Analysis of the perception of the punctual departure notion and tolerance of punctuality by passengers of public transport in Cracow 2

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1 Zofia Bryniarska 1 Cracow University of Technology Analysis of the perception of the punctual departure notion and tolerance of punctuality by passengers of public transport in Cracow 2 Introduction The punctuality of public transport vehicles is one of the important quality attributes of passenger transport. In the ranking lists of the different characteristics of public transport quality, it usually takes the first place. It has also been in variably confirmed by studies on passenger preferences and satisfaction carried out in different cities for years [7 p. 70, 5 p. 307]. Punctuality means the compliance of the actual public transport departure/arrival times with timetables. Punctuality allows passengers to plan a trip and change vehicles, and it determines the reliability of getting to their destinations at the scheduled time. It is also an important factor for the organizer of public transport and transport contractor/operator. It enables the transport organizer to maintain a high quality of transport services and the competitiveness of public transport services in relation to private cars. For the transport carrier or operator, punctuality means the fulfillment of the declaration to provide transport services in a specific time and in a specific space, and it simultaneously allows for the better use of vehicles involved in the implementation of transport services and smaller losses due to the prolonged duration of rides. The simplest way to assess punctuality is the from the scheduled departure time. It is calculated as the difference between the departure time set in the timetable and the actual departure time of the vehicle from a tram/bus stop [4 p. 143]. If the difference is positive, it means that the vehicle drove off before the time set in the timetable. Negative values of s occur in case of delays. A never increasing number of vehicles driving on roads, especially in the streets of cities, causes that the speed of all vehicles, including public transport vehicles, decreases while travelling time increases, particularly near intersections. In such conditions, the drivers of public transport vehicles are not always able to drive in accordance with the timetable. Transport organizers and passengers are well aware of these hindrances and limitations. The question arises about the limits of passengers tolerance of public transport vehicle departures before and after the scheduled time. Another question is: what are the limits for passengers to consider a departure as a punctual one? Departures after the time set in the timetable (delays) mean inconvenience for passengers associated with longer time of waiting for a vehicle at a tram/bus stop, longer duration of their trip and the possibility of getting late to their destination or a loss of connection in the place 1 D.Sc. Eng., Z. Bryniarska, assistant professor, Department of Transport, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Cracow University of Technology, Cracow, Warszawska str. 24, tel. (+48 12) , z_bryn@pk.edu.pl 2 Article under review 2747

2 where they change one public transport vehicle to another. Departures before the scheduled time (early departures) may occur to be much more bothersome to passengers. They can cause that the passenger who comes to the bus/tram stop on time or before the scheduled departure time will spend less time waiting for the arrival of the vehicle or it will turn out that they have lost the connection, because the vehicle already left. This situation is particularly annoying when the frequency of a line the passenger is waiting for is low and the passenger will have to wait long for another vehicle. Methodology of measurementsand analysis of passengers perception ofpunctuality Marketing research on the perception of punctuality by commuters travelling on urban and suburban public transport was carried out in Cracow in autumn 2013by the students of second-degree full-time studies, major: Urban Transport, at the Cracow University of Technology. Each pollster completed 375 surveys, including 150 questionnaires at tram stops, 150 at bus stops and 75 at first bus stops of suburban bus transport. A total of 5575 questionnaires were collected. The tram/bus stops were deployed in different parts of Cracow (Table 1). Table 1. Deployment of surveyed places and number of collected surveys No. Location Number of tram/bus Share of surveys Number of surveys stops [%] 1 Old Town area of theplanty Park City Centre area around the second ring road Area around the City Centre Area of NowaHuta Interchange nodes Total Approximately 10% of surveys were administered in the very centre of Cracow (the Old Town area of the Planty Park), approximately 30% of them in the area surrounding the Old City within the second and the third ring road, 10% in Nowa Huta and 20% at interchange nodes that are often the last tram stops and the initial bus stops for suburban public bus transport. The measurements of the number of passengers in public transport vehicles carried out in spring and autumn 2013 show [5] that there are significant differences in the elementary values of fundamental importance for passengers, tram and bus operating parameters such as the speed and the capacity utilization of the vehicle. It was assumed that passengers perceive the quality of the tram transport operation in a different way than the quality of the bus transport operation; therefore, they will formulate differently their expectations towards acceptable s between the actual and scheduled departures. It was also decided that it should be verified whether the frequency of the use of public transport has an impact on the level of 2748

