTPf (15)* .568 .036
ATPf (15)* 1.400 .000

Omnibus tests of model coecients (
2
, df, sig.) 115.367; 18; .000 103.094; 20; .000
Hosmer & Lemeshow test (
2
, df, sig.) 12.655; 8; .124 9.781; 8; .281
2LL 258.298 261.912
Cox & Snell R
2
.284 .322
Nagelkerke R
2
.430 .431
Percent Correct 82.9 72.8
*Note: 1 = less than 750 IDR, 2 = 750 1000 IDR, 3 = 1000 1250 IDR, 4 = 1250 1500 IDR, and 5
= more than 1500 IDR.
97
Exploring the Willingness and Ability to Pay for Paratransit in Bandung, Indonesia
fare increment, but they express agreement with a higher amount. Tis contradic-
tory situation expresses dierent perceptions of nancial capability, where people
actually have the ability to pay, but tend to express a lower willingness to pay. In
addition, the models explain that the ATP based on quality perception is more
important than other valuations in deciding the agreement.
Discussion
Findings
Tis study explores users willingness and ability to pay when making use of para-
transit. Te ndings illustrate the interesting result that there is a gap between
the value of willingness and ability to pay, and people make valuations dierently
regarding their related perception.
Moreover, this study goes into deeper analysis to reveal the characteristics of
paratransit users. Te analysis using ordinal probit regression explains which
group of users has a tendency to assign a higher value (WTP or ATP). Te dierent
characteristics of the users also inuence their decision to accept the fare incre-
ment and to determine the acceptable amount of the increment. Tis decision
has been explored by incorporating the values of willingness and ability for both
perceptions.
Te binomial regression models reveal which group of users and which valuation
are important in determining the agreement. All models explain the fact that the
valuation and decision depends on users perceptions regarding the service qual-
ity, the characteristics of trips, and their nancial capability. Tese ndings are in
line with the statement that people value the characteristics of goods, not the
good themselves (Lancaster 1966b, Walton et al. 2004). Moreover, Russell (1996)
has argued that being willing and able to pay for a commodity does not automati-
cally imply being able to aord it, mainly because the social opportunity cost of
the payment may be too high to be socially acceptable.
Te interpretations of this study can also refer to the term money illusion (Shar
et al. 1997), dened as the tendency to think in terms of nominal rather than real
monetary values (Shar et al. 1997, Mataria et al. 2006). Shar et al. (1997) argued
that people often think about economic transactions in both nominal and real
terms, and that money illusion arises from an interaction between these repre-
sentations, which results in a bias towards a nominal evaluation. Tese consider-
ations have for long been features distinguishing economists versus psychologists
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
98
approaches and methods of reasoning about the elicitation of peoples prefer-
ences (Fischho and Manski 2000, Mataria et al. 2006).
Policy Implications
Public transportation fare determination covers a variety of factors, ranging from
the cost of providing the service to urban transport policy, which are expressed in
the fare level, fare structure, and method of fare collection. Vuchic (2005) states
three basic objectives for a fare system: 1) to attract the maximum number of
passengers, 2) to generate the maximum revenue for the transit agency, and 3)
to achieve specic goals (e.g., increasing the mobility of the labor force, students,
or seniors, etc.). Tus, planning transit fares requires analysis of many trade-os
among objectives and the satisfaction of requirements and constraints, which are
usually subjects of political decisions (Vuchic 2005).
In fact, the current practice of fare determination results in much controversy
from operators and users, for example in Indonesia. Te main problem focuses on
the dierent perceptions regarding the suitable fare for all stakeholders. Tus,
this study suggests an incorporation of W/ATP analysis into fare evaluation and
determination, since this study reveals the existence of range of fare acceptance
by the user, which is shown by the value of ATP and WTP determined by the user,
for some basis of determination. Moreover, this study reveals the characteristics
of the user who values higher ability/willingness to pay.
