Paratransit Service in Indonesia: User Satisfaction and Future Choice

Abstract

This paper explores user satisfaction with making use of paratransit in Bandung, Indonesia. User perceptions of attributes are analyzed using factor analysis to find representing attribute types and factors of service quality. Ordinal probit analysis is employed to explore the characteristics of users regarding their perception of satisfaction with the paratransit service. Binary logistic analysis is undertaken to predict users’ choice probability in making use of paratransit in the future when there is a service improvement. The study reveals that what may be of importance in developed countries carries a different weight of importance for paratransit users. This fact can be explained by describing the characteristics of users that expressed their satisfaction, which also explains the target market for this mode. The analysis reveals the notion that financial motives seem to dominate when users select to use paratransit.     

Dockless bike-sharing systems: what are the implications?

ABSTRACT

The emergence of dockless bike-sharing services has revolutionised bike-sharing markets in recent years, and the dramatic growth of shared bike fleets in China, as well as their rapid expansion throughout the world, exceeds prior expectations. An understanding of the impacts of these new dockless bike-sharing systems is of vital importance for system operations, transportation and urban planning research. This paper provides a first overview of the emerging literature on implications of dockless bike-sharing systems for users' travel behaviour, user experience, and relevant social impacts of dockless bike-sharing systems. Our review suggests that the dockless design of bike-sharing systems significantly improves users' experiences at the end of their bike trips. Individuals can instantly switch to a dockless shared bike without the responsibility of returning it back to a designated dock. Additionally, the high flexibility and efficiency of dockless bike-sharing often makes the bike-sharing systems' integration with public transit even tighter than that of traditional public bikes, providing an efficient option for first/last-mile trips. The GPS tracking device embedded in each dockless shared bike enables the unprecedented collection of large-scale riding trajectory data, which allow scholars to analyse people's travel behaviour in new ways. Although many studies have investigated travel satisfaction amongst cyclists, there is a lack of knowledge of the satisfaction with bikeshare trips, including both station-based and dockless bikeshare systems. The availability and usage rates of dockless bike-sharing systems implies that they may seriously impact on individuals' subjective well-being by influencing their satisfaction with their travel experiences, health and social participation, which requires further exploration. The impact of dockless bike-sharing on users' access to services and social activities and the related decreases in social exclusion are also relevant issues about which knowledge is lacking. With the increases in popularity of dockless shared bikes in some cities, issues related to the equity and access and the implications for social exclusion and inequality are also raised.     

Paratransit — Existing issues and future directions

Paratransit services bridge the gap between static fixed route transit and the flexible automobile travel. Paratransit services provide personalized public trapsportation by responding to the needs of individual markets and users. Unfortunately, fragmentation of the paratransit sector and institutional and regulatory constraints have prevented or complicated realization of paratransit's full potential. The orientation in this paper is not primarily to identify promising paratransit applications. Rather, it is to examine basic characteristics of paratransit services, fundamental issues unique to paratransit, existing problems that are constraining paratransit development, and ways to overcome or minimize existing difficulties. A taxonomy of paratransit services is proposed so that these systems can be better related to each other. The institutional environment of paratransit is examined from the viewpoints of planning, operations and regulation. A primary focus is on integration of various paratransit services and of paratransit and conventional fixed route services. Several proposals are made relating to improvements in existing services, new service concepts, new institutional arrangements and service integration.     

Perceived service quality of paratransit in developing countries: A structural equation approach

This paper develops empirical models for evaluating the service quality (SQ) of paratransit. Specifically, several models are developed based on structural equation modeling (SEM) using twenty-four SQ variables. To calibrate those models, a data set of 2008 paratransit users of Dhaka City are utilized, who were interviewed with a structured questionnaire to know their experience, level of satisfaction and opinion about the existing service as well as their expectations. SEM reveals the observed and latent SQ variables and their relationship with the overall SQ of paratransit. Among the different models developed, the best one is selected using statistical parameters and resemblance with real life expectations. Out of twenty-four SQ variables, ‘Punctuality and Reliability’ and ‘Service Features’ are respectively found to be the observed and latent variables having the greatest influence on the paratransit SQ. Moreover, the effect of heterogeneity among users on the performance of the best model is investigated. All the study findings support the data collected from the paratransit users. The research outcomes can be utilized by the city transportation officials of developing countries to improve the overall paratransit performance to attract new users as well as retain the current ones.     

