Data-Driven Performance Evaluation Framework for Multi-Modal Public Transport Systems

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 22; no. 1; p. 17
• Main Authors: Rodríguez González, Ana Belén, Vinagre Díaz, Juan José, Wilby, Mark R, Fernández Pozo, Rubén
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 21.12.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Automatic fare collection; Business metrics; Datasets; entry-only automatic fare collection systems; multi-modal mobility; origin–destination matrix; Passengers; Performance evaluation; Public transportation; public transportation systems; smart card data; Smart cards; Spain; Tariffs; Topology; Transportation; Transportation networks; Transportation systems; Travel; Travel time; Spain; United States > US; New York City New York; public transportation systems; entry-only automatic fare collection systems; multi-modal mobility; smart card data; origin–destination matrix
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s22010017

Transport agencies require accurate and updated information about public transport systems for the optimal decision-making processes regarding design and operation. In addition to assessing topology and service components, users' behaviors must be considered. To this end, a data-driven performance evaluation based on passengers' actual routes is key. Automatic fare collection platforms provide meaningful smart card data (SCD), but these are incomplete when gathered by entry-only systems. To obtain origin-destination (OD) matrices, we must manage complete journeys. In this paper, we use an adapted trip chaining method to reconstruct incomplete multi-modal journeys by finding spatial similarities between the outbound and inbound routes of the same user. From this dataset, we develop a performance evaluation framework that provides novel metrics and visualization utilities. First, we generate a space-time characterization of the overall operation of transport networks. Second, we supply enhanced OD matrices showing mobility patterns between zones and average traversed distances, travel times, and operation speeds, which model the real efficacy of the public transport system. We applied this framework to the Comunidad de Madrid (Spain), using 4 months' worth of real SCD, showing its potential to generate meaningful information about the performance of multi-modal public transport systems.