Examining the Factors that Impact upon Public Transport Commuting Stress

Abstract

The first objective of this research was to examine the level of stress caused by commuting into Dublin city centre. The second objective was to determine the value placed on the comfort and reliability of public transport services. An on-line survey of workers who commute daily into Dublin city centre was conducted, which collected data on the respondents’ typical commute, commute-related stress, and socio-economic background. Commute satisfaction levels among public transport users were found to decrease for those who travel on crowded or unreliable services and those who have long wait-times. Stated preference scenarios relating to crowding and reliability were analysed using a multinomial logit model. The model showed that utility derived increases as crowding decreases and as reliability increases.