Waiting Time Strategy for Public Transport Passengers

To overcome future challenges in urban transport, it is crucial that transport models and cost benefit analyses provide a better approximation of real travel costs for public transport trips; however, it is challenging to exemplify public transport’s generalized cost components. This paper focuses on waiting time as one component of generalized costs. Unlike other relevant components, waiting time is partly determined by an individual strategy. The open waiting time is also affected by line punctuality; delays prolong the actual waiting time unless the delay is normal and travelers have adjusted to this situation. It is quite common to use the assumption of random passenger arrivals at bus stops (as in the Norwegian regional transport model, RTM), to represent the total waiting time, both open and hidden. This study presents results from field registrations and surveys, as well as passengers’ actual waiting times and their waiting time strategies. The registrations were completed during morning rush hour in low-frequency services and in residential areas. The results show that passengers plan their arrivals at bus stops, which implies lower waiting times than normally assumed in transport models. The results published here indicate how transport models could be developed to better deal with low-frequency public transport services.