ROUTE SPECIFIC USER RESPONSE TO COST AND SERVICE CHANGES: A CASE STUDY OF SCHEDULED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS . NATIONAL TRANSPORT CONFERENCE; TRANSPORT FOR THE USERS; MELBOURNE, 23-25 MAY 1989; PREPRINT OF PAPERS

In assessing user response to cost and service changes, demand elasticities are useful tools. Current compilations of demand elasticities, however, are not helpful to scheduled transportation operators. The reason is that the range of an elasticity is too big, and there is no practical guideline to pick an appropriate value within the range. Furthermore, they are often compiled for system wide and average day operations, while most analyses need to be performed on a route by route basis during peak or off peak periods. This paper presents a methodology to address this problem, with the objective of providing demand elasticities that are practical for patronage analyses in an operating agency. Through statistical analyses of spatial/temporal data aggregation, this methodology explains the differences among elasticity tabulations, and in so doing, gains insights into the variations that exist among elasticity values. The results of this research include 1) guidelines to select an appropriate value of elasticity among its broad range of values (instead of simply taking the "average" or "mid point" of the range), 2) a method to convert the most commonly available elasticities (which are usually in aggregate form) to a more useful form such as route specific and time of day specific elasticities. The results have been demonstrated in a case study of the transit system in York, Pennsylvania (a). For the covering record of the conference, see IRRD no 814837.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0858254611
• Corporate Authors:

  Institution of Engineers

  11 National Circuit
  Barton, A.C.T.,   Australia 
• Authors:
  • Chan, Y
• Publication Date: 1989-5

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 122-7
• Serial:
  • Publication of: Australian Road Research Board
  • Issue Number: 89/7
  • Publisher: ARRB
  • ISSN: 1445-4467

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Conferences; Costs; Data collection; Decision making; Demand; Economics; Elasticity (Mechanics); Itinerary; Level of service; Mathematical models; Methodology; Networks; Operators (Persons); Public transit; Time
• Uncontrolled Terms: Operator; Transportation networks; Use
• Geographic Terms: Australia; United States
• Subject Areas: Economics; Finance; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00499479
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• ISBN: 0-85825-461-1
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 1990 12:00AM