As a matter of fact, the fare determination of paratransit in Indonesia is not
determined solely by the government. Te fare determination involves several
other stakeholders, e.g., parliament, operator organizations, etc. Te analysis can
be exploited as a tool to evaluate the existing or proposed fare, where the W/ATP
acts as a benchmark to calculate the number of current or potential users who will
deem the fare too cheap, acceptable, or too expensive. Tus, this study provides
information to these stakeholders regarding the number of community or groups
of community who are inuenced by the proposed fare. Although knowing whose
WTP is higher does not help directly to produce more prot for the operator, the
knowledge will provide better understanding regarding the eect of fare determi-
nation. Tus, the policy implications of W/ATP implementation in fare planning
will depend upon the objectives for the fare system. Tis means that W/ATP analy-
sis will show the number of aected people, including their characteristics, when
the fare is changed. However, the nal decision should be made by considering the
objective. Tis implies that the government should shoulder the risk of compen-
99
Exploring the Willingness and Ability to Pay for Paratransit in Bandung, Indonesia
sating the group within the community that experiences nancial shortcomings
as a result of the fare change.
In the case of paratransit in Indonesia, on the one hand, the current objective of
the fare system aims primarily to cover the cost of service provision, since para-
transit is primarily provided by private individuals. On the other hand, there is a
gap between the values of ability and willingness to pay. Tis means that it is hard
to provide a straightforward suggestion, such as increasing or decreasing the fare,
since it is not clear who will shoulder the impact of the fare adjustment based on
W/ATP analysis. Tus, the fare system needs a clear statement of objectives, while
W/ATP analysis will improve the strength of analysis of the aected community.
Acknowledgements
Te author wishes to thank to everyone who has contributed to this research,
especially Y. Y. Hadi, who has provided the data from his research. I would also like
to thank the reviewers for providing very constructive comments on the initial
version of this article.
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About The Author
1a nsuk [orwouo (vftribas@home.unpar.ac.id) is with the Department of
Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Parahyangan Catholic University, Band-
ung, Indonesia. He holds bachelors and masters degrees in civil engineering from
Parahyangan Catholic University and a masters degree in transportation from
Bandung Institute of Technology. He also holds a doctoral degree from the Saitama
University, Japan.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
104
105
Household Attributes in a Transit-Oriented Development
Household Attributes in a
Transit-Oriented Development:
Evidence from Taipei
Jen-Jia Lin, National Taipei University
Ya-Chun Jen, Taiwan Ministry of Finance
Abstract
Tis empirical study of the Metro Danshui Line in Taipei analyzed the attributes of
households residing in areas with signicant attributes of TOD built environment
(TOD
+
) by applying a questionnaire survey and binary logit model. Te empirical
results were the following: household income, household size, and oor space needs
are negatively associated with TOD
+
; the presence of children or elderly family mem-
bers and preference for dense development, mixed land use and public facilities are
positively related to TOD
+
. Based on the empirical ndings of this study and the
objective of deploying TODs near metro stations, general strategic directions for land
use planning and property marketing are recommended to government agencies and
real estate developers.
Introduction
Suburbanization and planning unit development have encouraged dependence on
private automobiles in North America since the 1930s. Neighborhood designs with
large-scale blocks, sparse arterial networks, and cul-de-sacs reduce the inclination
to walk and the development of transit services. Such automobile-based develop-
ment tends to cause urban sprawl, increase commuting distance, and reduce land
use eciency. Since transit systems promote the ecient use of resources such as
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
106
land, fuel, etc., cities are increasingly applying transit-based strategies to enhance
urban sustainability. Transit-oriented development (TOD) is now a popular strat-
egy in North America for shaping transit-based spatial structures.
Taiwan has experienced rapid population and economic growth since the end of
World War II but has extremely limited land resources. Automobile-based devel-
opment in recent decades has caused substantial transportation ineciencies and
environmental degradation. To reduce trac congestion and improve environ-
mental quality, cities in Taiwan are now applying TOD principles in their urban
development strategies. For instance, Taipei, the largest city in Taiwan, announced
a comprehensive TOD plan (Department of Urban Development of Taipei City
1999) and a revised zoning ordinance to encourage dense development near
metro stations by raising the maximum allowable building-bulk ratio.
