Experiments in understanding passenger needs on the first and last mile of the public transport trip

Abstract

Transport planners traditionally pay more attention to the in-vehicle quality of public transport, focusing first on issues of vehicle quality, travel speed, and affordability. The out-of-vehicle components of the trip – walking to the vehicle, waiting, and transferring – often receive less attention and subsequently are of poorer quality. It is likely that the poor quality of the out-of-vehicle experience suppresses public transport demand, especially among choice users who are quality sensitive. Arguing that we do not know enough about what passengers need on the first and last mile of the journey, this paper sets out to report on the findings of two recent experiments aimed at filling this knowledge gap. The experiments include importance/satisfaction surveys and stated preference surveys undertaken amongst Bus Rapid Transit and Gautrain users in Gauteng, and include access and egress across a range of modes such as walking, feeder bus, and ridehailing. The data modelling shows that passengers often have different priorities on the access and the egress trips, and that passenger needs vary according to mode and socioeconomic factors. Nevertheless, the basic needs of security from crime, short travel times and low fares stand out as key priorities for improving first/last mile experience. Specific strategies are suggested that could be applied to improve access/egress quality of public transport in South African cities.