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Quality indicators for bus information system users
Murilo Lessi Machado Torres São Paulo State University (UNESP), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering murilolmtorres@gmail.com
Barbara Stolte Bezerra São Paulo State University (UNESP), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering barbarabezerra@feb.unesp.br
Nathália Perroca São Paulo State University (UNESP) gusmanzato@feb.unesp.br
Marcelo Henrique Benites Ciani de Carvalho Oliveira São Paulo State University (UNESP), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering marcelobciani@gmail.com
Anna Silvia Palcheco Peixoto São Paulo State University (UNESP), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering anna@feb.unesp.br
Gustavo Garcia Manzato São Paulo State University (UNESP), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering gusmanzato@feb.unesp.br
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8 CONGRESSO LUSO-BRASILEIRO PARA O PLANEAMENTO URBANO, REGIONAL, INTEGRADO E SUSTENTÁVEL (PLURIS 2018) Cidades e Territórios - Desenvolvimento, atratividade e novos desafios Coimbra - Portugal, 24, 25 e 26 de outubro de 2018
QUALITY INDICATORS FOR BUS INFORMATION SYSTEM USERS M. L. M.Torres, B. S. Bezerra, N. Perroca, M. H. B. C. Oliveira, A. S. P. Peixoto, G. G.Manzato
ABSTRACT In order to be an attractive option, public transit needs to have some requirements such as accessibility, safety, reliability, among others. It is in this context that the User Information System fits in, to be responsible for transmitting to public transport users the necessary information so they can make a smooth and trustful travel. In addition, a good information system collaborates to attract new users, reducing the dependence of individual transport. The paper presents the results of the characterization and analysis of quality indicators focusing on the information system for public transport by bus in the city of Bauru/SP. It also analyzed the tools adopted for the provision of information to users by the company responsible for the public transit in Bauru, which were implemented from 2014. 1 INTRODUCTION Urban mobility is an attribute of cities that refers to the ease and availability of movements of people and goods in urban space, by both motorized and non-motorized modes. In Brazil, the Federal Law Number 12.587 / 2012 guarantees the right to urban mobility, as well as defines the guidelines of the federal urban mobility policy. Cities play an important role in the various relations of exchange of goods and services, culture and knowledge among their inhabitants, but this is only possible if there are adequate conditions of mobility for people, so it is evident the importance of improvements related to mobility in cities. In the preface of the book “Public Transport” (Transporte Público Urbano) by Ferraz and Torres (2004), the governor of the State of Sao Paulo/Brazil, Dr. Geraldo Alckmin mentioned the importance of public transport for mobility and urban traffic systems, and reducing congestion, reduction of emission levels of polluting gases in metropolitan areas. He also pointed to the social aspect of public transport since it is the only motorized mode accessible to the low-income population; and democratic aspect, since public transport is often the only form of transportation for those who do not own automobiles, cannot or do not want to drive. In order to public transportation be an attractive option for users of this system, it has to meet certain requirements, including accessibility, quality of service, safety, well-defined schedules and time information for each bus stop (Schweiger, 2011). These requirements can be improved by using the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). The objective of ITSs used in transportation systems is to act directly and effectively in increasing safety, improving operation control, increasing transportation productivity, reducing delays, congestion and the emission of pollutants in vehicle traffic, among others (Ferraz and
Torres, 2004). The application of ITS in the information system for public transport users is closely related to the exposure of information in real time. Due to this fact, access to the internet and the use of smartphones play a fundamental role in this process. The widespread use of the internet and smartphones enables the personalized dissemination of information about various modes of public transport, through mobile apps and information made available on websites. The use of more advanced methods for disseminating information has increased users reliability on public transport, which in turn can contribute to increasing the number of users and improve the relationship between transport agencies and the population (Alver and Mizokami, 2007). 