Title Evaluation and Feedback on Benefits of Promoting Public Transportation Development Policy – Analysis of Changes in Mode Choice Behavior and Establishment of Decision Support Systems (1/2)
Dept Transportation Operations and Management Division
Year 2013
Month
Price
Summary To provide the public with convenient public transportation services, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) launched the “highway public transportation development projects (2010-2012).” These projects aim to improve the current status of our public transportation services from the perspectives of humanity and sustainability. By creating a better environment for the operation of public transportation, the rate of public transportation use will be increased and the traffic congestion and air pollution brought about by use of private vehicles will be reduced. To objectively review investment benefits, it is imperative to apply scientific and systematic approaches to the evaluation of the demand-side response, so as to help decision makers measure how well objectives of various policies have been achieved while providing them with a basis for modifying long-term and short-term strategies for effective feedback, which can avoid wasting investment. With this, evaluation methods and feedback mechanism have been developed based on theoretical foundations for decision makers to adopt and apply.

　　This study employs questionnaire survey, data collection, and discrete choice theory model to develop mode choice models that can reflect travelers who live in different areas and with different travel characteristics. It divides the disaggregate mode choice model into intra-trip model and inter-city model (including intercity mode choice and feeder mode choice).

　　The estimation results showed that walking time, waiting time, in-vehicle time, travel costs, and several service quality variables among mode choice models differ significantly, which can be used to evaluate the effect of promoting seamless performance of public transportation in terms of space, time, information, service and price, and to reflect gaps currently existed among different areas in Taiwan. This study also found that there is difference in various groups’ preference for mode choice models, which leads to significant difference in the estimated coefficients. This indicates that different strategies are needed to improve travel modes in different areas.

　　Lastly, an aggregate econometric model was also developed for cross verification with the disaggregate mode choice model and for supporting it; 348 townships/districts in Taiwan were used as a basis for constructing this model, in which data on the rate of public transportation use in various areas that the Department of Statistics of the MOTC provided were combined. The results showed that the average intercity bus frequency, the average city bus frequency, and the number of MRT stations all have a significant and positive effect on the rate of public transportation use. On the other hand, the average age of city buses, the distance to HSR stations, motorcycle ownership and road length have a negative effect on the rate of public transportation use. These results of an aggregate model are consistent with those of a disaggregate one.
Post date 2013/11/27
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