Dense development, mixed land use, and pedestrian-friendly design are principle
attributes of the TOD built environment and are associated with numerous bene-
ts for urban sustainability (Cervero et al. 2004). However, some attributes may be
undesirable to the general public. Residents often prefer low density and pure resi-
dential environments, which are incompatible with an environment of dense and
diverse land uses. Senior, Webster, and Blank (2004) investigated households in
the Cardi region of South Wales and concluded that most relocating households
prefer, and actively seek to move to, detached or semi-detached housing with pri-
vate gardens, often in suburban locations. Apartment living is rarely preferred, and
access to facilities in mixed land use areas is rarely a major concern. Tus, urban
planners should not assume that residents prefer a TOD built environment.
Previous studies of TOD mostly focused on government concerns such as planning
strategies and implementation (Banai 1998; Beimborn et al. 1991; Cervero 1994;
Loukaitou-Sideris 2000; Moon 1990), planning models (Kaneko and Fukuda 1999;
Lin and Gau 2006; Lin and Li 2008) and eect assessment (Cervero and Arrington
2008; Lund et al. 2004; Lin and Shin 2008). Property markets and developers in
TOD areas are rarely analyzed. For instance, Cervero and Bosselmann (1994) found
that property developers were uninterested in developing transit villages and
dense communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Levine and Inam (2004)
reported that local regulation, neighborhood opposition, and lack of market
interest are the three main obstacles to TOD. Further, few studies have explored
housing demand in TOD. Lund (2006) surveyed the motivations of residents for
living in a TOD area and found that type or quality of housing, cost of housing,
and quality of neighborhood were the top three considerations of residents who
107
Household Attributes in a Transit-Oriented Development
had chosen to live in a TOD. Te Lund study of TOD focused on why, instead of
who. Although Arrington and Cervero (2008) compiled fragmentary evidence of
TOD resident characteristics, very few previous studies have compared resident
characteristics between TOD communities and general communities. However,
understanding household attributes of TOD residents is essential for deploying
TOD successfully via market mechanisms.
Tis study empirically analyzed correlations between household attributes and
the decision to live in a TOD built environment by applying binary logit model
to survey data for 388 households near metro stations in Taipei. Te empirical
ndings of this work provide a basis for recommending possible TOD planning
strategies given considerations of property demand. Te paper is organized as
follows. Section 2 describes the research design, including assessment of survey
areas, hypothesized relationships, and data analysis methods. Section 3 describes
the sample data. Section 4 presents the model estimations and recommended
strategies. Conclusions are presented in Section 5 along with recommended future
research.
Research Design
Survey Area Selection
Tis study rst selected two metro station areas that signicantly diered in terms
of TOD built environment. Te Taipei Danshui Line originally served as an ordinary
railway between 1901 and 1988 before it was incorporated into the Taipei metro
system in 1997. Because the land use development along the line has been stable,
the areas near Danshui Line stations were selected for survey in this study. Two
areas were selected: areas with signicant attributes of TOD built environment
(TOD
+
) and areas with attributes contrary to TOD built environment (TOD
-
). A
station area was dened as the area within a quarter mile (about 400 meters) of a
metro station, as in earlier works by Calthorpe (1993), White and McDaniel (1999),
and Lin and Gau (2006). Following survey area selection, sample households were
selected and investigated. Factors aecting the decision to live in a TOD area and
household attributes were recorded for each observation. Two phases of living
area choice were analyzed: present choice and future choice. To control for trans-
portation and buer attributes that could aect residential location choices, the
two station areas were selected for analysis because of their locations along the
same metro line and their dierences in TOD built environment attributes. Te
Metro Danshui Line is 22.8 km long and connects the city center with the northern
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
108
suburban township of Danshui. Twenty station areas along the metro line were
assessed. Te following four criteria were used to assess built environment of TOD
+

in the analyzed areas, based on the recommendations of local studies in Taiwan,
including Chang et al. (2000), Huang (2002), and Zhuo (2004): (1) number of land
use types, for measuring land use diversity in a station area; (2) area ratio of oor
space to land, for measuring land use density in a station area; (3) length ratio
of sidewalks wider than 2 m to length of all sidewalks, for measuring pedestrian
friendliness in a station area; and (4) number of public facility types, for measuring
suciency of public facility supply in a station area.
