Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Urban public transport - Quality'

Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2016.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages [156]-173).
Public transport system is an important part of cities, and the quality of public transport service -- passengers' perceived performance -- is a key urban indicator. Customer satisfaction surveys has been the traditional methods and metrics for monitoring and evaluating public transport service quality, but they come with a number of weaknesses. They are administered too infrequently and ask subjects to provide only general ratings. The infrequency results in potential delay for agencies to receive feedback, and the abstractness reduces the possibilities of associating satisfaction levels to specific trips and their attributes, as well as using the data to inform service improvement decisions. Given these shortcomings with conventional surveying practices, there is great value in engaging riders as additional sources of information. This reflects the concept of "co-monitoring" -- agencies using public feedback to supplement the official monitoring and regulation. This is aided by the growing ubiquity of Internet-connected mobile devices, which enables citizens to generate and submit feedback without time or geographic constraints. From the data collection perspective, this would make the process more dynamic, low-cost, and in real-time. Equally importantly, it is poised to enhance public transport agencies' relationship with their customers -- conveying to customers that their experience and feedback are valued. The service sector today is increasingly striving to be more responsive to the customers' needs and experiences, seeking to strengthen the relationships with customers. The benefits of co-monitoring may help public transport agencies adapt to these current service paradigm shifts towards "real-time" and "on-demand."
by Corinna Lubin Li.
M.C.P.

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Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq
Worldwide the issue of urban mobility has been much discussed. Cities grow, and with them the need for a more rational, sustainable, efficient, good quality transport system. However, in Brazil, urban mobility problems have worsened increasingly in large and medium-sized urban centers, resulting mainly from the sprawling and inefficient growth of cities, loss of attractiveness of urban public transport, because of their low quality and prioritization of the car in intra-urbans shifts. In João Pessoa, mid-sized city, state capital of Paraiba, these phenomena can be observed. Thus, the general objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of the Public Transportation System by Bus of João Pessoa (PB), according to the perception of users and its technical performance. The specific objectives were to discuss the issue of urban mobility and specific issues of public transport; describe the organization of the Public Transportation System by bus in João Pessoa; check the views of system users and evaluate the perception they have about the quality; and evaluate the technical performance of the system according to quantitative and qualitative parameters. The quality attributes studied were: accessibility, frequency of service, travel time, capacity, reliability, security, vehicle characteristics, characteristics of bus stops, information system, connectivity, operators' behavior, cost to the user and status of routes. The methodology for evaluating the perception of users was based on the survey method, and the views of users captured by questionnaires. For the evaluation of technical performance, were used statistical and geospatial analysis tools, field research and evaluation techniques found in national and international literature. The assessment of perception showed that for users, the most critical factors are the cost (fare), security with regard to acts of violence (such as robberies and assaults) and capacity, while the accessibility, connectivity and behavior of operators got the best ratings. From a technical point of view, they stood out positively physical accessibility, related to satisfactory spatial coverage of bus stops, and safety linked to traffic accidents, with rates ranging from regular to good; whereas, among the attributes that had more problems, were can highlight the capacity, at least for a few lines in certain periods, the information system, which mainly hinders the unusual use of the service, and the cost to the user, result of a pricing model that is trapped in a dangerous vicious circle.
Em todo o mundo, a questão da mobilidade urbana tem sido muito discutida. As cidades crescem, e com elas a necessidade de um sistema de transportes mais racional, sustentável, eficiente e de boa qualidade. Contudo, no Brasil, problemas de mobilidade urbana têm se agravado cada vez mais nos grandes e médios centros urbanos, resultado principalmente do crescimento espraiado e ineficiente das cidades, de perda de atratividade do transporte público urbano, em virtude de sua baixa qualidade, e da priorização do automóvel nos deslocamentos intraurbanos. Em João Pessoa, cidade média capital do estado da Paraíba, estes fenômenos podem ser observados. Assim, o objetivo geral do trabalho foi avaliar a qualidade do Sistema de Transporte Público por Ônibus de João Pessoa (PB) de acordo com a percepção dos usuários e com o desempenho técnico. Os objetivos específicos foram: discutir a problemática da mobilidade urbana e questões específicas do transporte público; descrever a organização do Sistema de Transporte Público por Ônibus de João Pessoa; verificar a opinião dos usuários do sistema e avaliar a percepção que eles têm acerca da qualidade; e avaliar o desempenho técnico do sistema de acordo com parâmetros quantitativos e qualitativos. Os atributos da qualidade estudados foram: acessibilidade, frequência de atendimento, tempo de viagem, lotação, confiabilidade, segurança, características dos veículos, características dos locais de parada, sistema de informações, conectividade, comportamento dos operadores, custo para o usuário e estado das vias. A metodologia para avaliação da percepção dos usuários baseou-se no método survey, sendo a opinião dos usuários captada por meio de questionários. Para a avaliação do desempenho técnico, foram utilizadas ferramentas de análise estatística e geoespacial, pesquisas de campo e técnicas de avaliação encontradas na literatura nacional e internacional. A avaliação da percepção mostrou que, para os usuários, os atributos mais críticos são o custo (tarifa), a segurança com relação a atos de violência (como assaltos e agressões) e a lotação, enquanto a acessibilidade, a conectividade e o comportamento dos operadores obtiveram as melhores avaliações. Do ponto de vista técnico, destacaram-se positivamente a acessibilidade física, relacionada à satisfatória cobertura espacial dos pontos de ônibus, e a segurança ligada a acidentes de trânsito, com índices que variaram de regular a bom; ao passo que, entre os atributos que apresentaram mais problemas, pode-se destacar a lotação, ao menos para algumas linhas em determinados períodos, o sistema de informações, que dificulta principalmente o uso não habitual do serviço, e o custo para o usuário, resultado de um modelo tarifário que está preso num perigoso círculo vicioso.

Total Quality Management (TQM) at the urban interface is one means to delivering improved value of tax payers' money, but effective urban public transport is one step along the road to a better quality of urban life in general. Similarly, TQM is an organizational philosophy that stresses meeting customer requirement and expectations the first time, and sustainably. Philosophy, therefore, in this context encompasses a set of structured principles, value systems with attitude and beliefs, and processes that are never ending and always in motion: detecting and preventing defects while creating an idea of innovation. The role that transport plays in the social and economic development of any country is significant. Urban public transport authorities have recognized transport as one of its priority for socio economic development in meeting basic needs of its people. Specifically, a public transport system has been identified as being vital to social and economic development. In this context, urban public transport is a key link to access services and other livelihood assets to serve the poor such as women, children and the disabled people effectively. Urban public transport operations at Sedibeng District Municipality (SDM) are deteriorating. This deterioration manifest in the form of delay, pollution, inadequate infrastructure, high transportation costs, lack of public participation, constraints of planning and co-ordinating; and lack of coherent public transport operations. Mass Transport (trains, buses and mini-bus taxis) are scarce, overcrowded, unreliable and involve long walking distances. Whilst many municipalities have made significant strides in adopting TQM, little has been written on how TQM has been applied in the Department of Transport and Infrastructure Planning of the Cluster: Transport, Infrastructure and Environment. The fundamental objective of this study, consequently, is to empirically investigate the relationship between TQM and effective Urban Public Transport operations at Sedibeng District Municipality. In evaluating the level of TQM implementation at Sedibeng District Municipality (SDM), the concepts and principles from an examination of documentary data and analyses were applied. In testing the validity or otherwise of the hypothesis, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion and participant observation methods were conducted to solicit comments from senior managers, employees, public transport operators and users. This study reports the results of a full survey among a sample of the District-wide customers in the study area. It was found, amongst others, that: the overwhelming majorities of the Senior Management Team are educated and have rich years of experience in working in local government to ensure that strategies, structures, and processes are in place for the continuous improvement of service quality for customer satisfaction; the drafting of the TQM strategy by the Senior Management Team is not inclusive of the broader stakeholder such as internal and external customers; SDM as a whole is not customer orientated, hence TQM calls for a cultural transformation that requires employee involvement at all levels and the spirit of teamwork amongst managers, employees, operators and users; employees are not encouraged to use Total Quality concepts to improve their work process; statistical tools and process control charts are typically not used or understood by employees. In this case, opinions are clear on this item since employees have not been trained in the use of statistical tools and process control charts. The study ends with recommendations for management action in improving urban public transport by making use of TQM as a management tool.
Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Informal public transport (IPT) has emerged as an adaptive alternative to formal public transport in developing countries. The informal public transport service has both positive and negative impacts on the wellbeing of urban dwellers. As such, there are varying discourses on whether IPT should be considered an urban resource or a problem. The impact of urban growth in terms of population increase and urban spatial sprawl creates public transport challenges in developing countries. It is against this backdrop that this study explored the perceptions of informal public transport stakeholders on the quality of service (QoS) experienced in the City of Ibadan, Nigeria. A pragmatist philosophical approach is adopted in this study in order to explore the stakeholders' perceptions of the QoS of IPT in Ibadan. A convergent mixed methods research design was employed to explore the set objectives seeking to understand how the impact of urban growth in Ibadan has developed a demand for public transport, more so against the backdrop of the diminished public investment in transport services and infrastructure. The study seeks to identify and explore stakeholders' perceptions on the established IPT in Ibadan. The study developed a multi-criteria evaluation model to explore and analyse such perceptions on QoS on identified three Local Government Authorities (LGAs) in Ibadan. The identified issues are discussed using culture sensitisation of governance in the context of Ibadan and reflecting such perceptions against the ideals for individuals and public. Findings from the study reveal mixed stakeholders' perceptions. The descriptive analysis and narratives of the stakeholders reveal that some of the criteria are positively perceived. The application of the Kruskal Wallis Analysis for variability across the three studied local authorities reveal that there is insignificant influence of the socioeconomic characteristics of the users on perceptions of IPT. However, an analysis of individual criteria established in the multi-criteria evaluation model reveals a low users' perceptions of the QoS provided by IPT users. The study concludes that the positive perceptions attributed by users of the IPT, despite its otherwise poor QoS, is explained by the fact that the use of IPT in Ibadan is not out of public choice but a necessity given that there is no other alternative mode of public transport. Consequently, the study concludes that perceptions of informal public transport relate to the impact on individuals and public wellbeing. This is alternative thought from discourses that perceive urban growth in terms of population growth and physical spatial sprawl to the shift towards explaining the impact of urban growth and need for transport in terms of public wellbeing. Following on to this, the study draws a recommendation for a transport policy and practice developed from the nexus of the regulatory state, the informal transport sector and the users of informal transport driven by the view that informal transport is a key contributor to public wellbeing in cities of the developing world. Thus, the IPT should be sensitised as a permanent and 'formal' element for the City of Ibadan and not perceived as illegal and targeted for withdrawal from the urban.

