Preferences of heavy rail (HR) system users are studied in relation to the system's alignment and bus connections in the context of a developing city. Stated preferences techniques are applied to estimate the monetary value of a long set of attributes of a new mass transit service: HR connected to bus rapid transit (BRT). Attributes include time, fare, bicycle storage at stations, stairways, feeder bus integration, integration with BRT, type of bus service, bus itinerary, and quality of buses. The long set of attributes deserved three stated preference experiments grouped by time and fare, characteristics of HR, and characteristics of BRT. They were linked by the common attribute of the fare. Results of the values of the attributes are presented. The value of the preference for HR is reduced to 8% when a feeder bus is not offered and the HR route does not reach downtown. The value of a feeder bus using small vehicles is higher than the value of BRT even if BRT operates with new buses and express service to downtown. Bicycle storage or escalators have no value for the prospective passenger. After the response of users to the new services is analyzed, conclusions for the operational design of the system are presented.
Abstract