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Effect of Service, Temporal, and Weather Variables on Short Bus Transit Passenger Trips: Investigations of OSU’s Intra-campus Transit Demand

Hertler, Gregory Scott
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366314883

Abstract Details

2013, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Civil Engineering.
Transit agencies and transportation planners use knowledge of passenger demand and travel flow patterns in an urban area to make decisions about the service they provide. Understanding demand supports decisions about service frequency, bus stop locations, and route alignment to provide efficient and effective service. The demand for transit usage depends on the service provided, the trip purpose of the traveler, and the different land uses served. This study focuses on the demand for short passenger trips. Specifically, the demand of intra-campus passenger flow on the Campus Area Bus Service (CABS) at The Ohio State University (OSU) is investigated. Intra-campus travel demand was selected as the focus of this study for several reasons. First, this demand can be estimated by the Automated Passenger Counter (APC) data that OSU’s Campus Transit Lab (CTL) provides. Second, providing a free service to all its passengers, CABS buses can be considered an equal alternative to walking in terms of out-of-pocket cost. Third, because walking is considered an equal alternative to taking a CABS bus for intra-campus travel, the choice between the bus and walking depends on common factors. The metropolitan city-like structure of the Ohio State University campus makes it a small scale representation of larger urban areas and transit services. Therefore, certain aspects of the findings are expected to have implications in larger systems. Bus passenger origin-destination (OD) flow matrices are estimated for each bus trip from boarding and alighting data automatically collected on the buses. These trip level OD matrices are aggregated by the date and time-of-day period in which they occurred for each route. Intra-campus variables are calculated from the aggregated OD matrices, and temporal and service frequency variables are determined to provide information corresponding to the intra-campus values. In addition, hourly temperature and precipitation values are included as explanatory variables. The accumulation of these data allow for an estimation of regression models. The models indicate that very low or very high temperatures increase intra-campus passenger volume and proportion. It was found that the 60oF to 80oF temperature range produces the lowest intra-campus travel demand on CABS. Precipitation also increases CABS intra-campus ridership, likely because the bus provides a shelter from the negative effects of precipitation that would be encountered if choosing the competing walking alternative. In addition, the nature of the inter-route headways considering routes that share a similar intra-campus alignment has a statistically significant effect on intra-campus demand on both routes, indicating that route competition does affect the route choices passengers make. This study demonstrates that models can capture relationships of interest between multiple explanatory variables and intra-campus demand. The multiple models estimated allow for an examination of intra-campus demand at the level of an individual route and at the campus-wide level, both in terms of intra-campus volume and intra-campus proportion. Considering results from both volume and proportion models allows for a greater understanding of factors affecting intra-campus demand than if only a volume or proportion model had been considered.
Rabi Mishalani, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Mark McCord, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Gulsah Akar, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
86 p.
Transportation
public transportation; short passenger trips; demand modeling; OSU Campus Area Bus Service

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hertler, G. S. (2013). Effect of Service, Temporal, and Weather Variables on Short Bus Transit Passenger Trips: Investigations of OSU’s Intra-campus Transit Demand [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366314883

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hertler, Gregory. Effect of Service, Temporal, and Weather Variables on Short Bus Transit Passenger Trips: Investigations of OSU’s Intra-campus Transit Demand. 2013. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366314883.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hertler, Gregory. "Effect of Service, Temporal, and Weather Variables on Short Bus Transit Passenger Trips: Investigations of OSU’s Intra-campus Transit Demand." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366314883

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2013, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12