How do you increase public transport ridership?
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Strategies to Increase Public Transport Ridership
Increasing public transport ridership is a multifaceted challenge that requires a combination of service improvements, policy changes, and strategic marketing. Research from various case studies and empirical analyses provides valuable insights into effective strategies for boosting public transport usage.
Service Quality and Frequency
Enhancing Level of Service
Improving the level of service is crucial for attracting more riders. This includes increasing the frequency of services, reducing travel times, and ensuring reliability. For instance, studies in Braunschweig and Tampere highlight the importance of expanding tramway systems and improving travel speed to make public transport more attractive1. Similarly, a study in Montreal found that reducing headways (the time interval between vehicles) significantly boosts ridership9.
Vehicle Revenue Kilometers (VRK)
In North American cities, the reduction in bus VRK has been linked to a decline in ridership. Increasing VRK, which refers to the total distance covered by public transport vehicles in revenue service, can help sustain and grow ridership7. This suggests that investments in bus services are particularly effective.
Pricing and Fare Policies
Fare Reductions and Incentives
Fare policies play a significant role in influencing public transport usage. Research in South East Queensland demonstrated that reducing fare costs per journey can increase ridership, although the impact varies among different user groups4. Additionally, economic incentives, such as extended trial periods, have been shown to significantly increase both short-term uptake and long-term usage of public transport5.
Fare Restructuring
Simplifying fare structures and streamlining fare collection processes can also enhance the user experience and encourage more people to use public transport. This approach not only improves on-time performance but also makes the system more accessible3.
Marketing and Information
Effective Marketing Campaigns
Marketing is essential to raise awareness about public transport services. Many potential users may not be aware of the available options or the benefits of using public transport. Effective marketing campaigns can target these individuals and highlight the advantages of public transport, such as cost savings and environmental benefits3.
Information at Stops
Providing clear and accessible information at stops, including real-time updates and route maps, can improve the overall user experience and make public transport more user-friendly. This was identified as a key factor in the studies conducted in Braunschweig and Tampere1.
Governance and Collaboration
Political and Public Support
Successful public transport systems often benefit from strong political support and effective collaboration between various organizations. In Swedish regions with high ridership growth, political backing, well-functioning inter-organizational collaboration, and public support through citizen dialogue were identified as critical governance conditions2.
Incentive-Based Contracts
In Stockholm, the introduction of contracts with strong incentives for increasing ridership led to better performance in terms of costs, customer satisfaction, and punctuality. These contracts tied operator payments to the number of boarding and paying passengers, demonstrating the effectiveness of performance-based incentives8.
Built Environment and Accessibility
Transit-Oriented Development
The built environment, including factors like population density, land use diversity, and accessibility to destinations, significantly influences public transport ridership. Enhancing these aspects can make public transport more convenient and attractive. For example, increasing the density of residential and commercial areas around transit stops can boost ridership4 9.
Integration with Other Modes
Integrating public transport with other modes of transportation, such as bike-sharing and ridesourcing services, can also enhance accessibility and convenience. While ridesourcing services like Uber and Lyft have been found to compete with public transport in some cases, they can also complement it by providing first-mile/last-mile connectivity7 10.
Conclusion
Increasing public transport ridership requires a comprehensive approach that includes improving service quality, implementing effective fare policies, conducting targeted marketing, fostering strong governance and collaboration, and enhancing the built environment. By addressing these key areas, cities can create more attractive and efficient public transport systems that encourage higher usage and contribute to sustainable urban mobility.
Sources and full results
Most relevant research papers on this topic
How to Achieve a Continuous Increase in Public Transport Ridership?—A Case Study of Braunschweig and Tampere
This study suggests that improving public transport service levels, pricing, information, and marketing can increase ridership in Braunschweig and Tampere.
Increasing public transport patronage – An analysis of planning principles and public transport governance in Swedish regions with the highest growth in ridership
Swedish regions with the highest growth in public transport patronage implemented similar approaches, relying on political support, well-functioning collaboration, and public support through citizen dialogue.
Evaluating the effects of public transport fare policy change together with built and non-built environment features on ridership: The case in South East Queensland, Australia
Reducing public transport fares can boost ridership, but the impact varies by user groups and is influenced more by population density, destination accessibility, distance to CBD, and commuter demographics.
When nudges aren’t enough: Norms, incentives and habit formation in public transport usage
Increasing economic incentives significantly increases public transport usage, while social norms have no significant impact, suggesting habit formation is the key factor in behavior change.
Potential Benefits of Increased Public Transit Ridership in Medium Sized Cities: A Case Study
Increased public transit ridership in medium-sized cities can reduce automobile trips, improve speed and travel time, and address challenges like traffic congestion, air pollution, and road and parking infrastructure costs.
Invest in the ride: A 14 year longitudinal analysis of the determinants of public transport ridership in 25 North American cities
Investments in public transport operations can help mitigate the decline in transit ridership and increase it in North American cities.
Highly CitedOutcomes from new contracts with “strong” incentives for increasing ridership in bus transport in Stockholm
New E20 contracts in Stockholm Region bus transport improved costs, customer satisfaction, punctuality, and canceled departures, but worsened departures and did not increase passenger numbers compared to gross cost operators.
Examining the influence of stop level infrastructure and built environment on bus ridership in Montreal
Increased public transport service and accessibility, rather than land use enhancements, are the most effective ways to increase bus ridership in Montreal.
Highly CitedDo transportation network companies increase or decrease transit ridership? Empirical evidence from San Francisco
TNCs like Uber and Lyft contribute to a 10% decline in bus ridership in San Francisco between 2010 and 2015, offsetting gains from service increases and population growth.
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