Neste trabalho são apresentados os resultados de avaliação do transporte público urbano por ônibus na cidade de São Carlos, sob a ótica da qualidade dos serviços. O primeiro método de avaliação consistiu na aplicação de pesquisa aos usuários do sistema, onde foram avaliados o desempenho e a importância dos principais fatores de qualidade. A segunda forma de avaliação considerou a metodologia utilizada pela Prefeitura Municipal de São Carlos no acompanhamento do serviço prestado pela empresa operadora do transporte. No terceiro método foram entrevistados três especialistas que procederam a avaliação dos fatores considerando os padrões estabelecidos por Ferraz e Torres. Com base nessas avaliações, sobretudo nos resultados da pesquisa de opinião com os usuários, foram identificados os principais aspectos positivos e negativos do transporte coletivo. À luz desses fatos, é apresentado um conjunto de ações para melhoria do sistema. Essas ações, basicamente, se resumem no seguinte: regularizar o pavimento das vias por onde circulam os coletivos, melhorar a sinalização vertical e horizontal, instalar mais abrigos com bancos, disponibilizar informações das linhas e horários nos pontos de embarque, colocar maior quantidade de ônibus no horário de pico e fazer um reestudo no traçado das linhas atuais diminuindo o intervalo entre atendimento em alguns locais específicos
The results of a three-step level of service evaluation of the public transportation service by bus in the city of São Carlos are presented in this work. The first evaluation was carried out directly with the system users through a field survey, in which the performance and the weights of the main level of service indicators were quantitatively measured. A second evaluation strategy made use of a methodology applied by the municipality of São Carlos to assess the quality of the service provided by the private bus operator. The third and final evaluation was based on quality standards specifically defined by Ferraz and Torres to assess the bus service in medium-sized cities. In that case, interviews with three experts were conducted. The analysis of the three evaluation methods provided elements to identify the main positive and negative aspects of the transit service in São Carlos and also suggestions for the system improvement. Those suggestions can be summarized as follows: improvement of street signs (vertical and horizontal), installation of more bus shelters with seats, up-to-date posting of transit routes and schedules at bus stops, more buses operating in peak periods, and redesign of the current routes for reducing the bus headways in specific areas of the city

Neste trabalho são apresentados resultados de pesquisa sobre a opinião dos usuários com relação à qualidade do transporte público urbano por ônibus em cidades de porte médio. O estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de obter um quadro de referência para a avaliação da qualidade e também para o planejamento de sistemas de transporte público por ônibus nessas cidades. Para se obter a opinião dos usuários sobre quais os fatores que afetam a qualidade do serviço e os padrões de qualidade associados a cada um desses fatores, foram realizadas três pesquisas. As pesquisas foram realizadas em cinco cidades diferentes, objetivando obter uma amostra, a mais representativa possível, dentro da limitação de recursos existentes. A primeira pesquisa objetivou conhecer a resposta espontânea dos usuários sobre os fatores que afetam a qualidade do transporte público por ônibus. Com base nas respostas obtidas na primeira pesquisa, bem como em resultados de estudos anteriores de outros autores, foi elaborado um questionário para respostas \"SIM ou NÃO\" do que se supõe ser os principais fatores que caracterizam a qualidade do transporte coletivo por ônibus, com o objetivo de confirmar a importância destes fatores. Para aferir os padrões de variação dos fatores mensuráveis associados às classificações bom, regular e ruim, de cada um dos fatores mensuráveis, bem como o grau de importância relativa dos parâmetros não mensuráveis, foi aplicado um questionário contendo perguntas de caráter quantitativo e qualitativo.
This work presents results of the research about user\'s opinion about the quality of urban public transportation by bus of medium sized cities. The aim of this study is to obtain reference parameters to evaluate the quality and planning of public transportation systems by bus in these cities. Three researches were done in five cities with the objective to obtain the best representative sample, within an existing restricted budget. The goal of the first research was to know the free answer of the users about the factors that influence the quality o f the urban public transportation by bus. Based on the answers obtained in the first research and in the background studies results developed by others authors, a questionnaire was prepared with \"YES or NO\" options about what were supposed to be the main factors that characterize the quality of public transportation by bus, with the objective to confirm the importance of these factors. In order to verify the patterns of variation of the measurable factors associated to the good, regular and bad classification of each measurable factor, as well as the degree of relative importance of the non measurable parameters, a questionnaire was applied with questions of quantitative and qualitative sense.

Cette thèse porte sur la question de la perception des systèmes d’appuis situés à l’intérieur des transports publics urbains, premières interfaces entre l’usager et le matériel roulant, en vue d’améliorer leur confort. Une exploration a été effectuée afin d’objectiver le toucher des surfaces et tenter de caractériser instrumentalement l’interaction entre le voyageur et la surface d’appui, réduit à un toucher tangentiel et à un contact plan/plan. L’étude, liant tribologie et évaluation sensorielle, montre la difficulté inhérente à la mesure des sensations. Des tendances ont été observées entre les données tribologiques et sensorielles et encouragent à poursuivre dans cette voie. En outre, la question du confort est abordée de manière globale et un nouveau cadre d’étude est proposé. Les réflexions initiées ici souhaitent ouvrir la voie vers une nouvelle approche de la conception, l’approche anthropocentrée, venant compléter la vision actuelle très technocentrée du milieu ferroviaire
This thesis aims to improve passenger comfort in urban public transports by focusing on the perception of supports in the passenger compartment, which are the primary interfaces between the traveler and the rolling stock. An exploration was carried out in order to objectify the touch of surfaces and try to characterize instrumentally the interaction between the passenger and the support, reduced to a tangential touch and a planar contact surface. The study, linking tribology and sensory evaluation, shows the inherent difficulty of the measure of sensations. Tendencies have been observed between tribological and sensory data and encourage to continue on this path. In addition, the notion of comfort is addressed in a comprehensive manner and a new framework is proposed. The reflections initiated in this research wish to pave the way for a human-centered approach for conception, completing the current vision that is very technocentric in the rail environment

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES
The Public Transportation Systems provides modern technology able to improve operation performance , comfort and safety for the costumers. This work intends to study the uses of Information Technology, its application and results as subsidy for planning and management of public transportation of passangers, predominantly fulfilled by bus. The basic hypothesis of this work is that the technological resources available are not used or are used inadequately by the managers and operators of the public transportation. The work invastigates what is known by quality on public transportation in literature and how it is conceived by the agents envolved: costumers, operators, managers and the community in general. This works shows, still, the basic concepts of Intelligent Transportation Systems, and the details and analysis of applications on public transportation, in special those regarding resources in Information Technology. The details of a survey that aimed to identify which technological resources are used by the organ managers of public transportation, in many city in Brazil, and that should be able to turn in improvements of quality of the system, completed the work. The result of this survey indicated that, even though there is a range of technologies available, the use of this potential is very small, and contributes little for the improvements of quality of the public transportation.
Os sistemas de transportes públicos dispõem de modernas tecnologias capazes de melhorar o desempenho da operação, o conforto e a segurança dos usuários. Este trabalho pretende estudar o problema do uso da Tecnologia da Informação, sua aplicação, e seus resultados como subsídio para o gerenciamento e planejamento do transporte público de passageiros, predominantemente realizado por ônibus. A hipótese básica do presente trabalho é de que os recursos tecnológicos disponíveis não são utilizados, ou são utilizados inadequadamente, pelos gestores e operadores do transporte público. O trabalho investiga o que se entende por qualidade no transporte público na literatura, e como é percebida pelos agentes envolvidos: usuários, operadores, gestores e a comunidade em geral. O trabalho apresenta, ainda, os conceitos básicos dos Sistemas Inteligentes de Transportes, e os detalhamentos e análises das aplicações no transporte público, em especial os referentes aos recursos da Tecnologia da Informação. O detalhamento de uma pesquisa que visou identificar quais os recursos tecnológicos são utilizados pelos órgãos gestores do transporte público, em diversas cidades do Brasil, e que pudessem se traduzir em melhorias da qualidade do sistema, completaram o trabalho. O resultado da pesquisa indicou que, embora exista uma gama de tecnologias disponíveis, a utilização desse potencial é muito pequeno, e pouco contribuem para a melhoria da qualidade do transporte público.