User satisfaction with paratransit in competition with motorization in indonesia: anticipation of future implications

The rapid pace of motorization throughout the world has changed travel behavior, which in turn has influenced every aspect of transport operations. This impact has also increasingly challenged the future existence of such road-based urban public transport as paratransit due to its characteristics and problems, especially in developing countries. Since creating satisfied users can help retain paratransit’s existence, this research aims to explore user satisfaction with paratransit service in order to anticipate future implications for its competition with motorization in Bandung, Indonesia. It establishes important factors and attributes to explain user perceptions and priorities regarding the service. Its hypotheses explain how users measure paratransit’s quality of service, inferring that they are likely to continue to use it. Even though users are dissatisfied with several aspects of paratransit, and the impact of competition has been strong, loyal users can still be found. By considering the findings, existing problems of inappropriate-quality service can be addressed to satisfy users’ expectations. The study also suggests some anticipation of winning the competition with motorization.     

The use of GIS and relational database management systems to improve the scheduling operations of paratransit

The scheduling operations of many paratransit agencies in the United States are undertaken manually. Those customers who are eligible to travel call in their requests the day before the trip is needed. As the trip requests are received, they are entered into a list of unscheduled trips. In order to schedule these trips, the scheduler must first determine the number of drivers and shuttle buses that are available as well as the time of availability of each. The scheduler must then try to match the rides that are in “similar” areas around the “same” time to place together on the driver's schedule. As new trip requests are made, the schedulers must adjust the trips that are already scheduled to try and schedule as many trips as possible in the most efficient way.

By developing a system that would improve the scheduling system operations of, in this case, DART (Delaware Administration for Regional Transit) First State Paratransit, customers can expect to receive better service that will improve their ability to travel throughout the community. Some devices that could also improve the operations of paratransit agencies are described in this paper, such as satellite‐based Global Positioning System (GPS), radio communication systems, mobile computers, radio frequency‐based data communication systems, internet web pages, automated paratransit information systems, and card‐based data storage and transfer media. However, because paratransit systems are difficult to operate cost‐efficiently, the optimum and most cost‐efficient device must be selected. The system chosen for DART First State Paratransit includes the use of a relational database management system (RDMS) and a transportation Geographic Information System (GIS). RDMS keeps track of the database information as well as the scheduled trips and the GIS is ideal for analyzing both geographic and temporal data. This system is shown to be superior to the manual system.     

The role of paratransit: some reflections based on the experience of residents’ coach services in Hong Kong

Paratransit refers to urban transport services “somewhere between private passenger transport and conventional public transport in terms of cost and quality of service” [Rimmer (1980), Paratransit: A commentary. Environ. Plan. A 12, 937–944]. Since the 1980s, a new form of paratransit—residents’ coach, which provides exclusive transport services to residents living in private housing estates—has emerged in Hong Kong. What was the background underlying the emergence and subsequent growth of residents’ coach services? Also, what was the role of residents’ coach in the public transport system of Hong Kong? With the completion of more railway extensions, should residents’ coach services be replaced? If so, what are the potential impacts on people’s life? This paper addresses the above research questions through a large-scale questionnaire survey that examined not only people’s modal choice but also their residential choice, socio-economic background and attitudes. The findings suggest that transport policy makers should pay more attention to examine new forms of paratransit and the ways of integrating them into the overall public transport system, both spatially and temporally. It is only through the development of an efficient and multi-modal transport system can the maximum potential of paratransit in filling the transport gap between conventional mass transit and private cars be realized.     

Why do paratransit operators resist participation in bus rapid transit? Case evidence from Bogota,Mexico City,Johannesburg and Lagos

