Does service reliability influence transit patronage? Evidence from Los Angeles, and implications for transit policy
Sandip Chakrabarti and
Genevieve Giuliano
No 9297, Working Paper from USC Lusk Center for Real Estate
Abstract:
This paper explores whether service reliability determines transit patronage. Using a unique historical archive of service supply, performance, and patronage data from the Los Angeles Metro bus and rail system, we analyze whether service reliability explains in part the variation in patronage across transit lines during weekday peak and off-peak periods. By estimating a simple single-stage model of transit line patronage, and a simultaneous equations model to address the recognized endogeneity between transit service supply and consumption, we provide conclusive evidence that service reliability is indeed a significant determinant of peak-period patronage. This means that, all else equal, more reliable transit lines can attract more patrons across their service corridors as they are chosen over alternate lines and competing modes. Our paper presents first empirical evidence on the demand for transit service reliability. Results suggest that transit agencies can expect some system-wide patronage gains from reliability improvements. From a policy perspective, reliability investments may be cost-effective means for increasing productivity of transit lines and systems.
Keywords: Public transportation; Transit service reliability; Public transit policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-pbe, nep-tre and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:
Downloads: (external link)
http://lusk.usc.edu/sites/default/files/LUSK-paper ... barti_Apr-9-2014.pdf (application/pdf)
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:luk:wpaper:9297
Access Statistics for this paper
More papers in Working Paper from USC Lusk Center for Real Estate Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Steins ().