O sistema de transporte urbano é um setor essencial nas cidades. A queda da qualidade do transporte público urbano, do qual depende grande parte da população, implica diariamente na degradação da qualidade de vida nas cidades. Muitas cidades brasileiras enfrentam sérios problemas com o transporte urbano de passageiros, sobretudo nas áreas metropolitanas. Destacam-se como principais elementos dessa problemática: o uso massivo do carro, que provoca congestionamentos, poluição atmosférica e elevado número de acidentes; o transporte clandestino e a proliferação das lotações (vans e peruas), que desorganizam o transporte público por ônibus; e a má qualidade do transporte público de massa por falta de investimentos em infra-estrutura e tecnologias mais adequadas. Nesse contexto se insere o presente estudo do sistema de transporte de Natal e Região Metropolitana, que apresenta uma caracterização da situação existente, reflexões sobre o problema e proposições para a melhoria da eficiência e qualidade do transporte público no aglomerado, num enfoque em nível estratégico. O trabalho é fundamentado em estudos anteriormente desenvolvidos; opiniões de técnicos locais em transporte e urbanismo, obtidas em entrevistas pessoais; e conhecimento da autora acerca da situação, obtido no tempo em que atuou como profissional de transporte na cidade. O sistema de transporte público na cidade de Natal tem de ser visto como parta de uma concepção integrada de desenvolvimento urbano no âmbito metropolitano, com integração dos diversos modos públicos com o modo privado.
The system of transportation urban is an essential sector in the cities. The fall of the quality of the urban public transportation, on which depends great part on the population, implies directly in the degradation of the life quality in the cities. Many Brazilian cities face serious problems with the passengers\' urban transportation, over all in the metropolitan areas. They are distinguished as main elements of the following problematic: the huge use of the car, that provokes congestions, atmospheric pollution and a higher number of accidents; the clandestine transportation and the proliferation of the vans (vans), which disorganizes the public transportation by bus; and the bad quality of the mass public transportation due to poor investments in infrastructure and appropriated technology. It is showed in this context the present study of transportation system in Natal and in its Metropolitan Region, which presents a characterization of the existing situation, reflections about the problem and proposals for the improvement of the efficiency and quality of the public transportation carrier in the metropolitan area, with an approach in strategic level. The work is based on studies previously developed; local technicians opinions in public transportation and urbanism, gotten in personal interviews; and author knowledge concerning the situation, gotten in the time which she worked as a transport professional in the city. The system of Natal public transportation has to be seen as part of an integrated conception of urban development in the metropolitan scope, with integration in the several public modes with the private mode.

Atrair usuários para o transporte coletivo e manter os que já utilizam é essencial para fomentar cidades mais sustentáveis. Melhorar a qualidade do transporte urbano por ônibus e considerar a visão do usuário, portanto, torna-se relevante. O benchmarking é uma ferramenta reconhecida de gestão da qualidade que permite comparar sistemas, identificar referências de boas práticas e promover trocas de experiência. Neste contexto, aliar o processo de benchmarking com avaliações de satisfação dos usuários do transporte coletivo tem um grande potencial para promover uma gestão mais efetiva e focada nas necessidades e desejos dos usuários do transporte. A comparação da percepção dos usuários de diferentes sistemas, entretanto, possui diversos desafios devido à falta de padronização na coleta de dados, subjetividade e vieses socioculturais dos respondentes. Este trabalho apresenta três métodos que buscam superar estes desafios e permitir a realização de análises de benchmarking com dados de satisfação dos usuários de diferentes cidades A primeira análise consiste na normalização das notas de satisfação para reduzir vieses sociais e culturais. A segunda aplica a análise envoltória de dados para identificar sistemas de transporte eficientes na visão dos seus usuários. Por fim, a terceira análise consiste na aplicação de análise de clusters para identificar relações entre perfis de usuários e as respectivas avaliações de satisfação em diferentes cidades. Os métodos mostram-se adequados para comparação de sistemas, permitindo identificação de metas, prioridades, benchmarks e entendimento de particularidades dos diferentes públicos. As análises apresentam distintos graus de complexidade de aplicação e de obtenção dos dados. Cada um dos métodos proporciona uma visão distinta a partir dos dados disponíveis, que permite que se definam benchmarks e auxilie na definição de diretrizes de melhorias.
Attracting users to public transport and maintaining the ones that already use it is essential to fostering more sustainable cities. Therefore, improving the quality of bus transit systems and considering the users’ vision becomes relevant. Benchmarking is a recognized quality management tool that allows comparing systems, identifying references to good practices and promoting exchanges of experience. Aligning benchmarking process and users’ satisfaction of public transport have great potential to become the management more focused and effective to the needs and desires of the users. However, comparing the perception of users of different systems results in several challenges due the lack of standardization of data collection, subjectivity and socio cultural biases. This study proposes the application of three methods aiming to overcome these challenges and to allow benchmarking analysis with users’ satisfaction data of different cities. The first analysis consists in normalizing satisfaction scores to reduce social and cultural biases. The second one applies Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to identify efficient transport systems in users’ view. The third one consists in using clusters analysis to identify relations between users’ profiles and their respective satisfaction in different cities. The methods are adequate for comparing systems, allowing goals identification, priorities, benchmarks and understanding of different audiences’ particularities. The analyses present different degrees of application complexity and data collection. Each method provides a distinct view from available data, which allows defining benchmarks and assist in improvements guidelines.

L'objet de la recherche est d'aborder la qualité comme un outil de la modernisation des services de transports publics confrontés à la double concurrence grandissante de la voiture particulière et à l'ouverture européenne des marchés de transports publics. La recherche s'attache principalement à étudier la diffusion et l'appropriation de la qualité dans la constitution de l'offre de transports publics urbains, c'est-à-dire à la fois dans l'évolution de la culture technique des entreprises et dans leur pratique de contractualisation. Nous montrerons comment l'introduction de la qualité dans le système d'acteurs régissant les transports en commun urbain, fait passer les entreprises et les autorités organisatrices d'enjeux productivistes à une coproduction du service avec le client
The goal of the study is to consider the quality as a tool of the modernisation of the public transportation companies which are now in a very competitive market due to the car owners use and the European liberalisation of the public transportation markets. This study concentrates more particularly the diffusion of the quality in the offer constitution of the urban public transportation, i. E. Both in the evolution of the technical enterprise culture and the contract production. We'll show how the introduction of the quality managed by the public transportation systems intervening parties will change the companies & the owners from a production feeling to a production of service with customers

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2006.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-168).
Financing public transport through public funds is a common practice that can be justified on different grounds: equity, natural monopoly and, particularly with the increasing motorization rate, externalities produced by private transport (congestion, pollution, road accidents) especially in urban areas. In addition, there is a belief that transport investments support economic growth, in particular transit investments because they help fostering the agglomeration effect. Whether local or national tax sources should be used for subsidizing public transport is a fairly recent question, at least in Europe where, historically, countries used to be very centralized. Several national policy reviews as well as academic papers suggest that the reforms aiming at decentralizing power and responsibility for urban public transport management lead to successful outcomes. Yet, there is no literature on the effects of decentralization of tax raising on public transport provision although an increasing number of subnational governments reports a mismatch between transferred resources and devolved responsibilities and the public finance literature indicates that decentralization of finance authority can improve the results of decentralization reforms .
(cont.) The objective of this thesis, thus, is to test if the theoretical benefits of fiscal decentralization (i.e. decentralization of taxing power in addition to management responsibilities) apply to the urban public transport sector and to what extent. Using a sample of five European cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Milan and Stockholm) in decentralized countries as case studies, the thesis identifies three major outcomes of fiscal decentralization. First it increases the expenditure in public transport infrastructure. Second it increases the entrepreneurship of the local policy-makers. Third it generally improves the predictability of the revenues and therefore helps planning in the medium to long term. On the other hand, the research also shows that there is no increased willingness to tax at the local level therefore the stability of funding and its adequacy to the needs is not guaranteed by local fiscal autonomy. The thesis moreover suggests that a mixed system of national dedicated taxation and local capacity to incrementally adapt the tax rates is an optimal scheme for financing local public transport. Finally, in light of the case studies, the thesis provides some recommendations to Transport for London (TfL), in order to guide the ongoing debate on the necessity of increased fiscal autonomy for the local authorities in the UK to solutions that are likely to improve TfL's situation.
by Giorgia Favero.
S.M.

