Travel Characteristics of Commuters Accessing Transit: Case Study

This paper analyzes the travel characteristics of commuters accessing transit stations in Mumbai, India, with a view to identifying the policies that can improve the condition of the transit access environment. The access travel characteristics are discussed with respect to mode use pattern, availability of access modes, satisfaction with the access environment, and characteristics of the access leg of a trip in comparison to primary and egress legs. It is attempted to bring out the underlying preferences of commuters in accessing transit stations based on their access trip characteristics. Acceptable trip lengths by walk and bicycle modes in accessing transit stations are computed from their cumulative frequency distribution of trip lengths. The commuters are segmented into different socioeconomic subgroups using characteristics like occupation, type of house, vehicle availability, and household income. The mean and acceptable walking and bicycling distances found for different subgroups in the present study are compared with those reported in the literature.