Modeling the Modal Shift towards a More Sustainable Transport by Stated Preference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Date
2021-01-01
Authors
Youssef, Zaher
Alshuwaikhat, Habib
Reza, Imran
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
The need to gain a comprehensive understanding of road travelers’ choice of mode and
their perceptions of using sustainable urban mobility modes have evolved to shape the form of future
transport planning and policymaking. To combat the concern of growing traffic congestion in Riyadh
City, the government of Saudi Arabia designed and introduced a sustainable public transport project
named “Riyadh Metro”. This study explores the potential commuters’ perception towards the Metro
services and the factors that limit their propensity to use Metro and understand the tradeoffs that the
individuals make when they are faced with a combination of mode characteristics (e.g., travel time,
price, walking time). The stated preferences experiment was conducted on a sample from the Riyadh
neighborhood by structured interviews. A discrete choice model based on binary logistic regression
has been developed. The coefficient of travel attribute: travel time, fuel cost, Metro fare, and walking
time was found to be statistically significant with a different effect on mode choice. The elasticity of
the coefficient showed that an increase in the fuel price by 10% would increase the metro ridership
by 5.3% and reduce car dependency. Decreasing the walking time by 5 min to the metro station
will increase the metro ridership by 22%. Furthermore, the study revealed that implementing a 1
SAR/hour parking charge will decrease car dependency by 14%. Increase Metro fare by 10% will
decrease Metro ridership by 6.9%. The socioeconomic factors coefficient shows a marginal effect on
the choice decision of passengers.
Description
Keywords
Riyadh metro, mass transit, stated preferences, sustainable mode of transport