3 punctuality tolerance, and whether there are any differences in the perception of punctuality dependent on the experience with the commonly used line. Hence, it was determined that the respondents would be asked to answer two questions related to their perception of punctuality, independently for tram and bus transport. The first question concerned the extent of early and delayed departures of vehicles from tram/bus stops that the respondents are willing to accept and consider as punctual departures. In response to the second question, the respondents were asked to assess their boundaries of tolerance within which they still accept the lack of punctuality of public transport vehicles. The responses accurate to full minutes were expected. In addition, the respondents were also asked about the number of tram or bus lines that they often travel with and the frequency of their use of public transport services. People who answered questions were chosen at random from among passengers waiting at the bus/tram stop. The randomness of answers was confirmed by performing a series test for the results collected by each pollster at each stop where the survey was conducted. Analysis of the perception of the punctual departure notion Passengers waiting at tram and bus stops were asked to define the extent of too early departures and delays within which they consider that the vehicle has left on time. The passengers tolerance for early departures is lesser than that for delayed departures. Accelerated departures are especially annoying for passengers travelling by lines or along passageways of low frequency of running when a passenger loses a connection in consequence of such an accelerated departure, and then he or she has to wait for the next departure in the schedule. The delayed departure can give a passenger a chance to leaver earlier even though he or she came to a stop after the scheduled departure time of the vehicle. The distribution of early departures and delays identified by passengers as fitting within the limits of punctual departures are shown in Figure 1 both for indications relating to the tram and to the bus transport. More than60% of tram passengers and about 60% of bus passengers believe that vehicles should not depart before their scheduled time; they indicate that the value of early departure should be equal to 0 minutes. Only 26-28% of passengers permit departures accelerated by 1 minute. In case of delays, passengers accept greater s from the timetable. About 34% of tram passengers and 29% of bus passengers allow 1 minute delays while 2-minute delays are accepted by 24-26% of bus and tram passengers respectively, but 3-minute delays by not more than only about 10% of passengers. Early departures of more than 4 minutes and delays by more than 5 minutes have been identified occasionally, and they constitute fewer than 1% of responses. It is worth noting that passengers expect greater punctuality of departures in the public tram transport. The average value of early and delayed departures allows one to specify the range of tolerance of (-1.39, +0.48) for trams (KT) and the range of (-1.62, +0.56) for buses (KA). This means that passengers of both trams and buses consider a departure as punctual when the vehicle leaves approximately half a minute early or about 2749

4 one and a half minute late. Fig. 1. Percentage structure of too early and delayed departures of public tram and bus transport vehicles considered as punctual by passengers When comparing the findings from 2013 to the results of tests carried out in Cracow in previous years (Table 2),one can see that the feelings of passengers have become radicalized. Although the maximum delay values indicated by each passenger remain constant, and the maximum indicated early departure value reaches even six minutes, the often cited value of earliness is equal to 0 minutes (it was 1 minute in 2005), and the pointed out value of delay is equal to one minute (it was 2 minutes in 2005 and 2012). To sum up, the limits of tolerance for the passengers' perception of departure punctuality in 2013 are shorter for both early departures and delays, and the tolerance amounts to about two minutes. It is clear that passengers expect high punctuality of public transport vehicles operation. Table 2. Comparison of findings on the perception of the "punctual departure" notion in the years Year of survey Number of indications Delay Max Average Early departure Max Average KT KA Source: author s analysis based on [1 pp , 3 pp , 6 pp. 334, 341] The concept of departure punctuality is perceived differently by passengers waiting at bus/tram stops in various parts of Cracow (Table 3). In the area of the Old Town and Nowa Huta, passengers believe that the 2750

5 acceleration of tram departure should not exceed 0.4 minutes and the delay should not be greater than1.2 minutes. Meanwhile, according to the public bus transport, the acceleration and delay can be a bit longer and they can amount to 0.5 and minutes, respectively. In the area of the Old Town, the number of public transport lines, especially tram lines, is very high and passengers have access to a lot of lines going in the same direction. In the area of Nowa Huta, trams goon separate track ways and road vehicles move quite smoothly, hence passengers probably believe that public transport vehicles should go in accordance with the agreed timetable. In other areas of the city, passengers accept greater values of earliness and delays, probably taking into account the larger flows of cars and the more severe congestion on the roads that hinder adherence to the timetable. The passengers boarding at interchange nodes where urban public transport vehicles (trams and buses) meet the suburban bus transport were tolerant. They accepted the early departures of 0.5 and 0.8 minutes respectively, and delays of 1.6 and 1.9 minutes for the public tram and bus transport. Table 3. Outcomes of surveys on the perception of the "punctual departure" notion for various parts of Cracow Location of tram/bus stop Number of indications Delay Earliness Tram transport Old Town City Centre Around the City Centre NowaHuta Interchange nodes Total Bus transport Old Town City Centre Around the City Centre NowaHuta Interchange nodes Total The frequency of the public transport usage has an impact on the perception of punctual departure (Table 4). Passengers using means of public transport several times daily, or a day think that a departure can be called a punctual one when, on the one hand, it is accelerated by minutes in case of trams and by minutes in case of buses, and, on the other hand, it is delayed within the limits of minutes for trams and minutes for buses. The less the passengers travel (i.e. a week, or times a month), the more tolerant they become. Passengers traveling 2751