2 LITERATURE REVIEW When discussing the quality of public transport it should be considered the level of satisfaction of all those involved directly or indirectly in the system: users, community, government, workers and stakeholders. In order to achieve quality in public transport, it is essential that everyone involved in the system have clear objectives, know their rights and obligations, and know how to carry out their tasks and actions efficiently and with quality. As important as knowing your own goals, rights and obligations is to know those of others involved in the system (Ferraz and Torres, 2004). It is necessary to keep in mind that quality sustainability is achieved through the rational and balanced satisfaction of all those involved, since the dissatisfaction of any group leads to the imbalance of the system (drop in demand, loss of quality, loss of efficiency, among others). According to Ferraz and Torres (2004), the quality factors for the users are: accessibility, frequency of service, travel time, capacity, reliability, safety, vehicle characteristics, road conditions and information systems. The analysis of the quality of this last factor comprises the objective of this research. There are two types of information that can be made available to users: the basic type, which is essential for users to utilize the system; the convenient one, which facilitates the use of the system. The main forms of information to the public transport system are detailed as follows (Ferraz and Torres, 2004): Information on the vehicles: the main information that needs to be displayed is the number and name of the line, destination, main places where it passes, and the value of the current fare. Usually, on the upper side, information about routes, connections with other lines or modes, etc. are placed; Information at bus stops: in these places it is important to show the numbers and names of the lines that pass through, the schedules and / or service intervals of the fastest lines. Information at the stations / terminals: the information that should be placed in these locations comprises the station / terminal number and name, schedules or intervals between vehicles, map of lines with stations / terminals and indication of the connection sites between the stations / terminals, lines, etc. Information printed on leaflets: information of the timetables and routes of the lines (maps) printed on leaflets to be distributed are of great use to the users;
Telephone information: it is very important for the population to make available a specific telephone line, with a free call to provide information about the transportation system; Internet information: with the dissemination of the use of computers and smartphones, it is also important to make available, through the Internet, the main information about public transportation in the city, such as schedules and itineraries of the lines as well as the general map of the system; Information by the media: in some situations, such as the opening of a new line, the adoption of a new ticketing system, etc., it is important to disseminate information through the most common communication agencies such as television, radio, newspapers, etc.
The dissemination and exposure of these types of information occurs in a variety of ways and in different locations: in vehicles, at bus stops, at stations, at terminals, at personal call centers and/or by telephone, at users' homes, on the streets, among others. With the advancement of the ITS concept and the increase in the use of smartphone, other ways to expose this information have emerged, from websites to smartphone programs, capable of providing, among other relevant information, the location of the vehicle, time of arrival and departure and routes. 2.1.Classification of user information systems User information systems provide travelers with information about one or more modes of transportation, facilitating decision-making before or during travel. In the last decades, the use of new methods for capturing and transmitting information, has enabled user information systems to provide real-time information such as arrival and departure times and even vehicle delays through different means (panels, smartphones, content made available via the web, among others). According to Casey et al. (1998), the information systems can be classified according to three different objectives regarding the user interface: Pre-Travel Information/ Pre-Boarding Information systems made available before the trip are able to reduce the uncertainties related to the arrival times of vehicles and their routes. Doubts about this information are widely used as justification for the not using public transport services. Providing accurate and periodic information to all potential users before their travels, assists in their decision-making regarding routes, transfers and schedules. Information at the terminals and / or bus stop Terminals and bus stops can provide a wide range of information to users, such as arrival and departure times, information on connections and transfers, and more. Information on the vehicles In addition to the static information commonly provided through itinerary boxes, employees and electronic panels with line name (or number) and stops are those inside the vehicle. This kind of information is useful to users who are already on their routes. Several transportation agencies in the United States use a combination of audiovisual tools to inform passengers about the next stop, major intersections, and transfer points, among others.
2.2. Analysis of the components of the User Information System In a publication for the CERTU (Center for Studies on Networks, Transport, Urban Planning and Public Construction) by Gouin et al. (1998) information from a study conducted in different locations in France was analyzed, making it possible to identify the nature of the information transmitted to users, as well as where this information is made available and how it is transmitted. According to this study, the analysis of the Information System should be done based on four questions: "What? How? Where? When?", that are describe as follows. "What": What is the character of the information communicated to the user?
