People want to get from A to B as quickly as possible, according to research into the desires of the travelling public. The shorter the door to door journey, the better. Regarding public transport use, passengers do not spend the majority of their travel time on the tram, bus or train; rather, most of their time is spent travelling to and from stops (the so-called access and egress time), and waiting and changing lines.
A frequent-service network
The government wants public transport to be more centered around passengers.
But… what exactly do passengers want?
Research has shown that most people above all want to get from A to B as quickly as possible. The shorter the journey from door to door, the better.
Much of the door-to-door journey time is actually time passengers spend off the tram, bus or train:
Travelling to and from the stop, or so-called access and egress time... plus the time spent waiting and changing lines.
To reduce the total journey time, there are two ways of spreading the available vehicles over a given area.
One option is ‘dense’: more lines and stops, but the bus or tram travels less frequently. [...] That means a shorter distance to the stop… but longer waiting times.
The other option is ‘frequent’: fewer lines and stops but the bus or tram travels more often. So there’s less waiting time, but you have to leave earlier to get to the stop.
Research has shown that passengers prefer the second option: less waiting time. Because waiting time […] passes […] slowly!
Passengers prove to be willing to travel further to stops where public transport passes more frequently.
They just walk a little further, go by bike or even travel by skateboard.
It’s easier to plan the journey, because the bus… will arrive soon anyway!
In addition, fewer stops means less stopping… so passengers reach their destination faster.
And if the service is more frequent, you have fewer worries about being on time for your connection.
Moreover, stops on a frequent service are used more intensively. So it becomes more attractive to invest in things like bicycle parking facilities. Making the journey even more pleasant.
Finally, a frequent-service network also combines well with trends such as electric bikes, taxi-sharing and self-driving cars – all of which take care of a ‘dense’ transportation network!
Are there no drawbacks whatsoever?
Yes, there are.
For people who have difficulty walking, some 6% of the Dutch population, those additional meters to the stop can be problematic.
For that reason they already make use of alternatives such as personalized ridesharing or door-to-door services.
Above all, this type of frequent-service network is more than just a theoretical reality. Berlin has already demonstrated this. Since 2004, 26 so-called ‘MetroBuses’ have been in service. These buses arrive every ten minutes – or more frequently! Services on infrequently used lines have been reduced or terminated.
The result?
The objective was 2% more passengers and a 3% cost reduction. This was accomplished. There were 30% more passengers on the MetroBus services. And because the network as a whole became more attractive, other services expanded too.
In other words, frequent is the choice for the public transport passenger of the future!