Thesis: Ph. D. in Transportation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-220).
After decades of academic research, urban accessibility metrics are beginning to see adoption in transportation and metropolitan planning practice. Such metrics capture the potential for reaching destinations enabled by transport (e.g. number of jobs available within a given commute time), not just the mobility benefits accruing from the use of transport (e.g. time and emissions reductions for a given commute), and have well-established advantages. From a transportation equity perspective, for example, measuring the potential for reaching destinations instead of actual travel avoids bias against groups who travel infrequently due to current or historical barriers to access. This dissertation elaborates on how accessibility concepts complement theories of urban planning and social space before considering two related extensions of accessibility metrics for public transport planning. First, drawing on collaborative planning literature, and using mixed-methods including pre-test/post-test survey designs, various versions of interactive mapping tools were tested in public workshop settings. The outcomes of these workshops suggest that accessibility concepts can improve public involvement in transit planning. Suitability for broad public participation applications, however, requires accessibility to be easily customizable and tailored to constraints that users find salient. Constrained accessibility metrics are the second focus of this dissertation. Adjusting accessibility metrics to account for unreliability in actual transit operations, matching and competition in destination opportunities (e.g. jobs), and capacity in transit networks, may help align these metrics more closely with users' personal experience. Spatial analysis techniques are used to implement some of these adjustments and show that they strengthen correlations with broader urban outcomes of interest, such as employment and use of healthcare resources. The concluding part of the dissertation discusses how these findings can inform substantive and procedural dimensions of public transport planning and urban policy.
by Anson F. Stewart.
Ph. D. in Transportation

Thesis (MTech (Town and Regional Planning))--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 2004
Urban environments are by their very nature vastly complex with regard to the way they operate and how they perform in terms of quality of life. The influence of public transportation on the urban environment was highlighted by the erstwhile South African Minister of Transport, Mr Abdulah Mohamed Omar (Department of Transport 1999) when he said that in order to ensure sustainable urban environments, public transportation needs to be the preferred mode of motorised transportation in our cities. In order for this target to be reached, as set by the Minister, it is clearly necessary that the public transportation system operates at its optimal level and that existing deficiencies be identified and addressed. One typical, under-achieving element in the public transportation systems of cities in the developing world is in fact the Public Transport Interchange (PTI). The quality of PTls and their surrounding urban environments has been seriously neglected and ignored in the past. Evidence strongly suggests that PTls have the potential to provide fundamental preconditions for social and economic development locally and in some instances in the wider metropolitan context. For this potential to be realised, a set of performance measures needs to be identified specifically for PTls as an evaluating tool and to guide upgrades and new developments. However, before such performance measures can be proposed, a full understanding of what a positive urban living environment could be in the context of PTls, needs to be developed. In summary, the objective of this research project is to address the existing shortcomings associated with Public Transport Interchanges by setting performance indicators for evaluating and developing PTls in the developing world context, with specific emphasis on Cape Town, South Africa.

L'aménagement des centres-villes est ici rapproché des mutations politiques, économiques, sociales et religieuses qui ont marqué l'évolution de notre société et ont progressivement transformé la structure et les usages de la ville. Alors que celle-ci s'organisait auparavant autour d'un centre unique, puissant, fédérateur et symbolique, elle s'articule aujourd'hui, sous l'effet de la métropolisation, autour de plusieurs lieux de centralité obéissant chacun à des logiques et à des finalités propres. Face à ces changements structurels, le centre-ville fait l'objet de nouvelles formes d'appropriation qui tendent à remettre en cause son rôle dans le système urbain. Moteur de la cité, le centre ne fonctionne pas en autarcie : bien au contraire, il est dans un rapport constant avec ce qui l'entoure et doit être appréhendé dans sa globalité. Aménager le centre-ville suppose de comprendre la relation unissant ce lieu, reflet d'une certaine fixité du fait de fortes densités urbaines, avec le reste de la ville, caractérisé à l'inverse par une mobilité généralisée. A l'appui d'une analyse rétrospective, cette approche systémique s'inscrit à contre courant de la vision sectorielle du droit de l'urbanisme et vise à démontrer la relation entre l'échec des politiques d'aménagement des centres-villes et celui des politiques d'urbanisation de la périphérie. Parallèlement, le retour à la ville « compacte » préconisé par les pouvoirs publics en vue de limiter l'étalement urbain et les déplacements automobiles soulève une problématique récurrente de l'aménagement des centres : celle de concilier leurs densités et leur accessibilité
In this study, core-city planning is compared with the major political, economic, social and religious mutations that have marked the evolution of our society and have gradually transformed the structure and uses of the city. While it was previously organized around a single powerful, unifying and symbolic centre, today as a result of metropolisation the city is structured around several poles of centrality each in accordance with a specific logic and purpose. Faced with these structural changes, the core-city is subject to new forms of appropriation, which challenge its role in the urban system. As the driving force of the city, the core-city does not exist in isolation: on the contrary, it is in constant interaction with its surroundings and so must be apprehended in its globality. Urban planning and development requires understanding the link between this core, which reflects a certain stability due to high urban density, and the rest of the city, characterized on the contrary by generalized mobility. Based on a retrospective analysis, this systemic approach goes counter to the sectoral vision of urban planning laws and is intended to demonstrate the relationship between the failure of both the core-city planning policies and the planning policies of the periphery. At the same time, a government-advocated return to the "compact city" in order to limit urban sprawl and automobile traffic raises a recurring problem in core-city planning: how to reconcile their density with their accessibility

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 285-294).
Transfers are endemic in public transport systems. Empirical evidence shows that a large portion of public transport journeys involve at least one change of vehicles, and that the transfer experience significantly affects the travelers' satisfaction with the public transport service, and whether they view public transport as an effective option. Despite their importance, however, transfers have long been overlooked by decision-makers, transportation planners, and analysts. Transfer-related research, practice, and investments are rare compared with many other aspects of transportation planning, probably because (1) the underlying transfer behavior is too complex; (2) the analysis methods are too primitive; and (3) the applications are not straightforward. This dissertation focuses on these issues and contributes to current literature in three aspects: methodology development, behavior exploration, and applications in practice. In this research, I adopt a path-choice approach based on travelers' revealed preference to measure the disutility associated with transfer, or the so-called transfer penalty. I am able to quantify transfer experience in a variety of situations in great spatial detail, and reduce the external "noises" that might contaminate the model estimation. I then apply the method to two public transport networks: a relative small and simple rail network (subway and commuter rail) in Boston and a large and complex network (Underground) in London. Both networks offer a large variability of transfer environment and transfer activities. Estimation results show high system-wide transfer penalties in both studies, indicating that transfer experience can have a very negative impact on the performance and competitiveness of public transport. They also suggest that the system-average value has limited applications in planning and operation because the transfer penalty varies greatly across station and movement. Such variation is largely caused by different transfer environments, not by different personal characteristics, attitudes, preferences, or perceptions, at least in the two investigated networks.
The two applications to the London Underground network illustrate that the lack of careful consideration of transfer effect can lead to inaccurate passenger flow estimation as well as less credible project evaluation and investment justification. The results further confirm the potential, as well as the importance, of transfer planning in major multimodal public transport networks.
by Zhan Guo.
Ph.D.