(a) General information about the network: related to the general characteristics of the network, in the medium or long term. The information can be related to the operation of the network, travel times, service frequencies, ticket sales locations and fare values; (b) Service identification: the service identification includes a certain number of information, which the network must carry out its exposure as a stop name, name and number of lines, destination, etc; (c) Timetable; (d) Fares: information regarding the charging of the offered service, providing price of the tickets, fare zones (when they exist) and discounts or promotions. "Where": Where can the user access the information?
Usually the information is made available at stops or stations, in vehicles, in guides and informative folders, or at booths and customer services through the internet and telephone. The place where the information is made available is related to the available technology. "How": How is the Information communicated to the user?
In order to communicate the information to the user it is necessary to understand the different states of the information, that is, its detection and supply conditions, which can be classified as: Static, which does not change in the short term, and it is not able to react to sudden changes in the system related to the current state; and Dynamic, which involves continuous detection of the state performed through the system itself, so the provision of punctual information is valid for the most current state. For Dynamic it is assumed that the availability of information occurs permanently (SCHEIN, 2003). “When": When is the information disseminated?
Information that does not change in the short term, such as information on schedule times and route / map of the system, are made available at fixed locations, such as bus stops or vehicles. Therefore, such information is available at all times despite not transmitting the actual situation of the system. However, the use of ITS technologies enables updated information on arrival and departure times, location of the desired vehicle, routes, among others, to be passed on to users in real time and continually updated to facilitate the use of the system. 3. METHOD Through literature review, a list of variables was compiled to elaborate a questionnaire aimed at identifying the main variables related to the quality of public transport
information system in the city. This questionnaire contained open questions related to what information participants would judge important at different stages of their travels; and closed questions to measure the use of information tools made available by the company responsible for the public transport. The elaboration of the questionnaire followed the survey method. The analysis of the data collected through the open questions was performed using software NVivo. Generally, the survey method consists of obtaining information on the characteristics, actions or opinions of a sample of the target population, usually through the application of questionnaires (Pinsonneault and Kraemer, 1993). The surveys have three distinct characteristics. First, the purpose of the survey is to describe aspects of the sample under study. Second, the main way to collect data is through structured and pre-defined questions. The answers to these questions are the data to be analyzed. Third, the information is usually collected from a fraction of the population being analyzed, but it is collected in a way that allows the generalization of the results for the entire population (Babbie, 2003). 3.1. Structuring the Questionnaires The questionnaire was carried out with the objective of capturing the main variables related to the User Information System and their impact on the quality of the system and its use. The main variables are presented in Table 1. Table 1 Main variables for travel information Stage of travel
Variable (Information)
Source
Schedules Itineraries Pre-trip (Casey et al., 1998)
Network Map
Ferraz (2004)
Routes Points of interest in the route Fares
Casey et al. (1998)
Bus Stop/ Terminal Identification Line Identification Terminals/Bus stop (Casey et al., 1998)
Schedules/Service Intervals
Ferraz (2004)
Network Map Connections and Transfers Real-time Information
Silva (2000)
Line Identification Destination Main stops along the route Vehicles (Casey et al., 1998)
Ferraz (2004)
Itineraries Bus Stops Stop Notification
Casey et al. (1998)
Transfer Points Points of Interest (hospitals, parks)
Gouin et al. (1998)
To characterize the sample subjects, the first part of the questionnaire consists of closed questions elaborated to obtain personal information, such as: age, sex and education,
possession of a driver’s license and Smartphone, and frequency of use of the bus transportation system in Bauru. At the end of the section, for respondents who reported not using public transport, an open-ended question was elaborated to understand the reason for that, in order to collect data on what could make the public transport system more attractive. The main questions are presented in Table 2. Table 2 Main questions in the first section of the questionnaire for travel information Questionnaire 1 - Main Questions How often do you use the public transport? What is the reason for your displacement? Why do you not use the public transport? What information is important before starting the trip? What information is important at the bus stops and terminals? What information is important inside the vehicles? What information is important outside the vehicles?