As Fig. 1 shows, the Xinbeitou station area (TOD
+
) and the Guandu station area
(TOD
-
) were selected by applying the above four criteria. Xinbeitou had the highest
ranking of public facilities and the second and sixth highest rankings for other cri-
Figure 1. Location of Survey Areas in Taipei City
109
Household Attributes in a Transit-Oriented Development
teria, while Guandu has the second or third worst rankings for all criteria. Further,
Xinbeitou ranked signicantly higher than Guandu in all criteria. Table 1 compares
the two station areas. Both stations had been in service since the ordinary railway
era, and both were located in Beitou District, a suburban residential community
in Taipei with a long development history. Land use in the Xinbeitou station area
is designated as a mixed residential and commercial facility, and Xinbeitou has
been promisingly and densely developed as a residential and recreational area for
100 years because of its hot springs resources. Te Guandu station area was tra-
ditionally an agricultural village for hundreds of years before being developed as
a residential community just 20 years ago. As a newly developed community, the
Guandu station area has large blocks, wide arterials, and ample parking because
urban planning and building design in recent years have been mostly automobile-
based. Apartments are the major property style in both areas. Dwelling units in
Xinbeitou are small to medium in size (33 to 100 m
2
), while those in Guandu are
medium to large in size (100 to 200 m
2
). Property price per dwelling unit in Xinbe-
itou is lower than that in Guandu because of size and building age dierences.
Table 1. Comparisons of Survey Areas, end of 2005

Attributes Xinbeitou (1OU
+
) Cuandu (1OU
-
)
Dierences
Number of land use types 26 20
Area ratio of oor space to land 110.86% 66.90%
Length ratio of sidewalks wider 69.47% 48.65%
than 2 m to all sidewalks
Number of public facility types 21 8
Population density 0.0246 people / m
2
0.0155 people / m
2
Typical property supply
Floor space per dwelling unit 33-100 m
2
100-200 m
2
Type Apartment, 4-5 oors & Apartment, 7-10 oors &
high building coverage ratio low building coverage ratio
Price per dwelling unit 2-6 millions NT$ >8 millions NT$
Similarities
Station area type Residential community
Administration belongingness Beitou District
Location Suburban areas of Taipei
Settlement history >100 years (Xinbeitou is since 1880, Guandu is since 1640)
P. S. 1 NT$ 0.03 US$ in 2005.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
110
Hypothesized Relationships
As Table 2 shows, four factors, including economy, member component, house
demand, and environment preference, were employed to explain household deci-
sion to live in a TOD
+
area. Income is the main variable representing household
economic status. High household income increases the choice of housing alterna-
tives. Previous studies generally agree that high-income households tend to choose
suburban or rural areas in which density is low, land use is purely residential, and
environment is delicate (Earnhart 2002; Srinivasan and Ferreira 2002; Kim et al.
2005). Tus, we hypothesized that income is negatively associated with preference
for TOD
+
, which is characterized by dense environment and mixed land use.
Table 2. Hypothesized Relationships between Household Attributes
and Choice of TOD
+
nd Choice of TOD
+

P. s.: +, positive eect; -, negative eect
Two variables were considered to denote member components of a household.
Number of household members correlated negatively with residence in TOD
+

because increasing family size requires larger oor area, and large houses are usu-
ally located in low-density suburban areas (Wee et al. 2002). Further, households
with children or elders usually generate many non-work trips, so they tend to live
in convenient, accessible, and mixed land use communities (Kim et al. 2005; Ser-
mona and Koppelman 2001). Terefore, TOD
+
should be welcomed by households
with children or elders.
Price aordability and oor space needs are the main concerns of families when
choosing residential locations. High housing prices reduce the range of choices.