The city of Pittsburgh, PA has been losing population since the steel trade imploded in the 1970â s. Every decade, the city lost more inhabitants and began to be hollowed out in the typical fashion of a Rust Belt city. For the first time in four decades, the city saw a rise in population in 2008. Indications show that Pittsburgh is becoming a successful post-industrial city. The average age of the population also lowered, indicating a brighter future. Pittsburgh recently has gained national distinction, being named Americaâ s â Most Livable Cityâ by Rand McNally (2007), Forbes (2010) and The Economist(2011). With museums, theaters, a budding arts scene, and three successful professional sports teams, the city is brimming with urban amenities. In many ways, Pittsburgh has been seen as the example that other Rust Belt cities should follow if they too are to transition into the post-industrial age. However, during the challenging economic times over the past forty years, Pittsburgh has missed out on investing in public transit infrastructure. If Pittsburgh is to continue to shed its Smoky City image and further its urban renaissance, it must invest in a modern, comprehensive and integrated regional transit system. The system will act as stitching to reconnect Pittsburghâ s urban fabric to its riverfronts as well act as a catalyst for redevelopment of its hollowed neighborhoods. This thesis offers a design for such a system, ranging from the macro scale of a regional network to the micro scale of hub station details. Each chapter examines the situation on a progressively smaller scale and the design principles in each scaleâ s examples can be applied throughout the transit network.
Master of Architecture

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Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos
The chaotic growth of cities and the lack of importance of their effects on transport systems and traffic have caused enormous damage. The growth of Brazilian cities, can not continue being led by the disorderly development and the needs of individual transport. The challenge is to mobilize allies and public opinion to support public transit systems, and financial and operational. Owing to the problem, public transport has lost seriously by the public, politicians, civic and business entities, and its own citizens who depend on it. It is therefore essential to work to reverse this situation, demonstrating the advantages of public transport. The success of this effort will also depend on the increase in efficiency and quality, which is attached to a series of parallel actions as: improving the quality of services and ensuring adequate space for public transport depending also of improving their quality. This must express itself in all areas, especially, the technological aspects (vehicle), management (training of providers), care (physical and temporal coverage), and integration of information to the user. To consolidate itself as a major shift of urban public transport must also be able to meet the new audiences who never used it, or abandoned due to a drop in the level of service. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyze the public transport service of the city of Sao Jose do Rio Preto - SP, whose design takes into account quality requirements, such as customer focus and stakeholders - national manager and operator - with the help of the QFD tool. Based on these assessments, particularly the results of the survey with users, regulators and operators have identified the most relevant and less relevant items of the quality of transport. The results show that when studying the customer expectations, it was concluded that to provide a quality service, operator and manager of the same must know the profile and the basic priorities of users, as well as having their needs and expectations main focus.
O crescimento caótico das cidades e a falta de importância dos seus efeitos sobre os sistemas de transporte e circulação têm causado enormes danos. O crescimento das cidades brasileiras, não pode continuar sendo conduzido pelo desenvolvimento desordenado e pelas necessidades do transporte individual. O desafio é mobilizar os aliados e a opinião pública para apoiar os sistemas públicos de transporte, em termos financeiros e operacionais. Devido ao problema, o transporte público vem perdendo seriedade junto à opinião pública, à classe política, às entidades civis e empresariais, e aos próprios cidadãos que dele dependem. Assim, é fundamental trabalhar para reverter esta situação, demonstrando as vantagens do transporte público. O sucesso deste esforço vai depender também do aumento na eficiência e na qualidade, o que está unido a uma série de ações paralelas como: a melhoria da qualidade dos serviços e a garantia de um espaço adequado para o transporte público dependendo também, da melhoria de sua qualidade. Esta melhoria deve expressar-se em todas as áreas, destacando-se, os aspectos tecnológicos (veículos), gerenciais (capacitação dos operadores), de atendimento (cobertura física e temporal), de integração e de informação ao usuário. Para consolidar-se como forma principal de deslocamento urbano, o transporte público deve ser capaz de atender também a novos públicos, que nunca o utilizaram, ou que o abandonaram em função da queda no nível de serviço. Diante disso, o objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar o serviço de transporte público urbano da cidade de São José do Rio Preto - SP, cuja concepção leve em conta requisitos da qualidade, tais como o foco no cliente e partes interessadas órgão gestor e operador -, com o auxilio da ferramenta QFD. Com base nessas avaliações, sobretudo nos resultados da pesquisa de opinião com os usuários, órgão gestor e operador, foram identificados os mais relevantes e menos relevantes ítens da qualidade do transporte. O resultado deste Trabalho mostrou que ao ser estudada a expectativa do cliente, concluiu-se que, para proporcionar qualidade em um serviço, o operador e o gestor deste mesmo deve conhecer o perfil e as prioridades básicas dos usuários, assim como ter suas necessidades e expectativas como foco principal.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1999.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-89).
The French tendering system for urban public transport services, introduced by the Sapin law in 1993, has often been criticized for its lack of competition. In order to check the relevance of this criticism, this thesis examines the degree of competition in the French market, using two surveys of the outcomes of tenders in the urban public transport networks outside the Paris region. The first one was conducted by the CER TU ( Centre d'Etudes sur les Reseaux, les Transports, l'Urbanisme Et les Constructions Publiques) in 1996. The second survey, undertaken in 1999 as part of this thesis research, focused on networks serving a population over 200,000 inhabitants and is based on the official minutes of the organizing authorities on the deliberation of the delegation of urban public transport services, and interviews conducted with organizing authorities, operators, and several organizations involved in urban public transport in France. Based on these two surveys, it is established that there is a small number of participants in most French tenders and that the operators in general lack competitive behavior. From this evidence, the thesis identifies five reasons for the lack of competition in the French tendering system. One obstacle is regulatory: labor law L122.12, which imposes the renewal of employment contracts on the new incumbent. The other four obstacles are: asymmetries among bidders, high tendering costs, high operation risks, and the OA' s perceived failure to conduct a fair selection. A literature review of the relevant theories on competition, industry concentration and tendering, is conducted in order to support the analysis of obstacles to competition in French tendering with the necessary theoretical background. It is then shown that all the five factors are barriers to entry, and that they should be removed, or at least reduced, in order to stimulate the entry of new competitors and therefore true competition. The thesis concludes with a presentation of a set of three strategies to improve the competition in the French market, that could be implemented within the current regulatory framework, that is to say, without modifying labor law L122-12. For each strategy, the tradeoffs between increased competition and effectiveness and quality of service are discussed. The first strategy consists of the reduction in the bundle size of service to be tendered out. The second strategy proposes a reduction of contract duration, and the third strategy consists in the improvement of the specification and selection process. It is recommended to combine all three strategies together for maximum impact on competition; this impact may however be modest, as a major barrier to entry, labor law L122-12, has not been removed. The modest increase in the number of bidders that could be achieved may still lead to an improvement in competition, and therefore in price.
by François-Xavier Duporge.
S.M.

No presente trabalho é apresentado um diagnóstico coletivo em Jaú, sob a ótica da qualidade, bem como feitas algumas propostas em nível estratégico para a melhoria desse sistema de transporte na cidade. A avaliação da qualidade é feita de forma abrangente, através da comparação das características do sistema existente com padrões de qualidade considerados satisfatórios no meio técnico e aplicação de pesquisa com os usuários, pessoas da comunidade e membros de governo municipal. O diagnóstico mostra que os parâmetros acessibilidade à rede de linhas e comportamento dos operadores apresentam boa qualidade; os parâmetros tempo de viagem, freqüência nos períodos de pico, lotação e estado de vias, qualidade regular; e os parâmetros frequência nos períodos normais, características dos veículos, características dos pontos de partida, sistema de informação aos usuários e transbordabilidade, qualidade insatisfastória. De maneira geral, a qualidade do sistema de transporte coletivo de Jaú pode ser classificada como regular. As principais diretrizes estabelecidas para a melhoria do sistema são: readequação do desenho de rede de linhas; colocação de rádios de comunicação nos ônibus e implementação de uma central de controle operacional; renovação da frota com aquisição de ônibus com \"design\" moderno e tecnologia mais apropriada; sinalização adequada dos pontos de parada e colocação de abrigo e bancos nos locais de maior movimento; colocação do número e do nome das linhas e horários nos pontos de parada; distribuição gratuita de folhetos com os horários e itinerários das linhas; implementação de um novo terminal central fechado para proporcionar integração física e tarifária no sistema; suavizar as valetas e as lombadas mais pronunciadas localizadas nos trajetos dos ônibus e sinalizar adequadamente as vias por onde circulam os ônibus.
In the present work a diagnosis of the collective public transportation in Jaú is presented, under the quality optics, as well some proposed in strategic level for the improvement of that transport system in the city are made. The evaluation of the quality is made in an including way, through the comparison of the existent system characteristics with quality patterns considered satisfactory in the technical area and research application with the users, the community\'s people and the municipal government\'s members. The diagnosis shows that the parameters network accessibility of lines and behavior of the operators presents good quality; the parameters time of trip, frequency in the peak periods, capacity and state of the roads, regular quality; and the parameters frequency in the normal periods, characteristics of the vehicles, characteristics of the bus stop, system of information forsers and transbordability, unsatisfactory quality. In a general way, the quality of the public transportation system of Jaú can be classified as regular. The main established guidelines for the system improvement: readapt of the network drawing; install radio communication in the buses and implementation of a operational control headquarters; renewal of the fleet with the bus acquisition with modern \"design\" and more appropriate technology; appropriate traffic signs in the bus stop and shelter placement and banks in the places of higher movement; placement of the number and of the name of the tines and schedules in the bus stop; free distribution of pamphlets with the schedules and itineraries of the lines; implementation of a new central terminal closed to provide physical and tariff integration in the system; to soften the gutters and more pronounced ramps in the itineraries of the buses and to sign the roads appropriately through circulate the buses.

