Commuters: Improving the experience of commuting · PDF fileCommuters: Improving the...
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Commuters: Improving the experience of commuting through introduction of new products/services. - MARKET RESEARCH - Fri 29th August 2014 week3 Supervisor: Ast/P Peer Mohideen Sathikh Nicholas Tan Yi Feng
Transcript of Commuters: Improving the experience of commuting · PDF fileCommuters: Improving the...
Commuters: Improving the experience of commuting through introduction of new products/services.
- MARKET RESEARCH -
Fri 29th August 2014 week3
Supervisor: Ast/P Peer Mohideen Sathikh
Nicholas Tan Yi Feng
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Buses are one of the major mode of public transport system in Singapore, providing means of a convenient and reliable service.
Buses and MRT system come together to bring commuters closer to their destination. It is an integration aimed at making public transport affordable and preferred choice for all.
Public bus services are operated by two main bus operators in Singapore: SBS Transit Ltd and SMRT Buses Ltd.
Central Bus Network PlannerLTA, as a central bus network planner, aims to plan an efficient, integrated and sustainable bus system which focuses on improving journey quality for commuters while balancing system costs. We also work with the Public Transport Operators (PTOs) to improve the waiting time for bus services so commuters can enjoy seamless transfers.
Policy MakerTo realise our vision of a people-centred land transport system, we plan, develop and implement all public and private transport policies. We work with our stakeholders and run a Community Partnership Programme to get feedback from the public.
RegulatorWe work closely with the Public Transport Council to monitor the quality and affordability of bus services. Together, we have established a Quality of Service (QoS) Standard that all public bus operators must abide by.
These standards include:
- The Operating Performance Standard, which covers the operational aspects of bus services such as bus safety and reliability.
- The Service Provision Standard, which covers the planning and integration of bus routes and services, including bus information.
BUSES
LTA’S ROLE IN PUBLIC BUS SERVICES
source: http://www.lta.gov.sg
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Through the BSEP (2012), 800 buses (.apx 20% increase) are added to the existing bus fleet between 2012 & 2016. In addition, 40 new bus routes will be established to cut short on waiting time and more space on board.
From 2014, City Direct Bus Services will be established such that travel via bus is comparable to trains.
BUS SERVICES ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME (bsep)
source: http://www.lta.gov.sg
New Bus Services and EnhancementsThe map shows the new bus services launched from February 2013. Enhancements to existing bus services
from January 2013 are also shown below. These enhancements involve adding more buses to reduce crowding and improve bus frequencies of existing services during peak hours.
What is the Bus Service Enhancement
Programme (BSEP)?Starting from 2012, the Government has partnered the bus operators to significantly increase bus capacity and enhance bus service levels to benefit commuters. Under the BSEP, about 40 new services will be introduced and 800 buses will be added to the existing bus fleet.
For more information, visit www.publictransport.sg
Bringing You More Buses, Better Rides
JAN TO JUN 2013
Bukit Batok
Jurong EastJurong West
1549999
75 190
188106
Tuas
Woodlands
Sembawang
Yishun
Bukit Panjang
155 90154
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154 175188
9952106
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LEGEND
Enhancements to existing trunk services
Enhancements to existing feeder bus services
New bus services
This map is for illustration purposes. Information is correct at time of printing.