Given equal transportation accessibility and equal household attributes, houses in
TOD+ are usually priced lower than those in TOD- because the former tend to be
located in dense and mixed land use zones. Further, households preferring large
oor space tend to reside in low-density areas where the supply of dwelling units
is larger than that in high-density areas (Kim et al. 2005; Sermona and Koppelman
2001). Tus, house price aordability and oor space needs are both expected to
negatively impact the preference for living in TOD
+
.
111
Household Attributes in a Transit-Oriented Development
Finally, empirical data in previous studies, including Srinivasan and Ferreira (2002),
Bhat and Guo (2004) and Kim et al. (2005), indicate that living environment aects
residential location choices. Since dierent households have dierent living envi-
ronment preferences, a household preferring dense environment, mixed land use,
public facilities, or pedestrian-friendly facilities should have ample opportunity to
reside in a TOD
+
area. Te above variables were employed to explain the choice of
TOD
+
, and Table 2 lists the hypothesized eects.
Data
To test the hypothesized relationships shown in Table 2, this study performed a
questionnaire survey in March 2006. Te survey population was 5,032 households
residing in areas near the Xinbeitou and Guandu stations. Systematic random sam-
pling was employed to select 1,200 households. Out of the 1,200 questionnaires
distributed, 583 were returned (48.58% response rate), of which 388 responses
were eective (eective rate of 66.55%). Incomplete questionnaires were excluded
from the study sample. Te sample contained 195 questionnaires returned by
residents in the Xinbeitou station area (6% sampling rate) and 193 questionnaires
from Guandu station area (10% sampling rate).
Figure 2 presents the sample data distributions of household attributes. Compared
with the Guandu station area (hereafter TOD
-
) residents, the Xinbeitou station
area (hereafter TOD
+
) residents had lower monthly income, more years of resi-
dence, fewer household members, fewer children, and more elders. Figure 3 shows
the distribution of sample data for environment preference. Te preferences of the
general sample regarding mixed land use and dense development were moderate,
while preferences regarding pedestrian-friendly and public facilities were favorable
or highly favorable. Te TOD built environment attributes were not welcomed
by all respondents. Compared with TOD
-
observations, TOD
+
residents favored
dense development, mixed land use, and public facilities but did not highly favor
pedestrian-friendly facilities. Figure 4 shows that TOD
+
residents had lower hous-
ing costs and needed less oor space than TOD
-
residents. Finally, Fig. 5 shows
responses regarding preferences for future residential location. Most respondents
indicated that they would choose a built environment similar to their current one.
Restated, TOD
+
residents would choose TOD
+
and TOD
-
residents would choose
TOD
-
. Te preference for moving from TOD
+
to TOD
-
was higher than that for
moving from TOD
-
to TOD
+
. Terefore, TOD
-
is apparently more attractive than
TOD
+
as a residential location.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
112
Figure 2. Sample Distributions of Household Attributes
113
Household Attributes in a Transit-Oriented Development
Figure 2. Sample Distributions of Household Attributes (contd.)
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
114
Figure 3. Sample Distributions of Environment Preferences
115
Household Attributes in a Transit-Oriented Development
Figure 3. Sample Distributions of Environment Preferences (contd.)
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
116
Figure 4. Sample Distributions of House Demands
Te sample households had similar transportation services and had similar travel
patterns. All sampled households were located within a quarter mile of a metro
station, and all were served by more than 10 bus routes. Transit travel share was
23 percent for TOD
-
residents and 26 percent for TOD
+
residents in 2001 (Depart-
ment of Transportation of Taipei City 2001). Further, the sample area, the Beitou
117
Household Attributes in a Transit-Oriented Development
Figure 5. Sample Distributions of Location Choice in Future
District, had lower criminal case rate (137.6 cases/10
6
residents) than did Taipei
City (205.0 cases/10
6
residents) in 2007. Te percentage of owner-occupied hous-
ing (88.35%) was higher than the overall average for the city (81.02%); the house-
hold income level (1,442 10
3
NT$/year) was lower than the overall average for the
city (1,526 10
3
NT$/year) in 2006. In both sample station areas, weather conditions
are similar. Ethnic or racial conditions are rarely essential considerations for resi-
dential location choice in Taiwan.