ABSTRACT

Public transport in cities of the Global South is mainly provided by paratransit operators who self-regulate their services in the absence of adequate formal transport supply and due to weak or no formal regulatory framework and enforcement. Paratransit operators compete with each other for passengers as every passenger translates into profit. Governments in the Global South have sought to reform public transport services through Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to regulate and ensure efficiency, address the problems of drivers competition and negative externalities associated with paratransit operations. Paratransit operators have been considered as one of the barriers to public transport reforms such as BRT without much consideration for their style of operations. This neglect has contributed to their resistance and low interest in participating in BRT and has even led to opposition. Consequently, non-consideration of incumbent operators in the implementation of transit reforms has been one important reason for delay or failure in their introduction. In this study, we identify reasons why paratransit operators resist and show low interest in BRT even in situations where public institutions have opted not to replace them but rather invite them to participate in the reforms. The basis is a case study analysis of four cities with different characteristics and different BRT implementation strategies where paratransit operators showed resistance and low interest to participate. We identify (1) loss of autonomy, flexibility and established practices/routines, (2) financial and economic risk avoidance and (3) lack of trust in governments who initiate reforms as a basis for their resistance and low interest. These findings are theoretically substantiated by organisational management and social psychology concepts that explain resistance to change. Understanding and recognising these reasons may help planners in designing more appropriate strategies for paratransit reforms.     

Measuring community reaction to urban transportation impacts using Von Neumann‐Morgenstern utility theory

This paper attempts to measure the impacts of urban transportation system improvements or changes on the community. The community's perceptions of the impacts are represented by its utilities (or disutilities) over various ranges of values of the multiple attributes representing these impacts. The utility technique used in the evaluation is based upon von Neumann‐Morgenstern (vN‐M, 1947) Utility Theory, and is applied using Raiffa's (1970) Fractile Method.

The paper specifically applies the technique to model the perceptions of five subgroups within a community to the impact of a new light rail transit system that is being incorporated in the transportation system of the City of Calgary.

Results of the modeling indicate explicitly how the community changes its perception over ranges of values of the attributes evaluated. Biases of various subgroups within the community over these attributes are also shown. Statistical tests indicate that aggregated utility perceptions can represent the utility perceptions of the individual subgroups quite reasonably.     

Planning and control of paratransit services in Hong Kong

As paratransit services, Hong Kong's taxis and public light buses (PLB) carried some 30% of the 9.7 million daily public transport boardings in Hong Kong in 1988. Most of the vehicles are individually owned, and services are operated as commercially viable concerns. While operators have a high degree of operational flexibility, taxis and PLBs are closely regulated by the Government. The fleet sizes are controlled by licensing. There is a system of zoning for taxis, and operational prohibitions and restrictions for PLBs. Over the years, Hong Kong has developed some practicable means of operational control on taxis and PLBs. It has been 20 years since PLBs were legalized in 1969. The transition experienced by this mode, from no control to regulated operations, signifies a major step forward from the point of view of transport administration. The Government's participation in the planning for PLB services has guided the development of this mode. In this paper, the planning and control mechanisms for Hong Kong's paratransit modes are introduced. Identified deficiencies are also discussed.     

The effects of planned and unplanned transfers on public transport users' perception of transfer routes

Many authorities are investing in new infrastructure to improve the quality of public transport (PT) services in the hope to increase mode switch from cars. The goal is to provide users with an integrated multimodal PT network by facilitating transfers. There exists a lack in the clarity of the attributes which defines a planned transfer and the effects of planned transfers on users' willingness to use routes with transfers. The present study provides approximate effects of ‘planned’ and ‘unplanned’ transfers on PT users' decisions to use transfer routes. The study focuses on two attributes of ‘planned’ transfers, integrated physical connection of transfers and information integration. A user preference survey was undertaken in Auckland, New Zealand. Analysis of the results shows that physical integration is more important than information integration for current PT users. Results also suggest that information integration has a greater influence on users of transfer services which are more closely aligned to being ‘unplanned’.     

Bike Share: A Synthesis of the Literature

This paper begins by providing an overview of bike share programs, followed by a critical examination of the growing body of literature on these programs. This synthesis of previous works, both peer-reviewed and gray, includes an identification of the current gaps in knowledge related to the impacts of bike sharing programs. This synthesis represents a critically needed evaluation of the current state of global bike share research, in order to better understand, and maximize the effectiveness of current and future programs. Several consistent themes have emerged within the growing body of research on bike share programs. Firstly, the importance bike share members place on convenience and value for money appears paramount in their motivation to sign up and use these programs. Secondly, and somewhat counter intuitively, scheme members are more likely to own and use private bicycles than nonmembers. Thirdly, users demonstrate a greater reluctance to wear helmets than private bicycle riders and helmets have acted as a deterrent in jurisdictions in which helmets are mandatory. Finally, and perhaps most importantly from a sustainable transport perspective, the majority of scheme users are substituting from sustainable modes of transport rather than the car.     

