The Movingo integrated ticket: seamless connections across the mälardalen region of Sweden

ABSTRACT

The need for improved public transport (PT) ticketing in ever-growing deregulated PT markets has made well-designed integrated ticketing systems a priority area of intervention for PT service providers around the world. Yet, very little practical evidence of its impacts are reported in Sweden and in the world at large. The focus of this study was the impacts of the Movingo integrated ticketing scheme in terms of PT patronage, user satisfaction and the perceived quality of the ticketing set-up. Three travel surveys were conducted along the Stockholm-Uppsala route. Methods including logistic regression and correlated t-tests were used to analyse the samples. The findings suggest that the scheme made rail commuting more attractive resulting in an overall increase of about 24% in ticket sales with 3% – 15% car commuters reporting that they patronised PT services after the project. The scheme also resulted in increased rail commuter satisfaction. The overall perceived quality of the ticketing set-up did not however improve due to interoperability challenges. Service providers’ uncertainty about equitable distribution of revenue among the participating service providers, interoperability challenges and the lack of interest among most of the participating service providers to sell Movingo tickets are some issues to be addressed.     

Do supra-modal traveller types exist? A travel behaviour market segmentation using Goal framing theory

Travel behaviour market segmentations have become a popular method of identifying different types of car users, bicyclists or public transport users. However, while previous studies have looked at different types of users within single modes, such as the car, little research has explored the existence of traveller types transcending modes. The study presented here is an extension of an earlier segmentation study that distinguished travellers based on their individual preferences, yet did so independent of their current mode choice. The data came from a travel survey at a middle-sized UK university and were analysed using a combination of hierarchical and iterative partitioning methods. Crucially, however, the current study uses a different theoretical framework to previous segmentation research—goal framing theory—which may more adequately explain the findings than models used in the past such as the theory of planned behaviour. The findings supported earlier work, suggesting the presence of seemingly stable traveller types that cut across modes and can be distinguished based on gain, hedonic and normative goals. This has important implications for policies aimed at encouraging mode change which may have been too preoccupied with changing people’s attitudes rather than paying attention to people’s underlying travel preferences.

     

Mixed analysis of shell and solid elements using the overlaying mesh method

 This article presents a mixed method of analyzing shell elements and solid elements using the overlaying mesh method. In the structural design of a ship's hull, the shell elements are used for the global model. However, the solid elements are necessary to analyze the stress concentration zones or the vicinity of a crack. In such cases, the models are analyzed using zooming analysis, in which the results of a global model analysis are transferred to a local model analysis by imposing boundary conditions. This method is more advantageous than zooming analysis in terms of the accuracy of the solution and the modeling flexibility. Some examples of a plate model with a cracked surface or with a projection are shown in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. Received: August 6, 2002 / Accepted: November 25, 2002 Address correspondence to: S. Nakasumi (sumi@nasl.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp) Updated from the Japanese original, which won the 2002 SNAJ prize (J Soc Nav Archit Jpn 2001;189:219–224; and 190:655–662)     

Dynamic Simulation of a Smart Crank and Slider Mechanism

In this paper, a smart crank and slider mechanism is analyzed mostly from a dynamic view. By means of dynamic explicit finite element method, 3D nonlinear structure is simulated. It is proved that the mechanism can effectively accomplish smart movement prescribed. And in order to ensure reciprocal movement with higher frequency, measures should be taken to avoid over heating of parts. Compared with internal energy, kinetic energy of total rigid body is dominating, and Y direction equivalent rigid velocity is much higher than X direction velocity. Equivalent rigid velocity of all parts is consistent with respective movement condition. For both energy and velocity, slider effect is dominating. Three direction equivalent inertia force oscillates. Force amplitude in Y -direction is comparitively the greatest.     

Maritime accident investigation and temporal determinants of maritime accidents: A case study

This paper presents the results of an investigation into temporal determinants of maritime accidents based on a data-set obtained from the proceedings of formal inquiries in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). The results show that there is no statistically significant outcome between the probability for an accident and the time of watch. Thus the results do not confirm previous studies, which reported significant time of day effects.The outcome of this study indicates that marine inquiries can provide useful data for an analysis of underlying causes of maritime accidents. It is suggested that accident inquiries should be extended into the area of watch systems employed and should record the hours of work and of rest of the officers on the watch involved in a maritime accident.     