6 a month think that a departure is punctual when the from the scheduled time for the tram falls within the range of (-1.49, +0.91), and for the bus within the range (-1.71, +0.99). Table 4. Outcomes of surveys on the perception of the "punctual departure" notion in relation to the frequency of public transport usage Frequency of public transport usage Number of indicatio ns Delay Earliness Tram transport Many times every day every day, a week a month Total Bus transport Many times every day every day, a week a month Total Table 5. Outcomes of surveys on the perception of the "punctual departure" notion in relation to public transport line frequency Line frequency Number of indications Delay Earliness Tram transport Up to More than Total Bus transport Up to More than Total

7 The experience with the used public transport line has an impact on passengers perception of the punctual departure notion as it was shown in Table 5. Passengers using the line of the service frequency of minutes express the greatest requirements in regard to the punctuality of public transport vehicles. They accept the punctual departure as about 0.35 minutes before schedule for trams and approximately 0.44 minutes before schedule for buses, and 1.14 and 1.47 minutes after the scheduled time, respectively. Passengers using the public transport lines of the running frequency of up to 10 minutes estimate that a departure can be regarded as punctual if it is accelerated by up to 0.79 minutes or it is late for up to 1.56 minutes. The least demanding are passengers using the lines of the running frequency of about 20 or more than 20 minutes. They consider as a punctual departure the one of the punctuality in the range of (-1.52, +0.60) for the tram transport and the range of (-1.88, +0.97) for the bus transport. Analysis of survey and analysis of passengers perception ofpunctuality Passengers responses to the question concerning the punctuality tolerance of public transport vehicles show that they accept punctuality s of a few minutes in relation to the departure designated in the timetable. The percentage distribution of too early or delayed departures is shown in Figure 2. Fig. 2. Percentage structure of too early and delayed departures of trams and buses within passengers punctuality tolerance The findings of punctuality tolerance analysis show that early departures of both trams and buses should not exceed one minute. Such limits are accepted by about 78 % and 72 %of passengers travelling by trams 2753

8 and buses, respectively. Moreover, only 3 % of passengers declare that the early departures of trams may exceed three minutes while about 5.2 % of respondents confirm such a tolerance of early departures for the bus transport. In case of delays, passengers indicate the higher values of tolerable delays. It is worth noting that 50 % of respondents accept a delay of 2-3 minutes for trams while 75 % of responders tolerate 2-5 minute delay for bus transport. The analysis of average values of early and delayed departures made it possible to formulate the range of punctuality tolerance as (-3.13, +0.99) for trams and as (-3.69, +1.13) for buses. The comparison of findings of similar studies from the years 2002, 2005 and 2012 shows that the tolerance limits indicated by passengers have been narrowed (Table 6). In case of delays, the value indicated by passengers in all studies was the value of five minutes, with the exception of the 2013 study when for tram transport the passengers pointed the delay of 2 minutes. In the case of departures before the time fixed in the schedule, in the years 2012 and 2013 passengers referred to the earliness of 0 minutes, whereas in previous studies they declared 1-2 minute earliness. A tolerance of punctuality in 2013 amounted to 4.14 and 4.82 minutes for trams and buses, respectively, while in the earlier studies it was al twice as high. Table 6. Comparison of findings on the perception of the departure tolerance in the years Year of survey Number of indications Max Delay Average Earliness Max Average KT KA Source: author s analysis based on [1 pp pp pp ] The survey findings on tolerance of punctuality with respect to the location of bus/tram stops in Cracow (Table 7) partially confirm the diversity of what was observed in the analysis of passengers perception of the punctual departure notion. The lowest values of punctuality tolerance in terms of delays and early departures were declared by passengers waiting at tram/bus stops in Nowa Huta and at stops outside the City Centre with regard to both tram and bus transport, while the highest values were indicated by passengers waiting at interchange stops. The analysis of the study outcomes shows that the diversity of passengers punctuality tolerance varies depending on the frequency of their usage of public transport means (Table 8). Passengers who use trams and buses (several times daily)or the least ( a month) accept the lowest limits of delays while passengers using public transport (several times every day, and a day) exhibit the lowest tolerance of earliness. The passengers travelling by public tram and bus transport a week declare the greatest punctuality tolerance range. 2754

