Introduction
Part of the early phases of the OptiPEx project is about establishing passenger needs for passenger-aware on-board services. In the spirit of the project’s approach to inclusivity, two methodologies were implemented to establish the perspectives, preferences, and expectations of different stakeholders regarding public transportation: focus groups and survey. The results of these methods will now be used to inform the development of basic service concepts. These are the initial innovations that the project will be proposing in its attempt to improve the experience of public transport for all. In this article, the results of the surveys will be discussed.
Methodology
Group work was carried out at the project kick-off meeting Tampere to identify questions for each of the basic relevant dimensions of the use of public transportation and to consider the type of passenger involved. Once the basic set of survey questions were obtained, they were refined to avoid redundant questions or questions and those that were far from the fundamental objective of the project. A adequate time was also set to respond to the online survey (about 10 minutes maximum), and a pilot test was carried out to obtain this response time.
The survey responses were obtained by means of Bilendi, while the instrument used to collect the responses was QuestBack. Bilendi was responsible for obtaining a representative sample in the four countries under study (Austria, Finland, Germany, and Spain), ensuring that this sample was distributed in a balanced way (at least in terms of gender parity), and complying with data protection and anonymisation criteria. Starting from the QuestBack platform, VTT supervised the design of the data collection structure of the survey, the translations from English to local languages, and distributed the original mass of data collected to the rest of the project participants. The survey was structured in two fundamental parts: (1) the respondent’s profile, and (2) the six main dimensions of the public transport experience identified (comfort, accessibility, safety, responsiveness, convenience, and tourist use).
General Overview of Survey Results
The findings from the survey indicate that public transportation services are performing well across all evaluated dimensions, with no evidence of critical shortcomings. However, there remains scope for improvement, as most questions elicited the “neutral” response option, indicating neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction. This neutrality highlights opportunities to enhance user experiences and foster stronger positive perceptions.
The study of results then zoomed into specific public transport user profiles, to see how these factors predict their frequency of use. The analyses of profile differences revealed significant differences across multiple profile variables, showing that the frequency of public transport use varies based on sample characteristics. What follows is a discussion of these differences.
Public Transport Use Patterns Based on User Profiles
To start, differences in public transport use were observed by education level. Participants with primary studies reported lower scores on public transport use than those with secondary studies and university studies. Similarly, participants with vocational studies scored lower than those with secondary or university education. Household income was another important factor, with participants earning between €1,000 and €3,000 reporting higher use on public transport use than those earning more than €3,000.
Mobility disabilities were also shown to be related to specific public transport use patterns, as participants without mobility disabilities reported higher use levels than compared to those with mobility disabilities. Regarding the type of public transportation most used, bus users had lower scores than tram users and metro users, while train users reported the lowest scores. Public transport use also varied across countries. Participants in Spain reported the highest scores, while Austria and Germany had moderate scores, and Finland reported the lowest scores.
The purpose of commuting was also linked to public transport use frequency. Users travelling for work, studies, or errands reported higher scores compared to those not using public transport for these purposes. In contrast, users commuting for leisure and sports had lower scores than users not commuting for this reason.
Autonomous transport usage was strongly associated with public transport frequency, with participants who used autonomous options consistently reported higher scores than non-users. Specifically, train users and tram users had higher scores than their non-user counterparts. Similarly, bus, metro, car, and taxi users reported higher frequencies compared to non-users. Interestingly, participants who responded “No/I don’t know” had lower scores than those who provided an affirmative response.
Smartphone habits also seem to play a key role in public transport use patterns. Participants using their smartphones for phoning reported lower scores on public transport use compared to those who did not. In contrast, social media users and those using smartphones for games and entertainment scored higher on public transport use than non-users.
Finally, significant differences were observed in the use of mobile applications for public transportation. Participants using these applications reported lower scores compared to non-users. A Pearson correlation was conducted to examine the relationship between age and public transport use frequency, the analysis of which revealed a significant negative correlation, indicating that as age increased, the frequency of public transport use decreased.
In summary, frequent public transport users tend to be younger and are more likely to have higher education levels, moderate incomes, and no mobility disabilities. They often use trams or metros as their preferred mode of public transport, live in Spain, and primarily travel for work or studies. Additionally, they have experience with autonomous taxis or trams, use their smartphones for games and entertainment and to follow social media, and rely on applications for public transportation.
Conclusion
The results of this study offer invaluable information to guide public transportation service providers in implementing measures to improve service quality. By addressing user needs and leveraging the strengths that were identified, the findings of this survey provide a clear roadmap for targeted actions that can enhance the overall user experience and increase satisfaction. This evidence-based approach ensures that OptiPEx’s efforts are directed toward the most impactful areas, fostering continuous improvement and better alignment with user expectations.