Nesta tese, nós apresentamos uma compilação de três artigos de otimização aplicados no contexto de transporte urbano de ônibus. O principal objetivo foi estudar e implementar heurísticas com base em Pesquisa Operacional para otimizar problemas de (re)escalonamento de veículos off-line e on-line considerando várias garagens e frota heterogênea. No primeiro artigo, foi proposta uma abordagem heurística para o problema de escalonamento de veículos múltiplas garagens. Acreditamos que as principais contribuições são o método de geração de colunas para grandes instâncias e as técnicas de redução do espaço de estados para acelerar as soluções. No segundo artigo, adicionamos complexidade ao considerar a frota heterogênea, denotada como multiple depot vehicle type scheduling problem (MDVTSP). Embora a importância e a aplicabilidade do MDVTSP, formulações matemáticas e métodos de solução para isso ainda sejam relativamente inexplorados. A principal contribuição desse trabalho foi o método de geração de colunas para o problema com frota heterogênea, já que nenhuma outra proposta na literatura foi identificada no momento pelos autores. Na terceira parte desta tese, no entanto, nos concentramos no reescalonamento em tempo real para o caso de quebras definitivas de veículos. A principal contribuição é a abordagem eficiente do reescalonamento sob uma quebra. A abordagem com redução de espaço de estados, solução inicial e método de geração de colunas possibilitou uma ação realmente em tempo real. Em menos de cinco minutos, reescalonando todas as viagens restantes.
In this dissetation we presented a three articles compilation in urban bus transportation optimization. The main objective was to study and implement heuristic solutions method based on Operations Research to optimizing offline and online vehicle (re)scheduling problems considering multiple depots and heterogeneous fleet. In the first paper, a fast heuristic approach to deal with the multiple depot vehicle scheduling problem was proposed. We think the main contributions are the column generation framework for large instances and the state-space reduction techniques for accelerating the solutions. In the second paper, we added complexity when considering the heterogeneous fleet, denoted as "the multiple-depot vehicle-type scheduling problem" (MDVTSP). Although the MDVTSP importance and applicability, mathematical formulations and solution methods for it are still relatively unexplored. We think the main contribution is the column generation framework for instances with heterogeneous fleet since no other proposal in the literature has been identified at moment by the authors. In the third part of this dissertation, however, we focused on the real-time schedule recovery for the case of serious vehicle failures. Such vehicle breakdowns require that the remaining passengers from the disabled vehicle, and those expected to become part of the trip, to be picked up. In addition, since the disabled vehicle may have future trips assigned to it, the given schedule may be deteriorated to the extent where the fleet plan may need to be adjusted in real-time depending on the current state of what is certainly a dynamic system. Usually, without the help of a rescheduling algorithm, the dispatcher either cancels the trips that are initially scheduled to be implemented by the disabled vehicle (when there are upcoming future trips planned that could soon serve the expected demand for the canceled trips), or simply dispatches an available vehicle from a depot. In both cases, there may be considerable delays introduced. This manual approach may result in a poor solution. The implementation of new technologies (e.g., automatic vehicle locators, the global positioning system, geographical information systems, and wireless communication) in public transit systems makes it possible to implement real-time vehicle rescheduling algorithms at low cost. The main contribution is the efficient approach to rescheduling under a disruption. The approach with integrated state-space reduction, initial solution, and column generation framework enable a really real-time action. In less than five minutes rescheduling all trips remaining.

Purpose - Transport is a common constant variable found in just about every aspect of our lives as well as commercial activities; this is so because transport enables accessibility to people, places and goods. The effective management of public passenger transport operations is a more complex and all-embracing concept than what it may appear at first glance. Wider dispersed work place locations and urban sprawl is on the rise driven by among other factors the increased rate of globalisation. A unique opportunity is then presented in a developing country like South Africa for effective planning and management of public passenger bus operations. In the main, the purpose of this case study research was to develop a more sustainable public passenger transport bus operation to better connect people, places and goods. The organisation that will be studied is Blunden Coach Tours a luxury and semi-lux coach Tour operator, operating from the Nelson Mandela Bay. Design / Methodology / Approach – This study employed the case study research approach which was based on the qualitative research paradigm as such allowed for in-depth description and analysis of the case as well as related phenomena in real world context. The researcher focused only on the public passenger bus transport operations in Nelson Mandela Bay thus assuming a single context focus with a single case namely the development of a more sustainable public passenger transport operations in Nelson Mandela Bay. An embedded multiple unit of analysis strategy was employed selecting a sample of key persons responsible for strategic operational areas at Blunden Coach tours, sub-contractors and suppliers. The case study employed an in-depth probing interview process in an effort to better comprehend occurrences within the actual context of the events observed. The secondary sources of information gathered were used to structure and backup the interview questions. Practical implications – The case study enabled thought provoking insight which by virtue of South Africa’s historical socio-economic landscape offered an unusual perspective of the South African bus transport scene with a particular focus on environmental, regulatory and socio-economic sustainability considerations. A limitation to the study – The lack of responses to the interview questions from some of the key role players in the bus industry who were contacted as well as some of the respondents interviewed. The lack of responses to some of the interview questions could be perceived as a limitation to validating the Summary drawn from the study.

Univ., Diss.--Utrecht, 2007.
Introduction: displacements, public transport and democracy -- Where are the politics? perspectives on democracy and technology -- Theory and method: issues, settings and displacements -- Following the issues: the case of self-service in the Amsterdam trams -- Settings and framing: the case of a flexible public transport system -- Displacements and democratic quality: the case of high-quality public transport in Utrecht -- Displacements: dynamics and democratic quality.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning; and, (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 186-187).
With an increasing number of cities experiencing chronic violence and conflict within their boundaries, the question of how architecture can effectively intervene to create a secure public realm in pluralistic and fractious urban environments grows more vital. This thesis explores the spatial and social notion of sanctuary as an architectural strategy in such contexts, using the design of a central transit station in a northern neighborhood of Karachi, Pakistan as a case study. Drawing upon sociological theory as well as precedent projects ranging from Johannesburg to Bogota, we come to see the creation of sanctuary as a deliberate construction of shared identity and experience. This strategy draws on four tactics that shift both the built and psychological environment and work in tandem to reinforce and amplify each other's effects: -- Partition (the separation of 'sacred' content from the 'profane' context) -- Ritual (strengthening psychological security through the repeated and familiar) -- Appropriation (empowering people to take ownership of portions of the space) -- Monumentality (creating a physical object upon which common values can be projected) Using these tactics as a foundation, the design's architectural patterns engender a variety of systems to accommodate the diverse program and user demands incumbent within a project of this scale and complexity. Through this investigation, the design proposes a new type of defensible infrastructure, relying not only on fortifying a space but also on strengthening the psychological resilience of people through architectural intervention.
by Ryan Maliszewski.
M.Arch.
M.C.P.

For at least thirty years urban growth management policies in Australian cities have focused on increasing residential densities as a method of addressing environmental issues. This view has been supported by a number of researchers who hypothesise that to achieve reductions in transport emissions individuals need to be encouraged to use public transport, and the most appropriate method of increasing public transport use occurs predominately from building residential areas at high densities around public transport nodes. This notion is integral to recent urban growth management policies in Sydney, which have sought to increase residential densities under the rubric of urban consolidation. There are a number of researchers who have promoted the benefit of increasing urban densities as a way of increasing public transport use. In Australia, the most cited research in this area is that of Newman and Kenworthy. Nonetheless, there are a number of commentators who have criticised the emphasis of density in increasing public transport use. These commentators assert that factors other than density, particularly socio-economic factors, are more important in influencing public transport use. Nevertheless, a major gap within this concept is that the research is conducted at the macro-level with minimal analysis at the meso or micro level. This thesis attempts to fill a gap in our knowledge by assessing the relationship between urban density and public transport use, particularly trains, at the macro, meso and micro level. The analyses used data across the Sydney metropolitan area and by geographical location to assess the implications of the density-public transport debate, and its articulation in urban consolidation policies. Such an analysis also has implications for other Australian cities who have promoted urban consolidation. The study concludes that residential density is not as important as socio-economic factors in influencing one form of public transport use, namely trains. Variables such as car ownership, country of origin, housing tenure, and the type and location of employment are more important in influencing train use than density. The study concludes that at the macro level the notion of increasing densities increases public transport use is plausible, yet at the micro level the relationship between high density housing and public transport use (in this case train use) is more complex. This suggests that the promotion of urban consolidation policies as a means to increase public transport use needs to be re-assessed. Importantly, there is still much research to be conducted to fully comprehend the relationships between housing and transport in order to better inform urban growth management policies in cities, including Sydney.

