Demand-responsive Users' Travel Behavior and Satisfaction Analysis in Small Cities
Case Study of the Public Transportation System in Palestine
Authors
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Ahmed Jaber
AffiliationDepartment of Transport Technology and Economics, Faculty of Transportation Engineering and Vehicle Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rkp. 3., 1111 Budapest, Hungary
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Khaled Al-Sahili
Affiliation
Architectural and Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, An-Najah National University, P. O. B. 7, P400 Nablus, Palestine
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János Juhász
Affiliation
Department of Highway and Railway Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rkp. 3, 1111 Budapest, Hungary
Abstract
This study examines the differences in travel behavior between regular and occasional demand-responsive transport users (public transport users), determines the level of service satisfaction, and identifies the key factors of commuters' preferences of using the demand-responsive transport regularly or occasionally for a small-sized urban area (<50 km2). Data were supplemented through field surveys and by focus group discussions. Binary logistic regression and correlation models were used. It is found that probabilities of irregularity are higher for rural areas, male commuters, short trips, educational trips, low-income groups, and non-direct trips. All users are generally satisfied with the service. The most important factors for occasional users are waiting time, trip cost, and trip duration. On the other hand, regular users pay more attention to cleanliness, safety, and comfort. Scheduling of public transportation lines that serve educational zones and provide accessibility to rural areas are needed to improve the quality and attractiveness of the services.
Keywords:
public transportation, irregularity, satisfaction, car ownership, binary regression, correlationCitation data from Crossref and Scopus
