Public Transit Network Connectivity: Spatial-Based Performance Indicators

The service reliability of public transit operations is gaining increased attention as agencies face immediate problems in providing credible service and attempting to reduce operational cost. Unreliable service has been cited as the major deterrent element for existing and potential passengers. Because most public transit attributes are of a stochastic nature—travel time, dwell time, demand, and so forth—the passenger is likely to experience unplanned waiting and riding times. Missed transfers are major contributors to the reliability issues of any transit system; therefore, this work focuses on the connectivity of the transit network with the reliability and comfort of transfers in multilegged trips. Because of the physical and spatial characteristics of the transit routes, it is possible to categorize the transfers into three types: nonadjacent transfer points, adjacent transfer points, and shared transfer points. Each type of transfer contributes differently to the degree of connectivity of the transit system. On the basis of transit network of routes, spatial-based performance indicators are introduced and defined. That is followed by results of a case study of the transit networks of two Israeli midsize cities.