Switching from motorcycle taxi to walking: A case study of transit station access in Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

This study aims to find the factors affecting residents near transit stations within 1000 m, who are referred to as transit-oriented development (TOD) residents, to reduce motorcycle taxi use and encourage walking to stations. These two modes of commuting are the most popular among over 85% of residents. However, motorcycle taxis are the main pedestrian barriers that hinder easy access and walkability in TODs of Bangkok, because they ride, stop, and provide services on sidewalks. From 2013 to 2015, these problems substantially increased the number of motorcycle taxis that are not willing and able to follow the rules. The increasing number of pedestrian accidents on sidewalks is related to the increase in the number of motorcycle taxis. According to a survey on pedestrian safety with 249 respondents, over 25% of walkers feel unsafe to walk, while 40% of motorcycle-taxi users riding to stations do not walk because they are afraid of accidents. In modal split, the share of walking reduces from 76% for areas < 500 m, to 25% for areas between 500 and 1000 m from transit stations, respectively. Hence, the number of motorcycle taxis in the 500–1000 m range is twice as high compared to that within the 500 m area. If motorcycle taxi users would accept a longer walking distance to station by 36 m or would be willing to walk to the station within 9.15 min, 54% of them may switch to walking to stations. Moreover, based on the estimation results of the logistic regression models, middle-adult aged residents, office employees, residents owning a car, and people living far from stations are less likely to walk. Average income households and commuters during non-peak hours tend to use motorcycle taxis more. On the other hand, residents living far from stations tend to use motorcycle taxis less, because most of the motorcycle taxi services are located near transit stations. Keywords: Transit accessibility, Pedestrian, Walkability, Motorcycle taxi, TOD resident, Transit-oriented development