The analysis of six selected factors affecting ridership in 159 Metro systems worldwide

Abstract

Nowadays, cities all over the world, in both developed and developing countries, have striven to fulfil the sustainable standards of urban transport by improving public transport, encouraging non-motorized modes, limiting the use of private cars. Featuring a considerably higher combination of passenger volume and speed per unit of railway space than any other mode, metros become a popular means of mass public transport around the world. In order to improve the operation efficiency of metro systems, corresponding researches should be expanded to better understand the influential determinants of metro ridership per capital. The objective of this study is to examine factors influencing metro ridership per capital, with the goal of supplementing planning and policy decisions. Six main factors including system location with specific continent, country’s economic activity level, city population, system accessibility, age of system and the presence of BRT or LR systems are introduced to explain the variance in annual ridership per capital of 159 metro systems worldwide for the year 2017. The findings could provide support for international institutions such as the World Bank, and other investment banks such as Inter-American Development Bank, Asian Development Bank etc. in their decision-making and target-testing process.