Mapping minibuses in Maputo and Nairobi: engaging paratransit in transportation planning in African cities

ABSTRACT

Often called paratransit because of their flexible stops, schedules and routes, minibuses make up the bulk of public transport in African cities. Despite their ubiquity and importance, these systems are poorly understood by transportation planners who tend to focus on large-scale urban infrastructure projects such as highways, commuter rail or bus rapid transit systems. The assumption within much of this planning is that these minibus systems are barriers to change and will become at most secondary “feeder” buses within large-scale projects, but structured plans detailing this vision are lacking. This paper argues that frequent failure to collect data and value important paratransit systems as a critical part of transportation in their own right is deeply problematic from the point of view of equity, access and inclusive and effective planning. We ask whether the growing number of bottom up mapping projects of minibus systems can disrupt this status quo. By comparing two mapping projects, Digital Matatus in Nairobi and the Mapa Dos Chapas in Maputo, we find that inclusive, collaborative mapping can help render these minibuses more visible in planning and provoke more grounded and inclusive “planning conversations” on multi-modal integration, passenger information and minibus upgrading, all key but relatively marginalised aspects of creating accessible, low emission, high quality and safe public transport in African cities.     

Analyzing commuter train user behavior: a decision framework for access mode and station choice

The purpose of the current research effort is to develop a framework for a better understanding of commuter train users’ access mode and station choice behavior. Typically, access mode and station choice for commuter train users is modeled as a hierarchical choice with access mode being considered as the first choice in the sequence. The current study proposes a latent segmentation based approach to relax the hierarchy. In particular, this innovative approach simultaneously considers two segments of station and access mode choice behavior: Segment 1—station first and access mode second and Segment 2—access mode first and station second. The allocation to the two segments is achieved through a latent segmentation approach that determines the probability of assigning the individual to either of these segments as a function of socio-demographic variables, level of service (LOS) parameters, trip characteristics, land-use and built environment factors, and station characteristics. The proposed latent segment model is estimated using data from an on-board survey conducted by the Agence Métropolitaine de Transport for commuter train users in Montreal region. The model is employed to investigate the role of socio-demographic variables, LOS parameters, trip characteristics, land-use and built environment factors, and station characteristics on commuter train user behavior. The results indicate that as the distance from the station by active forms of transportation increases, individuals are more likely to select a station first. Young persons, females, car owners, and individuals leaving before 7:30 a.m. have an increased propensity to drive to the commuter train station. The station model indicates that travel time has a significant negative impact on station choice, whereas, presence of parking and increased train frequency encourages use of the stations.     

Using Focus and NomiNal Group Techniques for a Better Understanding of the Transit Disadvantaged Needs

The research presented in this paper explores the context, method, and value of focus group research in transit needs assessments. Group participatory research can generate data that are not easily obtained by other methods. The paper focuses on lessons from three Nebraska communities whose transit disadvantaged rely on community-based paratransit services. Because of the size of the paratransit population and the inability to control who showed up to the focus group sessions, a modified group research protocol was adopted in order to garner information from whomever attended the session. The population parameters and the number of people at the meetings were anticipated by the researchers and mitigated by incorporating nominal group techniques. Research findings from the focus group sessions are discussed paying particular attention to the candid and policy-specific comments made by the focus group participants. The paper concludes with an application of focus group research in transit planning.     

Transit pricing research

Several decades of research on transit pricing have provided clear insights into how riders respond to price changes in both the transit and automobile sectors. For the most part, riders are insensitive to changes in either fare levels, structures, or forms of payments, though this varies considerably among user groups and operating environments. Since riders are approximately twice as sensitive to changes in travel time as they are to changes in fares, a compelling argument can be made for operating more premium quality transit services at higher prices. Such programs could be supplemented by vouchers and concessionary programs to reduce the burden of higher fares on low-income users. Also, cross-elasticity research suggests that higher automobile prices would have a significantly greater affect on ridership than lower fares. Most research on transit fare structures shows that the common practice of flat fares is highly inequitable, penalizing short-distance and off-peak users. Free fare programs have proven quite costly for each new transit user attracted and have rarely lured motorists to transit. Free fares limited to downtowns have been more successful than systemwide free fare programs. While prepayment schemes have met with success in the U.S. and Europe, honor fares have suffered from excessive revenue losses in at least one case in the U.S. Some of the more noteworthy fare policy successes in North America have been Bridgeport's combined pass-fare program, Allentown's deep discounts, Ottawa's major fare reduction and differentiation, and Columbus's substantial midday discount. As paratransit and other new transit alternatives to conventional bus continue to emerge, new, more differentiated fare practices can be expected in the future.     

