Passenger Flow Classification and Spatial Distribution Based on Transfer Time Cost: A Case Study of Xiamen City

Abstract

Implementing preferential policies for bus transfers is an important measure for promoting the development of public transportation. Although public transportation extends the travel time of passengers, the preferential policies reduce the travel costs to a certain extent. On the basis of IC card data of public transport, an income method model was constructed to evaluate the cost of passenger flow transfer time after the implementation of the preferential transfer policy in Xiamen and compare it with the reduced fees due to the policy regulations. To better assess the overall benefit of bus transfer travel, the transfer passenger flow was divided into four categories: transfer zero cost passenger flow, transfer additional cost passenger flow, transfer extra time cost passenger flow, and transfer extra time+cost passenger flow. The spatial distribution characteristics of various types of passenger flow are analyzed from five aspects: station, line, traffic area, density of travel starting and ending points, commuting and non-commuting of travel. With regard to stations, a large number of different types of passenger flowed into the area centered on Yueyang Community. As regards route, No. 24 mainly gathered a large number of different types of passenger flows. As regards transportation areas, numerous different types of passenger flows gathered in the transportation communities around the subway and the island's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines. In terms of OD point density, each station of Rail Line 1 and the BRT stations had large numbers of passengers at the starting or ending points. In terms of commuting and non-commuting behaviors, the activity range of various passenger flows during commuting was smaller, the span was shorter, and the cross-island passenger flow was relatively small. In contrast, the passenger flow during non-commuting behavior showed a more evident cross-island trend, and the span was generally longer. This study devised a new passenger flow classification method to evaluate the effectiveness of a preferential policy for bus transfers. Further, it affords a reference for public transport operators to better comprehend the needs and behaviors of passengers and accordingly formulate more effective policies and measures.

Keywords

• transfer preferential policies
• urban public transport
• income method model
• transfer time cost
• passenger flow classification
• xiamen city