Predicting the potential impacts of new urban public transport on people's travel behaviour is very complex. A key aspect of travel behaviour is the choice of mode. It is particularly difficult to estimate the number of people who will use new urban public transport systems. Understanding modal choices related to these systems is especially important in view of concerns about the impact of the car on the environment, on quality of life and on congestion levels in towns and cities. In this thesis, the modal choices of potential users of two new light rail systems, Luas in Dublin and Tramlink in Croydon, are examined. The decision-making processes behind these people's modal choices are explored using a theory that has been borrowed from social psychology called the Theory of Planned Behaviour. In order to apply the Theory of Planned Behaviour it is necessary to identify the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of behavioural control of potential users. Hence, interviews have been carried out with potential users of Croydon Tramlink in the six months immediately prior to its opening. This thesis will describe those interviews, the analysis of them and the findings. In addition, follow-up studies were conducted six months after the opening of the system in order to examine how many of the interviewees had used the system. In Dublin, questionnaires were distributed to potential users of the new light rail system planned for the city. The questionnaires were distributed 2 years before the planned opening of the system. The thesis concludes that the Theory of Planned Behaviour is an appropriate tool for understanding and explaining modal choices, particularly those modal choices that relate to new urban public transport. It is also concluded that both Luas and Tramlink are likely to be successful systems and will generate new trips.

In recent years, many Western European urban public transport systems have undergone major reorganisation, including London (1985), Madrid (1985), Manchester (1986), Zurich (1990), Antwerp (1991), Copenhagen (1991), Athens (1992,1993), Gothenburg (1993) and Hamburg (1996). Other cities are also about to implement reorganisationsin their public transports ystems. Despite this, and with the exception of the British case, relatively little attention has been paid in the literature to the determinants and effects of these changes. Nevertheless, economics has benefited from individual contributions from people involved in these reorganisations. The aim of this thesis is to address two main weaknessesin the existing literature on the organisationo f urban public transport. Firstly, there is a distinct shortage of studies integrating different experiences in terms of forms of organisation.a nd their important features. Hence, emphasisi n this thesis is placed on examining structural changes in urban public transport, using a broad typology of organisations, and to explore related changes in the conduct and performance of public transport systems. A second weakness of the literature is the lack of detailed evaluations of the link between forms of organisation and the performance of transport operators. The evaluation of this link is carried out making use of case studies of Metro de Madrid and London Underground. The key objective of this thesis is to explore the existence of a link between organisation of the urban public transport markets and the performance of transport operators. Ile empirical analysis supports the hypothesis that reorganisations induce changes in performance levels. Additionally, in the cases of Metro de Madrid and London Underground, efficiency and effectiveness values emerge as positively correlated which is contrary to evidence presented in previous work.

The level of supply of public transport increases proportionately with population size. However, increases in population growth and urbanization have led to several transport problems, including meeting the supply of transport services. The rationale behind the supply model as used in the study is generally found in economic theory, where vehicle operators/owners choose among alternative opportunities before investing in urban transport service industry. Despite the importance of the transport business sector to the Zimbabwean economy, the continued undersupply in the sector is alarming. The main objective of the study is to identify the factors affecting the supply of urban transport in Harare, Zimbabwe. The research seeks to find the reasons of the high mismatch of demand and supply in the urban public transport sector. These situations are related to finance, demand forecasting, management, high operational overheads, unviable fares, marketing, capitalization at start up and business planning. It also established that many entrepreneurs have high operational overheads as a result of inefficiency due to vehicle old age and high statutory safety requirements on vehicle fitness, which is forcing many large investors to opt to sell their passenger vehicles and venture into haulage trucks instead. By the end of the research we should be able to list the factors affecting investment in this sector in their order of importance such that coming up with solutions to those most important factors may just unlock a lot of investment into this sector This research established the notion that under investment in the transport sector are caused by lack of funding and non viable fares even though occupancy is very good. These factors will serve as a basis of modeling the supply situation in the study area. In addition, the study will outline some policy directions, which need to be considered in order to sustain the supply of urban transport services.

The planning policies of South Yorkshire County Council are based on the philosophy of helping the "have-nots". From these policies a number of hypotheses concerning accessibility to and by public transport have been defined and tested in the Sheffield study area to gauge the extent to which the policies have been implemented. The literature on accessibility is reviewed with attention to recent work concerning accessibility by public transport. The Sheffield study area is described and the Structure Plan and other planning documents of South Yorkshire County Council are assessed with regard to policies relating to accessibility and public transport. Recent changes in the level of bus service provision in the study area are summarised. Access to bus services is investigated in terms of walking and waiting times for 170 sampling points. Overall the route density - service frequency trade-off is found to be optimal. The spatial variation in the walking and waiting times is such that areas with high proportions of people dependent on public transport do not have more accessible bus services than other areas. Access to bus services is investigated further in the Mosborough area with the relationship between the introduction and improvement of bus services and the occupation of new housing being studied. Accessibility by public transport to specific facilities is investigated. In spite of Structure Plan policies little improvement in the accessibility of five district shopping centres in Sheffield has taken place. Areas with poor access by bus to sports centres and public libraries are defined and possible locations for new facilities evaluated. In the first ten years of its existence South Yorkshire County Council has supported policies relating to improvements in accessibility and public transport. The work reported in this thesis indicates that the implementation of such policies has not always been achieved.

This thesis describes the nature of the specification and design of revenue collection systems from four urban mass transit systems: Manchester Metrolink, Sheffield Suptertram, Grenoble Tag Light Rail system and the Netherlands National Ticketing system. Previous research in this area has been generated from an industry perspective that has focused on new technologies and types of ticketing systems available. In addition fare collection is frequently discussed, and there is academic research available, in relation to pricing theory and policy. However, as yet there appears to be no theoretical or empirical research examining urban mass transit revenue collection systems and their specification. This research was initiated from a supplier of revenue collection systems expressing dissatisfaction in the design and specification selection procedure. In addition there was a need to conceptualise the important role that a revenue collection system plays in achieving a public transport operator's objectives. The aim of this study was to add to the theoretical base of this research area through the four case studies and to improve the design and selection of revenue collection systems in `real life' situations. Due to the nature of the research area being `real world' and revenue collection systems being bespoke, theoretical propositions were created from the literature review in order to guide the research and test the hypothesis. Through the theoretical proposition the role of the revenue collection system in a service marketing context is also established. This thesis is presented in seven chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction and background information to the research area. In Chapter 2 the research methodology is discussed together with the nature of the research. In Chapter 3 the literature review and the generation of the theoretical propositions and hypothesis are presented. In Chapter 4 the case studies describe the nature of the revenue collection systems and their specifications. In chapter 5 the case study analysis is undertaken based upon the theoretical propositions. Chapter 6 presents the overall conclusions and tests the hypothesis; it also presents recommendations for improving revenue collection system specification. Finally Chapter 7 discusses the research and its strengths and weaknesses and suggests areas for further research.