Multiclass fuzzy user equilibrium with endogenous membership functions and risk‐taking behaviors

Over the last decades, several approaches have been proposed in the literature to incorporate users' perceptions of travel costs, their bounded rationality, and risk‐taking behaviors into network equilibrium modeling for traffic assignment problem. While theoretically advanced, these models often suffer from high complexity and computational cost and often involve parameters that are difficult to estimate. This study proposes an alternative approach where users' imprecise perceptions of travel times are endogenously constructed as fuzzy sets based on the probability distributions of random link travel times. Two decision rules are proposed accordingly to account for users' heterogeneous risk‐taking behaviors, that is, optimistic and pessimistic rules. The proposed approach, namely, the multiclass fuzzy user equilibrium, can be formulated as a link‐based variational inequality model. The model can be solved efficiently, and parameters involved can be either easily estimated or treated as factors for calibration against observed traffic flow data. Numerical examples show that the proposed model can be solved efficiently even for a large‐scale network of Mashhad, Iran, with 2538 links and 7157 origin–destination pairs. The example also illustrates the calibration capability of the proposed model, highlighting that the model is able to produce much more accurate flow estimates compared with the Wardropian user equilibrium model. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

International experience with speed limits during and prior to the energy crisis of 1973–4

This paper presents an artificial neural network (ANN) based method for estimating route travel times between individual locations in an urban traffic network. Fast and accurate estimation of route travel times is required by the vehicle routing and scheduling process involved in many fleet vehicle operation systems such as dial‐a‐ride paratransit, school bus, and private delivery services. The methodology developed in this paper assumes that route travel times are time‐dependent and stochastic and their means and standard deviations need to be estimated. Three feed‐forward neural networks are developed to model the travel time behaviour during different time periods of the day‐the AM peak, the PM peak, and the off‐peak. These models are subsequently trained and tested using data simulated on the road network for the City of Edmonton, Alberta. A comparison of the ANN model with a traditional distance‐based model and a shortest path algorithm is then presented. The practical implication of the ANN method is subsequently demonstrated within a dial‐a‐ride paratransit vehicle routing and scheduling problem. The computational results show that the ANN‐based route travel time estimation model is appropriate, with respect to accuracy and speed, for use in real applications.     

Mobilizing meanings of mobility: car users’ constructions of the goods and bads of car use

When car users’ are questioned about the advantages and disadvantages of car use the focus should not be on what they say, but on how they present their arguments to the interviewer. This paper shows such arguments can differ in kind. Swedish car users present the advantages––such as ‘time-saving’––by referring to personal and direct experience. The disadvantages are of two kinds. Some are related to direct experience, such as ‘costs’. Some are made credible by reference to public discourse, notably ‘environmental degradation’. This indicates that the facts about the advantages and environmental impacts are constructed in different ways. Facts about the advantages and some of the disadvantages are constructed in a direct and unreflexive way, situated in practical actions, and leave little room for negotiation. Facts about environmental impacts are constructed by others in a distanced and reflexive process, situated in laboratories, etc. Car users adopt these facts through various media. While the arguments on the advantages of car use are presented as unquestionable and absolute, scientific facts about the negative effects of car use are presented as relative and negotiable. This should be seen as a possible explanation why people do not reduce their own car use, although they say that car use in general ought to be limited.     

Use of third-party logistics services by large US manufacturers in 1997 and comparisons with previous years

The use of third-party logistics services by large US manufacturers continues to grow. Increasingly, those services are used to support international sourcing and sales activities. Use of these services is often triggered by specific events such as a corporate restructuring, a top management change or a benchmarking effort. Nearly two-thirds of users report they experienced significant impediments in implementing third-party agreements. After starting conservatively, the typical user buys a wide variety of logistics services. Users generally report that buying logistics services has had a positive impact on their organizations, particularly with respect to logistics costs and customer service. However, many also report negative impact on employee morale linked to downsizing the logistics workforce. More than two-thirds of users report cancelling at least one-third-party logistics contract. Nevertheless, if given complete responsibility to make the decision, >70% of users would increase their companies' use of such services.