The role of professional associations in shipping

This article is in three parts. The first covers the historical development of qualifying associations. The second covers the particular role of maritime institutions that include The Royal Institution of Naval Architects, The Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology and The Nautical Institute. The third and final section considers the future for maritime professional associations in the context of international shipping.     

The marine electronic highway in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore—an assessment of costs and key benefits

The Straits of Malacca and Singapore are an important trade route linking the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean. They are also rich in resources and support a range of activities that benefit the economies of the littoral states (Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore). This important shipping route is a very congested waterway and the authorities are keen to improve navigation facilities to promote ship safety and reduce the risk of groundings, collisions and accidents. This will also help to protect the marine environment from the effects of pollution and hence reduce its damaging impact on activities related to the Straits, e.g. fisheries and tourism. The Marine Electronic Highway (MEH) is an attempt to bring together maritime safety technologies and environmental management systems. The paper examines the costs of providing such a highway and considers some of the benefits which could accrue from its implementation. The analysis, conducted in the form of a cost-benefit study, clearly shows the economic viability of the scheme.     

The Nigerian shipping industry and indigenous shipping companies

The shipping industry in Nigeria since the early 1990s has been experiencing a continuous disastrous downturn. Nigerian shipping companies' participation in international shipping has continued to be very limited. Their presence and impact is hardly felt in the world's shipping industry. Both the national carriers (that is shipping companies with national carrier status) and other indigenous private shipping companies have vessel as well as management problems. These problems have led to the poor performance of the Nigerian shipping industry for over a decade now. The carriers in the industry are not attaining for the country the gains that are supposed to emanate from shipping. This paper points out the importance of shipping to a nation, identifies the problems the country's shipping companies are facing and proffers solutions that include merging of the companies to have strong financial standing and a competitive edge.     

Acceleration noise and level of service of urban roads - A case study

Capacity measurement of roads under mixed traffic conditions as prevailing in India is ambiguous as it varies with time, composition of traffic and roadway encroachments. High incidence of slow moving vehicles and tricycles adds to the problem. Volume - capacity ratio appears to be an inadequate measure of defining level of service under mixed traffic situations. An attempt is made in this paper to explore the possibility of presenting unconventional parameters like standard deviation of speed, co-efficient of variation of speed and acceleration noise as possible measures of level of service. Tentative ranges of acceleration noise are proposed in association with flow and speed to explain level of service of urban roads catering to mixed traffic. The results are based on a study conducted in Madras, a major metropolitan city of India.     

Ground truthing sediment profile imagery with traditional benthic survey data along an established disturbance gradient

Macrobenthic surveys are an expensive, slow and labour intensive means to establish the health of benthic communities. Sediment profile imagery (SPI) is a means of rapid reconnaissance for monitoring large areas of the benthos. SPI has often been used to monitor gross anthropogenic disturbance. The aim of this study is to determine if SPI can be used as a tool to reliably map change in communities along natural estuarine gradients. Macrobenthic sampling was carried out at five stations along an established estuarine gradient. This faunal data was analysed using standard multivariate techniques and to ground truth a concurrent SPI survey. Faunal analysis showed that habitat quality in Inner Galway Bay was generally good, with some localised disturbance from the River Corrib and the sewage out flow exterior to the city dock. Four distinct groups were identified with a degree of overlap occurring between stations 3 and 4. While existing SPI indices mapped habitat quality in the same manner as the faunal data for end member stations, the level of distinction between the habitats of an intermediate staging was found to be poor. This lack of distinction amongst the stage 2 and 3 stations was overcome by developing a tailored index, the Galway Bay index of habitat quality (GBHQ). This index was derived from the 5 observed variables in the SPI data that were determined to best match the faunal distribution by permutative mantel testing. The 5 observed variables from the SPI data were the depth of the apparent redox potential discontinuity (aRPD), the depth of penetration by the prism, and the presence/absence of infauna, surface faecal pellet layer and biogenic mounding. The GBHQ was able to distinguish between the 5 stations to a greater extent than previously described indices, showing clearly the separate groupings defined by the faunal data. The index was tested on a follow up SPI survey and shown to be applicable in mapping a broader range of habitats in Galway Bay. Indices generated for localised mapping of estuarine gradients should be derived from observed features and be ground truthed using faunal data. Some aspects of the GBHQ should be generally applicable to fine grained boreal estuarine sediments (aRPD/penetration), while others may be of limited utility in other locations depending on the digging characteristics of the particular SPI camera, and local factors influencing the persistence of biogenic features in the profile. This derivation technique provides a simple way to optimise SPI to particular studies and localities.