The second section of the questionnaire has open and closed questions, elaborated based on the literature review. The questions were ordered following the three stages of the trip, or according to the three objectives of the User Information Systems, which are pre-boarding, terminals/bus stops and vehicles. The closed questions were aimed at measuring the use of tools made available by Transurb (bus operator company in Bauru) in its website, QR Code, Moovit application and telephone service. The open questions aimed at collecting data directly from the respondents, through questions related to what information the participants thought would be important in these three different moments of the trip. The questionnaires were implemented using Google Forms. The main questions are presented in Table 3. Table 3 Main questions in the second section of the questionnaire for travel information Questionnaire 2 - Main Questions Evaluate the importance of the Transurb Website to obtain trip information Evaluate the importance of the "Seu ônibus online" tool to obtain trip information Evaluate the importance of the "Moovit" app to obtain trip information Evaluate the importance of the bus system map at the bus stops and terminals Evaluate the importance of the identification of the lines that serve the bus stop Evaluate the importance of the schedules/route frequency of the lines that serve the bus stop Evaluate the importance of the identification of the line inside and outside the vehicle Evaluate the importance of the line destination in the vehicle Evaluate the importance of the presence of the route information in the vehicle Evaluate the importance of the presence of bus stop information in the vehicle Evaluate the importance of the presence of the line itinerary in the vehicle The second section of the first questionnaire contained open questions. For the analysis of this section, it was necessary to code the answers, as suggested by Babbie (2003). To this end, the data obtained were selected and analyzed through the Software QSR NVivo. Also,
an Average Ranking was calculated based on the frequency values for each question using the Likert Scale of five categories, ranging from not important to very important. 4. RESULTS The analysis of the data from the first questionnaire was performed based on 122 responses. The results are presented in two stages. The first stage presents the results obtained from the user’s personal opinions (first section of the questionnaire). The second stage presents the results obtained through NVivo, which is shown in Table 4. The personal information questions enabled the identification of the main characteristics of the participants. The results and their respective percentages will be presented next. The participants' age ranged from 20 to 24 years (32%) and up to 19 years (30%). Regarding their education, 51% reported having higher education in progress and 32% higher education completed. Other characteristics of the participants are: 60% declared to be male and 40% female; 74% reported having a driver's license; 37% have cars or motorcycles, only 9% have children; 94% have Smartphone; and 74% use public transport, with 27% using public transportation up to 5 times a week. As to the reason for the displacement, "work" (75%) and "study" (12%) were predominant. Among the people who declared that they did not use public transportation, 30% did not use it because they owned their own vehicles and 21% due to travel time. Regarding where participants get information before starting the trip, 71% stated they use the Transurb website and 22% use the Moovit application. On the Transurb website, the most demanded types of information were “operating hours” (60%) and “route” (18%). Regarding users’ preferred means of information communication, the Transurb website (56%) and the Moovit app (28%) were the most cited. As for the means of communication which should receive more investments, the results pointed to the Transurb website (38%) and Moovit app (32%). The information most demanded at each stage of the travel process, based on the frequency analysis of each of the following questions: "What information is important before starting the journey?", "What information is important at bus stops?”, “What information is important inside the vehicle?" and "What information is important on the outside of the vehicle?" are presented in Table 4. Table 4 Structure of an Information System and frequency of citations in the questionnaire Primary Level (Stage)
Pre-trip
Terminals/Bus stop
Vehicles
Secondary Level (Place) Transurb Website Moovit App Bus stop Flyers Panels Information Centers Monitors
Itinerary Employees Panels