154 155 31 90 966
Toa PayohLaunching in Q2 2013- Geylang to Toa Payoh (loop)
162
NovenaLaunching in Q2 2013- Geylang to Toa Payoh (loop)
190 188 92567
Choa Chu Kang982E - Choa Chu Kang to CBD(Launch date: 18 Mar ‘13)
850E - Yishun to CBD(Launch date: 18 Feb‘13)
Hougang25 45
Tampines4 - Tampines to Changi/Loyang (loop)(Launch date: 17 Mar ‘13)
10 12 15 2223 31
Changi/Loyang4 - Tampines to Changi/Loyang (loop)(Launch date: 17 Mar ‘13)
53 6 34
Bedok102367
25 3112 15 22
45
155
Eunos2213 25
15
45 67
154
Tanjong Rhu158
966
Marine Parade1576
13 31155
Telok BlangahLaunching in Q2 2013 - CBD to Telok Blangah (loop)10 100 188
Queenstown123100
182
182
251
Kallang/GeylangLaunching in Q2 2013- Geylang to Toa Payoh (loop)
10012 1323 31 76 67
158 175
Serangoon
5322158103
76 45100
169 965966
966
178925
925
178
178 188 52178
965 857
Sengkang965
169
169
Ang Mo Kio22
76162
16913
2545
Bishan53 162 13 52
106
City CentralLaunching in Q2 2013- CBD to Telok Blangah (loop)Launching in Q2 2013- CBD to Woodlands982E - CBD to Choa Chu Kang(Launch date: 18 Mar ‘13)
850E - CBD to Yishun(Launch date: 18 Feb‘13)
107512 123 162
857175100190
243
Pasir Ris126
15 53 354
Bukit MerahLaunching in Q2 2013- CBD to Telok Blangah(loop)123 175 275
900
Launching in Q2 2013- Woodlands to CBD
Punggol34
34
103
67
154 75
Bukit Timah67
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source: http://www.lta.gov.sg
Reduced waiting and travelling time
Smoother and faster bus rides
Reach destinations on time
The Mandatory Give-Way to Buses Scheme is just like a zebra crossing, except that it is meant for buses.
By making it compulsory for motorists to give way to buses exiting the bus lane, the scheme allows buses to pull out of the bus bay easily and continue on their journey without delays.
As of December 2010, 202 bus bays island-wide fall under this scheme. By mid-2014, the scheme will be expanded to another 150 locations on top of the existing 200. We will continue to review and implement the scheme in phases to benefit more commuters.
BENEFITS TO COMMUTERS
MANDATORY GIVE-WAY TO BUSES SCHEME
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source: http://www.lta.gov.sg
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source: http://www.lta.gov.sg
Employees’ Set Off and Start Work Times Heavily Concentrated
The following are a series of surveys compiled during Travel Smart’s Market Research in order to know commuters’ concerns when travelling to work daily.
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source: http://www.lta.gov.sg
Travel Times Are Highly Influenced By Firms’ Operating Hours
Firms’ Start and Finish Times are Heavily Concentrated
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source: http://www.lta.gov.sgBig Perception Difference About FWA Availability
Reasons for Not Telecommuting
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source: http://www.lta.gov.sg
Reasons for Not Adopting Flexi-Time
Results from Market Research
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Data Source: LTA (LA(R)), SMRT & SBST Annual Reports
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Crowding in public transport systems: Effects on users,operation and implications for the estimation of demand
Alejandro Tirachini a,⇑, David A. Hensher b,1, John M. Rose b,1
a Transport Engineering Division, Civil Engineering Department, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chileb Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS), The University of Sydney Business School, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
a r t i c l e i n f o
Article history:Received 9 November 2012Received in revised form 24 June 2013Accepted 24 June 2013
Keywords:CrowdingStandingTravel timeWaiting timeReliabilityWellbeing
a b s t r a c t
The effects of high passenger density at bus stops, at rail stations, inside buses and trainsare diverse. This paper examines the multiple dimensions of passenger crowding related topublic transport demand, supply and operations, including effects on operating speed,waiting time, travel time reliability, passengers’ wellbeing, valuation of waiting and in-vehicle time savings, route and bus choice, and optimal levels of frequency, vehicle sizeand fare. Secondly, crowding externalities are estimated for rail and bus services in Sydney,in order to show the impact of crowding on the estimated value of in-vehicle time savingsand demand prediction. Using Multinomial Logit (MNL) and Error Components (EC) mod-els, we show that alternative assumptions concerning the threshold load factor that trig-gers a crowding externality effect do have an influence on the value of travel time(VTTS) for low occupancy levels (all passengers sitting); however, for high occupancy lev-els, alternative crowding models estimate similar VTTS. Importantly, if demand for a publictransport service is estimated without explicit consideration of crowding as a source of dis-utility for passengers, demand will be overestimated if the service is designed to have anumber of standees beyond a threshold, as analytically shown using a MNL choice model.More research is needed to explore if these findings hold with more complex choice modelsand in other contexts.