9 Table 7. Outcomes on the perception of the departure tolerance for various parts of Cracow Location of tram/bus stop Number of indicatio ns Delay Earliness Tram transport Old Town City Centre Around the City Centre Nowa Huta Interchange nodes Total Bus transport Old Town City Centre Around the City Centre Nowa Huta Interchange nodes Total Table 8. Outcomes on the perception of the departure tolerance in relation to the frequency of public transport usage Frequency of public transport usage Number of indicatio ns Delay Earliness Tram transport Many times every day every day, a week a month Total Bus transport Many times every day every day, a week a month Total

10 As in the case of the analysis of passengers perception of punctual departure, in relation to the punctuality tolerance analysis the frequency of public transport lines that passengers use constitutes an important factor (Table 9). The passengers who use lines departing from the bus/tram stop every minutes declare the lowest values of tolerable delays or earliness while passengers travelling by buses running at a low frequency (16-20 minutes or more than 20 minutes) accept the highest values of tolerable delays or earliness. Table 9. Outcomes on the perception of the departure tolerance in relation to public transport line frequency Line frequency Number of indications Delay Earliness Tram transport Up to More than Total Bus transport Up to More than Total Conclusions The punctuality of urban public transport vehicles is a factor of great importance to passengers. The findings of marketing research on passengers perception of punctual departure and punctuality tolerance presented in the article confirm this thesis. The analysis of the survey outcomes indicates that passengers believe that the punctuality of public tram transport should be higher than that of the public bus transport. The range of values for the assessment of the concept of punctual departure for the trams amounts to (-1:29; +0:29) and for the bus to (-1:62; +0:34). To recapitulate the tests carried out on smaller samples in previous years, it should be stated that passengers acceptance of both departures before and after the scheduled time decreased. The passengers responses reflect not only the frequency of travelling by means of public transport, but also the frequency of the line they commonly use and the area of the city where passengers start or finish their journeys by public transport means. The more the passengers use the means of public transport, the more punctuality they expect. Passengers using the line of service frequency of11-15 minutes expect more punctuality than passengers of buses running at a higher or lower frequency. Additionally, it is worth noting that passengers preferences reflect a large number of alternative connections in the Old Town 2756

11 and less traffic in Nowa Huta than in other areas of the city and expect greater punctuality of public transport. The analysis of passengers perception of the punctuality tolerance confirms similar trends as the analysis of the passengers perception of punctual departure. In comparison to the findings of studies carried out in previous years, the limits of acceptable ranges for punctuality tolerance decline and now they amount to (-3:09; +0:59) and to (-3:41; +1.08) for trams and buses, respectively. The range is al twice as narrow as it was declared by passengers in previous studies. Abstract The article presents the outcomes of surveys conducted among passengers of public transport in Cracow devoted to the passengers perception of punctual departure and punctuality tolerance of public transport vehicle departures. The large size of the sample allowed us to collect information from passengers travelling by trams and buses in different parts of the city and to analyse the findings based on such factors declared by the respondents as the frequency of the use of public transport, the frequency of running of the commonly used lines and the area of the city where passengers were waiting at bus/tram stops. The results of the analysis were compared with the results of studies carried out in the period of Analiza postrzegania pojęcia odjazd punktualny i tolerancja punktualności przez pasażerów komunikacji miejskiej w Krakowie Streszczenie W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań ankietowych przeprowadzonych wśród pasażerów publicznego transportu zbiorowego w Krakowie na temat postrzeganie pojęcia odjazd punktualny i tolerancja punktualności odjazdów pojazdów publicznego transportu zbiorowego z przystanków. Duża liczebność próby pozwoliło na zebranie informacji od pasażerów podróżujących tramwajami i autobusami w różnych rejonach miasta oraz na analizę wyników w zależności od deklarowanej przez ankietowanych częstotliwości korzystania z publicznego transportu zbiorowego, częstotliwości kursowania najczęściej wykorzystywanej linii i rejonu miasta, gdzie pasażerowie oczekiwali na przystanku. Wyniki analiz zostały porównane z wynikami badań przeprowadzonych w latach References [1] Bauer M.: Passengers evaluation of urban public transport punctuality in Cracow, Contemporary Transportation Systems. Selected Theoretical and Practical Problems. The Co-Modality of Transportation, edited by Janecki J.., Krawiec S., Sierpiński G., Wydawnictwo Politechniki Śląskiej, seria Monografie Nr 486. Gliwice 2013, str , 2757

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