Explaining and Evaluating the Criteria of Comfort and Convenience in Urban Public Transport Trips: A Case Study of the 28th Bus Line of Isfahan Metropolis

Research has shown that excessive tendency to use personal transportation can lead to catastrophic outcomes for a city and its citizens. Researchers and policy makers affirm that increasing the people’s tendency to use public transportation is the main solution in order to reduce the unfortunate results of personal transportation. In fact, comfort and convenience during daily urban trips is an important factor which encourages people to use public transportation. The main objectives of this study are recognizing and evaluating comfort and convenience in urban public transportation and identifying and measuring those criteria and indicators which represent comfort and convenience in urban public transportation. In line with the aforementioned objectives, first, the concepts of comfort and convenience have been explained. Next, both concepts are identified in urban public transportation. Then, a conceptual model is formulated based on 18 indicators explaining convenience and comfort in daily trips based on public transportation. The case under study was the 28th bus line of Isfahan metropolis. In order to evaluate the 18 indicators, F'ANP model was applied. The findings show that comfort and convenience in urban public transportation is influenced by five factors including ‘quality of services and facilities’, ‘passenger capacity and environmental beauty’, ‘efficiency of public transportation’, ‘effectiveness of public transportation’, and ‘safety and security’. In addition, based on the results of F'ANP model, ‘quality of air conditioner, heating and cooling facilities, ‘disabled persons facilities’, ‘cleanliness of station and bus environments’, ‘station facilities (shelter and seats)’ disturb comfort and convenience during trips in the bus line under investigation. Conversely, ‘the possibility of sitting during trips’, ‘beauty of trip environment’, ‘distance between stations and passengers’ points of departure’ and ‘distance between the bus stations in a bus line to those of other bus lines’  are the indicators which provide the highest extent of comfort and convenience for the passengers during public transportation trips.