The existing link between PT travelers’ satisfaction, ridership and loyalty prove the relevance of improving overall trip satisfaction. The thesis present an array of approaches and methodologies aiming at increasing overall satisfaction with PT door-to-door trips while covering important issues that previous research has failed to address. These knowledge gaps include: disregarding the different needs and priorities of different type of travelers; overlooking the evolution over time and across geographical areas that overall satisfaction and satisfaction with specific service attributes may experience; and, neglecting the importance of access and egress legs. Based on the Swedish customer satisfaction barometer (2001-2013), an investigation of the determinants of PT satisfaction and their evolution over time (I) shows that: a) the deterioration of overall satisfaction with PT in Sweden in recent years is driven by a decrease in satisfaction with customer interface and length of trip time; b) these two service aspects as well as operation are found as key determinants of overall satisfaction which users consistently rate among the least satisfactory. The diversity of needs and priorities of SKT travelers was reduced into 5 distinctive multi-modal travelers’ groups (II). These travelers’ groups exhibited geographical disparities and an in between-groups overall similarity in the importance attached to the service attributes. Nevertheless, some noticeable differences could be observed. The service attributes’ importance levels reveal overall changes in appreciations and consumption goals over time. A number of both normative and heuristic satisfaction aggregation rules are tested on METPEX dataset for different types of trip configurations (III). The results show that normative rules can better reproduce overall travel satisfaction than heuristic rules, indicating that all trip legs need to be considered when evaluating the overall travel experience.
Kontinuerlig urban tillväxt, miljöproblem, konkurrens om begränsat utrymme, längre pendlingsavstånd samt behovet av att främja rättvisa och jämlikhet i samhället är de främsta anledningarna till förbättringar av kollektivtrafikens (KT) tjänster och attraktionskraft för att få fler resenärer att byta från bil till KT och därmed en viktig politisk fråga i många länder över hela världen. Den befintliga kopplingen mellan KT-resenärens tillfredsställelse, antalet passagerare och lojalitet visar betydelsen av att förbättra resans övergripande tillfredsställelse. De tre artiklar som ingår i denna licentiatavhandling presenterar en rad tillvägagångssätt och metoder som syftar till att öka den totala tillfredsställelsen med KT i ”från dörr till dörr”-resor samt täcker viktiga frågor som tidigare forskning har misslyckats med att ta itu med. Dessa kunskapsluckor inkluderar de olika behov och prioriteringar som olika typer av resenärer har, utveckling över tid och över geografiska områden som total tillfredsställelse och tillfredsställelse med specifika serviceattribut kan påverkas av samt försummelsen av resans av- och påstigningsdelar. Baserat på den svenska kundtillfredsställelsebarometern Svensk Kollektivtrafikbarometer (SKT) visar en undersökning av bestämningsfaktorerna för KT- tillfredsställelse och deras utveckling över tiden för KT-användare under åren 2001-2013 att (Artikel I): a) det skett en försämring av den sammanlagda tillfredsställelsen med KT i Sverige under de senaste åren som drivits av en minskning av tillfredsställelsen med kundgränssnittet och resans tid; b) att dessa två serviceaspekter samt drift är helt avgörande för övergripande tillfredsställelse och som resenärer konsekvent graderar bland de minst tillfredsställande. Mångfalden av behov och prioriteringar för SKT-resenärer reducerades till 5 distinkta multimodala resenärsgrupper (Artikel II). Dessa resenärsgrupper uppvisade geografiska skillnader och en i mellan-grupper övergripande likhet i vikt som fästs vid serviceattribut. Likväl kan några märkbara skillnader observeras. Serviceattributens betydelse avslöjar övergripande förändringar i uppskattnings- och konsumtionsmål över tid. De mer frekventa KT-användarsegmenten är mer nöjda över hela spektret och kännetecknas av en mer balanserad fördelning av attributens betydelse, medan en av grupperna – bilpendlare på landsbygden - är markant missnöjda med service- och driftattribut. Ett antal både normativa och heuristiska regler för aggregerad tillfredsställelse testas på METPEX-data (A Measurement Tool to determine the quality of the Passenger EXperience) för olika typer av resekonfigurationer (Artikel III). Detta görs för att förstå hur resenärer kombinerar delresors tillfredsställelse i en övergripande utvärdering av hela resan och för att undersöka den relativa betydelsen av tillfredsställelse med påstignings-, huvud- och avstigningsdel för hela reseupplevelsen i ”från dörr till dörr”-resor. Resultaten visar att normativa regler bättre kan återge övergripande resetillfredsställelse än heuristiska regler, vilket tyder på att alla resans delar måste beaktas när man utvärderar den samlade reseupplevelsen. I synnerhet ger viktning av tillfredsställelse med individuella delresor och de upplevda delresornas restider den bästa predikatorn för övergripande resetillfredsställelse, särskilt vid tillämpning av en väntetidsvikt på 3 eller 4 gånger i fordons- eller gångtid. Denna uppsättning artiklar skulle kunna hjälpa myndigheter att bättre utvärdera och tillgodose resenärernas behov genom att stödja tilldelning av resurser och prioriterandet av åtgärder i den mest effektfulla delen i en ”från dörr till dörr”-resa.
El rápido crecimiento urbano, problemas medioambientales, la competencia por el uso de espacios cada vez más limitados, el aumento de la distancia en los viajes pendulares así como la necesidad de fomentar una sociedad más equitativa e igualitaria, son algunas de las principales razones que hacen de la mejora de los servicios de transporte público (TP) y del trasvase de usuarios del transporte privado motorizado al TP una política clave en muchos países del mundo. La relación existente entre la mejora de la satisfacción del usuario de TP con el incremento de usuarios y de su fidelidad, prueban la importancia de mejorar la satisfacción global del usuario con el viaje. Los tres artículos incluidos en esta tesis de mitad de doctorado, en Suecia Licentiate thesis, presentan un variedad de enfoques y métodos que tienen como objetivo incrementar la satisfacción global con los viajes de puerta a puerta (desde el origen hasta el destino final) en los que el transporte público está involucrado, a la par de cubrir cuestiones importantes que no han abordado estudios previos. Estas lagunas de conocimientos incluyen: ignorar las distintas prioridades y necesidades de distintos tipos de viajeros; pasar por alto que tanto la satisfacción global con el viaje como la satisfacción con los atributos específicos del servicio pueden experimentar cambios a lo largo del tiempo y entre diversas zonas geográficas; y, el obviar la importancia que otras etapas del viaje (acceso y egreso), diferentes a la principal, pueden ejercer sobre la valoración global del viaje. Basado en el barómetro sueco de satisfacción del usuario de transporte público (SKT), se estudian los determinantes de la satisfacción con el TP y su evolución temporal, para usuarios de TP y para el período 2001-2013 (Artículo I). El artículo muestra que: a) el deterioro de la satisfacción global con el TP sueco experimentado en los últimos años se debe a la disminución de la satisfacción con el modo en el que la agencia de TP gestiona las quejas y el trato con los usuarios (customer interface), y de la duración del viaje (length of trip time); b) frequencia y la fiabilidad del servicio (operation) se suman a los dos ya mencionados atributos del servicio como factores determinantes de la satisfacción global con el TP. Son precisamente estos tres atributos los que consistentemente reciben unas valoraciones situadas entre las menos satisfactorias.  Basándose en las características de tipo socio-económico, en las del viaje y en coeficientes de accesibilidad, se obtienen cinco grupos de viajeros multimodales relativamente homogéneos, los cuales ayudan a simplificar la complejidad existente, en términos de necesidades y prioridades, de todos los viajeros suecos - SKT (Artículo II). Los cinco grupos de viajeros exhiben disparidades geográficas y, en general, una semejanza entre grupos en la importancia atribuida a los atributos del servicio. Sin embargo, existen algunas diferencias notorias. A lo largo del tiempo, los niveles de importancia de los atributos del servicio revelan cambios generales en las apreciaciones y objetivos de consumo. Los grupos de viajeros que viajan más frecuentemente con transporte público están, de forma generalizada, más satisfechos con el viaje y muestran una distribución más equilibrada de la importancia dada a los atributos del servicio. Se hace destacable la marcada insatisfacción que uno de los grupos – los automovilistas rurales pendulares (rural motorist commuters)- muestran con los atributos relacionados con la operación (fiabilidad y frequencia). Una serie de reglas de agregación de la satisfacción del viajero, tanto normativas como heurísticas, son examinadas en el conjunto de datos de METPEX (Una herramienta de medición para determinar la calidad de la experiencia del viajero) para distintos tipos de configuraciones de viaje (Artículo III). El objetivo de este artículo es; entender como los viajeros combinan la satisfacción con cada una de las etapas del viaje en su valoración global del viaje, e investigar la importancia relativa que cada una de las tres etapas del viaje (acceso, principal y egreso) tienen sobre la experiencia de un viaje completo de puerta a puerta. Los resultados muestran que, en comparación con las reglas heurísticas, las reglas normativas pueden reproducir de una mejor manera la satisfacción global con el viaje; indicando que todas las etapas del viaje necesitan ser consideradas cuando se evalúa la experiencia global del viaje. En particular la ponderación de la satisfacción con cada una de los segmentos del viaje[1] con la duración percibida para cada una de los segmentos del viaje produce el mejor indicador de la satisfacción global del viaje, especialmente cuando se aplica una penalización por cada minuto de espera equivalente a 3 o 4 veces el tiempo en movimiento y/o caminando. Éste conjunto de artículos pretende ayudar a las operadores y autoridades pertinentes a evaluar y proveer de la mejor manera posible las necesidades de los viajeros mediante la priorización de medidas y asignación de recursos a la parte más relevante del viaje multimodal puerta a puerta.  [1] Un segmento del viaje (trip leg) es la parte más pequeña en la que se descompone un viaje de puerta a puerta. Una etapa del viaje puede estar compuesta de uno o más segmentos del viaje.

QC 20170202

The objective of the thesis is to provide a better understanding of the safety conditions inurban environments, particularly related to those found in transport nodes, in this case,underground stations, and surrounding areas1. First, the study starts with an analysis of theoverall city, identifying concentrations of crime in the urban fabric and then focusing on thecriminogenic conditions at and around underground stations. The analysis combines the useof Geographical Information Systems (GIS), statistical techniques and data of different typesand sources. Regression models were used to assess the importance of the environmentalattributes of underground stations on crime rates. Findings show that violent and propertycrimes show different hotspots at different times. Crime patterns tend to follow people’sscheduled patterns of routine activity. The socio-economic composition of the surroundingenvironment of the stations has a significant impact on crime at these transport nodes, butmore important were attributes of the physical and social environment at the stations. Forinstance, low guardianship and poor visibility at the stations together with mixed land-usesin the surrounding areas induced crime rates at the stations. It is therefore suggested thatintervention to improve safety conditions at the stations should focus on a holistic approach,taking into account the station and surrounding areas, but also being aware of crimevariation on specific places at specific times.

QC 20130207

Safety in transport nodes: the influence of environmental attributes on crime and perceived safety