Results
Model Estimations and Analysis
Table 3 shows two models calibrated using Limdep 8.0 package. One model
explains present choice, and the other explains future choice. Te calibrated
coecients present the eects of independent variables on the decision to live
in TOD
+
. Household income and member attributes were analyzed by dummy
variables using low income level (less than 50,000 NT$/month) and without
children or elders as bases (i.e., all dummy variables are zero), respectively. Te
goodness-of-t for each model was considered reasonable because successful
forecast percentages were between 69 and 71 percent, and
2
values were between
0.15 and 0.16.
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
118
Table 3. Estimation Results of Binary Logit Models (TOD
+
=1, TOD
-
=0)
P. S. *** signicance in =0.05, ** signicance in =0.1, * signicance in =0.2; values in parentheses
denote point elasticity values
119
Household Attributes in a Transit-Oriented Development
Using the calibrated model (1) in Table 3 to examine the hypothesized relation-
ships in Table 2, the empirical data revealed the negative eects of household
income and member size on the decision to live in TOD
+
and also showed that
having children or elders as household members and the preference for dense
development and public facilities were positively related to preference for living
in TOD
+
.
However, house price aordability, house oor space needs, and preference for
mixed land use were not signicantly related to decision to live in TOD
+
. Te
insignicant results were due to the correlation of three variables: household
income, household member size, and preference for dense development. House-
hold income, household member size, and preference for dense development
were positively associated with house price aordability, oor space needs, and
preference for mixed land uses, respectively. Correlations among independent
variables frequently revealed insignicant coecients for some correlated vari-
ables. Accordingly, the eects of these three insignicant variables on the decision
to live in TOD
+
were apparently supported but need further conrmation.
Further, preference for pedestrian-friendly facilities negatively aected the deci-
sion to live in TOD
+
, which is contrary to the hypothesized relationship. Figure 3C
shows that respondents in the Guandu station area did have a slightly stronger
preference for pedestrian-friendly facilities than did those in the Xinbeitou station
area. Since this study evaluated station area using percentage of sidewalks wider
than 2 meters and ignored sidewalk quality, the possible reason for the contrary
result could be that the Guandu station area has better quality pedestrian facili-
ties than does the Xinbeitou station area. Accordingly, the eect of preference
for pedestrian-friendly facilities on decision to live in TOD
+
was unconrmed and
needs further study.
Comparing the results of model (2) with those of model (1) revealed that the
eects of variables on future choice were similar to those aecting present choice.
Te two models revealed slight dierences. Household income negatively aected
the future decision to live in TOD
+
, but the signicant eects of income levels
decreased. Residing time and household member size signicantly aected the
present choice model but did not signicantly aect the future choice model.
Te presence of elders in the household had greater explanatory power than the
presence of children regarding the future decision to live in TOD
+
, while the pres-
ence of elders and children were both important in explaining present choice.
Household member size and preference for dense development were signicant in
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
120
model (1) but insignicant in model (2). Because of the insignicance, house oor
space needs and preference for mixed land uses, which correlated with household
member size and preference for dense development, were signicant factors in
explaining future choice.
Table 3 lists point elasticity values of continuous variables for comparing the
eects among variables and models. An elasticity value such as e means that a one
percent change in an independent variable is associated with an e percent change
in probability of choosing TOD
+
. Elasticity values in the future choice model
exceeded those in the present choice model for all variables. In the present choice
model, preferences for public and pedestrian facilities had the largest eect on the
decision to live in TOD
+
while, in the future choice model, house oor space needs
had the largest eect on decision to live in TOD
+
.