� 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
The empirical assessment of modal choice in transport has traditionally relied on time and cost as the main attributesinfluencing people’s travel decisions. Nevertheless, with the improvement of both our understanding of the modal choiceproblem and analytical tools (e.g., discrete choice models), we have accumulated unambiguous evidence that shows howusers take into account several qualitative aspects that enhance or harm the experience of travelling. In the case of publictransport, this includes the number of passengers that have to share a bus or train, the quality of seats and the smoothnessof the ride, among many others. The relevance of these qualitative aspects for public transport policy is expected to increaseover time in both developing and developed economies, because as the income of a population increases, public transportusers are likely to attach more value to quality and comfort features, relative to reductions in travel time only. This paperanalyses the effects of having a significant number of people sharing a limited space while using a public transport service
0965-8564/$ - see front matter � 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2013.06.005
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +56 2 2978 4380.E-mail addresses: [email protected] (A. Tirachini), [email protected] (D.A. Hensher), [email protected] (J.M. Rose).
1 Tel.: +61 2 9351 0169.
Transportation Research Part A 53 (2013) 36–52
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Transportation Research Part A
journal homepage: www.elsevier .com/locate / t ra
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Crowding is related to a high density of passengers on vehicles, accessways and stations. A technical advantage of this phenomenon is that density can be quantitatively assessed, although there is no a single measure.
The most common metric used in quantitative assessment is the occupancy rate or load factor, which is defined as the ratio between the actual number of passengers inside vehicles and the num-ber of seats (Whelan and Crockett, 2009).
2. Effects of passenger density and crowding2.1. Effect on in-vehicle time
When buses and trains circulate with a low number of passengers, everyone is able to find a seat, transfer of passengers at stations is smooth, and passenger-related disruptions that impose unex-pected delays are rare. As the number of passengers increase, a threshold is reached at which not everyone is able to find a seat and some users need to stand inside vehicles. In turn, this may make more difficult the movement of other passengers that need to board to or alight from a vehicle; therefore, riding time increases due to friction or crowding effects among passengers.
On the engineering side, (Katz and Garrow, 2012) find that bus design factors (e.g front seating area, placement of doors, fare collection system) influence the amount of people that stand near doors, which has a larger impact on increasing dwell times than the number of passengers standing in aisles. For example, on buses with two doors with one door at the front, having the second door at the middle of the bus significantly increases the crowding effects due to standees than having the second door at the back of the bus.
The limited capacity of bus stops and train stations may also represent a problem if a large volume of passengers need to be handled at the same time, particularly in those stations in which many bus services stop. In such cases, some passengers may take longer to reach a door to board a vehicle if several other people are standing in his/her way, or obstructing his/her line of sight to sign and approach an incoming bus (TRB, 2003; Jaiswal et al., 2007, 2010). Passengers inside buses may also face difficulties leaving a vehicle if the station is crowded.
2.2. Effect on waiting time
When the occupancy rate is high, having a limited capacity becomes an issue, as the chance of buses or trains circulating full in some sections increases, which consequently implies that pas-sengers waiting to board are left behind, increasing waiting time and the discomfort of travel.
A second effect of high occupancy levels on waiting times is the possibility of triggering bus bunching (Abkowitz & Tozzi, 1987). When a bus is full and does not stop to pick up passengers at a bus stop (or to stop but unable to load all passengers waiting), a larger number of passengers than is expected are left to wait for the next bus, which will need to stop for a longer period of time to board the increased number of passengers
Whelan, G., Crockett, J., 2009. An investigation of the willingness to pay to reduce rail overcrowding. In: International Conference on Choice Modelling, Harrogate, England, April.Katz, D., Garrow, L.A., 2012. The impact of bus door crowding on operations and safety. Journal of Public Transportation 15 (2), 71–93.TRB, 2003. Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual. TCRP Report 100.Abkowitz, M., Tozzi, J., 1987. Research contributions to managing transit service reliability. Journal of Advanced Transportation 21 (1), 47–65.
