Measuring the effect of new modes & crowding in Manchester

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) runs a model of public transport in Manchester to help plan and evaluate their public transport service provision.

This model recognises three travel modes (bus, rail, tram). TfGM wanted to upgrade the model to include two new modes (tram-train and bus rapid transport) and to reflect the effect of crowding on passenger preferences and behaviour.

Steer was commissioned to provide the information the model required to represent the new travel modes and crowding.

In 2017 we carried out a Stated Preference study of 1500 public transport users sampled across Greater Manchester to explore and measure their preferences. The interviews were all conducted online, using quotas to ensure a balanced sample was obtained.

Because the research involved new modes that respondents would not be familiar with, the survey was preceded by qualitative work with 43 respondents to determine the best way to describe the modes to respondents using pictures and text.

Successes and outcomes

Different modes in the model are described using relative weights on in-vehicle travel time to convey the different levels of comfort experienced during a journey, along with a residual mode constant that reflects any additional preference for a mode independent of the time spent on board. So, the first deliverable was a table of relative weights for in-vehicle travel time, and residual constants, for each mode, in a format that could be used directly in TfGM’s model.

The second deliverable was a set of additional weights on travel time to reflect the discomfort of travel in crowded conditions. Their effect is to make a journey less attractive if it involves crowding. 

These new parameters give TfGM the ability to model the new modes, and the effect of crowding, improving the scope and quality of the information the model delivers.