An examination of the public transport information requirements of users

Abstract

This paper focuses on the provision of public transport information in Dublin, Ireland. It examines both existing and potential methods of accessing information, with particular focus on the implementation of various intelligent transport systems applications. One of the main objectives of this paper is examining the stages a passenger goes through when deciding to undertake a public transport trip and in what form they require information at each stage. This paper defines these stages as "pre-trip to destination," "at-stop," "onboard," and "pre-trip to origin" (this is the return journey). Each of these four stages is examined in this paper. A web-based survey was used to collect data on passenger preferences and describes the methods of information delivery each passenger requires at each stage. This paper primarily deals with the respondents' stated preference for public transport information and does not examine revealed preferences. The survey also details results of passengers' opinions of the different information provision formats such as call centers, mobile phones, the Internet, and paper-based methods. This paper concludes with the results of this exploratory research