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2.4. Effect on wellbeing
The impacts of the crowding phenomenon on passengers’ health and wellbeing is extremely com-plex to analyse. Attached to the discomfort of sharing a limited space with several people are multiple physical and psychological factors that intervene in the perception of crowding and its effects.
More recently (Cantwell et al. 2009) find that crowding is a significant source of dissatisfaction for public transport users in Ireland, by using a stated choice experiment in which respondents had to choose between rail and bus alternatives with different levels of crowding.
Besides anxiety and stress, other symptoms have also been found to be related to high levels of crowding. Using data from Kuala Lumpur, (Mohd Mahudin et al. 2011) found that commuters with greater levels of stress and exhaustion attributed to crowding, reported more somatic symptoms like headaches, tension, stiff muscles and sleeplessness. The propensity to be late at work is found to be a spillover effect of rail crowding, in cases in which passengers have to let an over-crowded train pass (or decide to do so in hope that the next train will be less crowded, sometimes unsure of the exact time the next train will arrive).
2.6. Effect on route and bus choice
The disutility of standing aboard public transport vehicles may influence bus and route choice when passengers have multiple alternatives to complete a trip. This has been recently incorporated into public transport assignment models such as (Sumalee et al. 2009), (Leurent and Liu 2009), (Hamdouch et al. 2011) and (Schmöcker et al. 2011), who estimate the probability of getting a seat both when boarding a bus, and once on board if a passenger has to stand at the beginning of his/hertrip. Passengers choose departure time and route according to their perceived travel disutil-ity, which includes the probability of getting a seat (or failure to do so) as a key attribute.
In other words, up to a point, some passengers are willing to trade waiting time for an (ex-pected) higher chance of getting a seat while travelling.
Cantwell, M., Caulfield, B., O’Mahony, M., 2009. Examining the factors that impact public transport commuting satisfaction. Journal of Public Transportation 12 (2), 1–21.Mohd Mahudin, N.D., Cox, T., Griffiths, A., 2011. Modelling the spillover effects of rail passenger crowding on individual well being and organi-sational behaviour. In: Pratelli, A., Brebbia, C.A. (Eds.), Urban Transport XVII, Urban Transport and the Environment in the 21st Century. WIT Transactions on The Built Environment, WIT Press, pp. 227–238.Sumalee, A., Tan, Z., Lam, W.H.K., 2009. Dynamic stochastic transit assignment with explicit seat allocation model. Transportation Research Part B 43 (8–9), 895–912.
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CTA: Why Bus Crowding Happens and How Data Can Help
02 Aug 2013 - Juan-Pablo Velez and Andres Akle Carranza
Why Crowding Happens
Number of buses on a route: Buses running a route at a given time have a certain total combined capacity. As the number of riders approaches this capacity, the buses will get more and more crowded unless additional bus trips are added during that timeframe. If riders exceed this capacity, they can get left behind at bus stops.
Gaps between buses: Even if enough buses are running to accommodate passenger demand, a large gap between vehicles can also cause riders on the route to experience crowding. If buses aren’t spaced evenly along the route, then particular buses will carry a disproportionate share of the total riders, meaning certain buses will be crowded while others will be underutilized.
Counting People
Take the total number of people passing by that stop, divide them by the maximum number of people you’d like to have on each bus, and you’ll get the minimum number of buses needed to “decrowd.”
source: http://dssg.io/2013/08/02/why-bus-crowding-happens.html
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Interior design psychology is a field within environmental psychology, which concerns the envi-ronmental conditions of the interior.
It is a direct study of the relationship between an environment and how that environment affects the behaviour of its inhabitants, with the aim of maximising the positive affects of this relationship.
Through interior design psychology the performance and efficiency of the space and the wellbeing of the individual are improved. Figures like Walter Benjamin, Sigmund Freud, John B. Calhoun and Jean Baudrillard have shown that by incorporating this psychology into design one can control an environment and to an extent, the relationship and behaviour of its inhabitants. An example of this is seen through the rat experiments conducted by Calhoun in which he noted the aggression, killing and changed sexual tendencies amongst rats. This experiment created a stark behavioural analogy between the rat’s behaviour and inhabitation in high-rise building projects in the US after WWII, an example of which is the Pruitt-Igoe development in St Louis demolished in 1972 only 21 years after being erected.
