Multimodal public transport: An analysis of travel time elements and the interconnectivity ratio

Access and egress are the weakest links in a public transport chain and determine the availability and convenience of public transport. Initiatives aimed at improving access and egress hold potential to significantly reduce public transport trip time and are inexpensive options compared to the expensive infrastructure and vehicle enhancement alternatives frequently considered. Accurate estimates of access and egress times, however, are often in short supply. Use is made of a comprehensive travel-activity diary to collect detail travel time estimates. The results suggest that access and egress times are a function of access and egress modes and trip orientation rather than of socio-demographic characteristics. Land-use has a different impact on access and egress and in both cases the relationship seems non-linear.Access and egress times increase with increasing trip time, however, the increase is not as strong as line-haul time and as a result the interconnectivity ratio (access and egress time as proportion of total trip time) declines as trip time increases. For most multimodal trips, the ratio falls within a modest range of 0.2-0.5. The results can be used, amongst other, in planning the catchment area of public transport and predicting choice sets of realistic multimodal trips.