Tertiary Level (Information) Timetable (45.8%) Route (17.2%) Travel time (8.3%) Itinerary (7.9%) Schedules (35.4%) Lines (17.0%) Network Map (16.5%) Itinerary (8.0%) Inside the Vehicle Bus Stops (15.4%) Schedule (14.7%) Route (14.7%) Itinerary (10.5%)
Outside the Vehicle Line Information (38.6%) Route (15.6%) Main stops (11.7%) Destination (5.6%)
In pre-trip information, the timetables in the Transurb website were the most relevant information for the users, followed by the route feature available in the Moovit app. In terminals and bus stops, the most relevant information is schedules, followed by lines and network map information. The types of information inside the vehicles that had more relevance, and are almost equally distributed, are bus stops information, schedule and route. The most relevant information outside the vehicle is the line information, followed by the route and main stops. The ranking of the most important information for the bus system at the vehicle and bus stops was obtained in the second questionnaire, as shown in Table 5. The ranking for the information system importance was also obtained, and the results are shown in Table 6. Table 5 Ranking regarding information importance Type of Information Line destination outside the vehicle Schedules/ route frequency of the lines at the bus stops Identification of the lines that stop at the bus stops Identification of the line inside the vehicle Bus stops identification Route information inside the vehicle Map of the bus system at the bus stop Bus stops information inside the vehicle
Ranking 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
Table 6 – Ranking regarding information system importance Information system Transurb site for trip information “Moovit” app for trip information “Call center” for trip information “Seu Ônibus Online” tool for trip information
Ranking 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
The line destination outside the vehicle is the most relevant information, followed by schedules/route frequency of the lines at bus stops, identification of the lines that stop at the bus stops, bus stop identification, route information inside the vehicle, map of the bus system at the bus stop and bus stops information inside the vehicle. Also, the information system that is most relevant for information is the Transurb site, followed by Moovit app, call center and “seu ônibus online” tool. 5. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS This research reached its objective to study, evaluate, and identify the main variables of the User Information System, that is, the information most demanded by users. Based on the analysis of the first questionnaire, a high demand for information regarding the schedules of the lines at the bus stops for pre-trip situations was noticed. This suggests the need to improve and control this type of information in the public transportation system, and make it more easily available, in order to bring security, reliability and convenience to the users. From the second questionnaire, it was possible to rank both the most relevant information at bus stops and vehicles and the importance of each existing information system, allowing operators to invest in the most relevant areas. Further research in this topic is recommended since this research had an exploratory objective.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors would like to thank the Brazilian agencies CNPq and FAPESP grant number 2016/00737-1 for the support received. REFERENCES Babbie, E (2003). Métodos de Pesquisas de Survey. Editora UFMG. Casey, R. F. et al.(1998) Advanced Public Transportation Systems: The State of the Art Update '98. Ferraz, A. C. P.; Torres, E. (2004).Transporte Público Urbano. Editora Rima. Schweiger, C.(2011). TCRP Synthesis 91: Use and Deployment of Mobile Device Technology for Real-Time Transit Information. Transit Cooperative Research Program of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C. Y. Alver, S. Mizokami (2007). Investigating the effects of transit information systems on different user groups. In: Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, 7, 1745–1759.. Gouin et. al. (1998). CERTU – CENTRE D’ÉTUDES SUR LÉS RÉSEAUX DE TRANSPORT ET L’ URBANISME. L’information dês Voyageurs dans lês Transports Collectifs Urbains. Centre d’Études sur lês Reseaux, lês Transports, I’Urbanisme et lês Constructions Publics. Paris. Schein, A. L.(2016) Sistema de Informação ao Usuário como Estratégia de Fidelização e Atração. 2003. 148 f. Dissertação (Mestrado) - Curso de Engenharia De Produção, Universidade Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre,2003. Available in: <http://hdl.handle.net/10183/5010>. Accessed in: 21 ago. 2016 Pinsonneault, A.; Kraemer, K. L. (1993). Survey Research Methodology in Management Information Systems: An Assessment. 30 f. Jounal of Management Information Systems, Volume 10.