ProxemicsProxemics study the amount of space people feel necessary to have between themselves and others. Crowding and Personal Space In this field of study the phenomenon of territoriality is demonstrated continuously through unwritten indices and behaviours, which communicate, the conscious or subconscious notions of personal space and territoriality. This phenomenon is seen, for example, through the use of public seating and the empty seats on a crowded bus or train. “ Crowding occurs when the regulation of social interaction is unsuccessful and our desires for so-cial interaction are exceeded by the actual amount of social interaction experienced.”[1] Studies observing social behaviours and psychology have indicated, such as in the case for commuters that people will seek to maximise personal space whether standing or sitting.
In a study conducted by Gary W. Evans and Richard E. Wene, (who work within the field of en-vironmental design and human development) of 139 adult commuters, commuting between New Jersey and Manhattan, (54% male) saliva samples were taken to measure cortisol levels, a hor-monal marker of stress. Their research accounts statistically for other possible stressors such as income and general life stress. “We find that a more proximal index of density is correlated with multiple indices of stress wherein a more distal index of density is not.”[1] Concerns arising from the results of this study suggest that small deviations in increased seat density, controlled against income stress, would elevate the log of cortisol (i.e. stress levels) and diminish task performance and mood.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interior_design_psychology
Evans, G.W.; R.E. Wener (2007). “Crowding and personal space invasion on the train: Please don’t make me sit in the middle”. Journal of Envi-ronmental Psychology 27: 90–94. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2006.10.002.
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Research shows that crowding gets positive and negative reactions out of people. The insten-sification hypothesis by Feedman (1975) states that crowding will intensify the normal reatctions that individuals have to any situation. For instance if someones normal reactions are positve then crowding will get them more positive support, as oppossed to someone with typical negative reac-tions. Crowding typically occurs because the population increases continually, however people also put themselves in these crowded situations such as going out to parties, sport games and clubs. Overcrowding also occurs in the home, neigborhoods and social institutions; distress that turns to aggression has been linked to these conditions (Lawrence & Andrews, 2004). When a situation becomes overcrowded, chances of competion and stress is more then likely to occur. The stress can then lead to aggressive outcomes.
In its own way, crowding can reduce violence because research stated that it brings out the posi-tive in people. The instensification hypothesis also mentioned that it depends on a persons natu-ral reaction, will determine the outcome.
In some cases, crowding may make things worse, for instance in prisons they are highly over popu-lated due to issues of labor managment and space efficiency. This forced segregation may induce negative psychological effects, inevitably leading to violence in the institution. The population continuosly grows and regardless the number, crowding is a subjective feeling. There are people that suffer from disorders that make them feel overcrowded everyday; for in-stance claustrorphobic people. Not to say that they will be aggression, yet that its a fear of being closed in, is not a good feeling to them as crowding is for some.
source: http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Crowding
Freedman, J., Levy, A., Buchanan, R., Price, J. (1972). Crowding and Human Aggressiveness. Journal of Experimental social Psychology. 8(6), 528-548. Lawrence, C., Andrews, K. (2004).Influence of perceived prison crowding on male inmates’ perception of aggressive events. Aggressive Behavior 30(4), 273-283.
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Observations
Staggered formation on the aisles, half of the straps are not used this way.
Securing a seat allows you to do a number of task freely.
Pros - smartphone surfing - book reading - napping - daze - work
Cons - takes more space compared to standing - harder to alight the bus - short seat length
Standing requires you to have a handhold either at - the handle on the seats - the straps lines on the top rail - pole connecting the rail to the floor
Choosing to stand has its own plus
Pros - easy to move around - can make more space for people - quick exit for short trips
Con - crowding at the entrance and exit - requires effort to hold on - baggage burden
Crowding
Plausible reasons for crowding at entrance and exit - only a short trip, alighting soon - does not want to squeeze into the back - carrying a lot of baggage/ bulky items
source: stomp.sg
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