Strategy Recommendation
Based on the empirical evidence observed in this study, general strategies can be
recommended for land use planning and property development to successfully
deploy a TOD in a metro station area. Two strategic directions for land use plan-
ning are possible. First, since low-income and small-sized households, which prefer
dense development, mixed land uses, and public facilities, tend to prefer living in
TOD
+
, supplying dense and mixed land uses and public facilities needed by low
income and small families around metro stations may be an eective strategy. Low
income and small families usually prefer retail stores, restaurants, and daily services
in popularized prices. To prevent increased density from negatively impacting the
living environment, the development capacity for individual station areas should
be identied and used as the upper bound for increased density. Te compatibility
of mixed land uses around metro stations also should be carefully evaluated for
community amenity.
Second, because households with children or elders were found to prefer living
in TOD
+
areas, facilities and services required by children and elders should be
provided near metro stations. Children and elders commonly need parks, daycare/
schools, medical clinics, and nursing homes. Zoning regulations in station areas can
be revised to attract TOD
+
residents by encouraging the above land uses. Besides
land use planning and property development near metro stations, two other
strategic directions are recommended. First, because low income households
tend to live in TOD
+
, accessibly-priced residential properties should be developed
near metro stations. Besides, households living in high-priced housing commonly
have high income levels and seldom use public transit systems. Tus, developing
121
Household Attributes in a Transit-Oriented Development
high-price properties around metro stations is not associated with TOD since the
interaction between properties and metro use is minimal.
Another suggested property development strategy is supplying small or medium
dwelling units in multi-functional buildings or communities near metro sta-
tions. Because small-sized households and preferences for mixed land uses and
public facilities are positively associated with living in TOD
+
, multiple property
uses, including supermarkets, exercise centers, clinics, banks, bookstores, etc., in
residential areas are not only welcomed by residents but can also economically
benet property managers.
Conclusions
To explore the attributes of households in a TOD built environment, this study
performed a questionnaire survey of households in TOD
+
and TOD
-
environments
near metro stations in Taipei and calibrated binary logit models explaining the
relationships between household attributes and the decision to live in TOD
+
. Te
empirical evidence indicated that household income, household member size, and
oor space needs are negatively associated with a preference for living in TOD
+
,
while the presence of children or elders and the preference for dense develop-
ment, mixed land use, and public facilities are positively related to a preference
for living in TOD
+
. Based on the empirical ndings of this study and the objective
of deploying successful TOD near metro stations, general strategic directions for
land use planning and property development are recommended to government
agencies and real estate developers.
Two limitations should be noted when applying the empirical ndings and recom-
mended strategies of this study. First, since the sample data were for residential
communities, the results are more applicable to residential station areas than to
urban areas such as commercial station areas. Second, because the surveyed areas
were near guideway rapid transit stations, the results may be inapplicable to other
transit systems such as bus systems.
To further clarify the real estate market in TOD, future research should investi-
gate the following issues. First, this study focused on the demand side of the real
estate market rather than the supply side. An understanding of both is needed to
successfully and eciently deploy TOD via market mechanisms. Tus, real estate
developers in the examined areas require further study. Second, further various
and detailed housing attributes are related to TOD resident preferences, such as
Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009
122
housing type, building layout, and access design. Te relationships between house
attributes and these preferences is an important issue needing further study.
Finally, besides the cross-sectional analysis in this study, a longitudinal study of res-
idential location choices before and after developing the TOD built environment
is essential to conrm the relationships between residential choice and TOD.
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About the Authors
[ru-[n lu (jenjia@mail.ntpu.edu.tw) is a Professor of the Graduate Institute of
Urban Planning at the National Taipei University, Taipei, Taiwan. His research eld
is transportation and land use interactions and quantitative analysis of urban and
regional development. He is the acting Editor-in-Chief of City and Planning, an
ocial academic journal of Taiwan Institute of Urban Planning, and a member of
International Science Committee of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation
Studies.
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Household Attributes in a Transit-Oriented Development
Yn-Cnuu [ru (anita0301@yahoo.com.tw) provided research assistance for this
study. She received her masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the
National Taipei University and is currently a senior specialist in the National Property
Administration of the Ministry of Finance in Taiwan. Her interests are theoretical
and practical studies of transit-oriented development along metro systems.