scholarly journals Gender-Responsive Public Transportation in the Dammam Metropolitan Region, Saudi Arabia

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 9068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ahmad Al-Rashid ◽  
Kh Md Nahiduzzaman ◽  
Sohel Ahmed ◽  
Tiziana Campisi ◽  
Nurten Akgün
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Interior Design ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Study Results

The limited availability of public transportation in Saudi Arabia leads to an increased demand for private vehicles. An increase in using private cars does not meet the global sustainability goals, e.g., reducing energy consumption and improving the air quality. Road users should be encouraged to use sustainable mobility modes, particularly public transportation, equally accessible to both men and women However, women’s mobility has been somewhat limited and challenged in spatio-temporal terms, and partly due to socio-cultural barriers. This study attempts to understand the gender experience of a sample of public transport users and consider their aspirations and needs into daily mobility. A survey campaign (structured interviews and online questionnaires) was launched in the Dammam Metropolitan Region (DMR), taking four different types of respondents into account. The results suggest a predominant preference for taxis for shopping and leisure activities due to a poor public transport service, pivotally characterized by limited operational routes, hours, and infrastructure. This study ponders upon the adequacy of the supporting infrastructures and interior design of the public buses to women’s needs and compare them with global best practices. The results suggest that, due to the absence of a gender-responsive design and infrastructure, women are forced to use taxis, although privacy and a sense of insecurity often become concerns when traveling alone or with children. The study results allow future research to be expanded, considering women’s mobility patterns, needs, and embedded barriers by comparing the results with current transport policies, plans, and practices.

scholarly journals Public Transport GPS Probe and Rail Gate Data for Assessing the Pattern of Human Mobility in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2178
Author(s):  
Songkorn Siangsuebchart ◽  
Sarawut Ninsawat ◽  
Apichon Witayangkurn ◽  
Surachet Pravinvongvuth
Keyword(s):  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Human Mobility ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Traffic Information ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Transport Planning ◽  
Java Program

Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is one of the most developed and expansive cities. Due to the ongoing development and expansion of Bangkok, urbanization has continued to expand into adjacent provinces, creating the Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR). Continuous monitoring of human mobility in BMR aids in public transport planning and design, and efficient performance assessment. The purpose of this study is to design and develop a process to derive human mobility patterns from the real movement of people who use both fixed-route and non-fixed-route public transport modes, including taxis, vans, and electric rail. Taxi GPS open data were collected by the Intelligent Traffic Information Center Foundation (iTIC) from all GPS-equipped taxis of one operator in BMR. GPS probe data of all operating GPS-equipped vans were collected by the Ministry of Transport’s Department of Land Transport for daily speed and driving behavior monitoring. Finally, the ridership data of all electric rail lines were collected from smartcards by the Automated Fare Collection (AFC). None of the previous works on human mobility extraction from multi-sourced big data have used van data; therefore, it is a challenge to use this data with other sources in the study of human mobility. Each public transport mode has traveling characteristics unique to its passengers and, therefore, specific analytical tools. Firstly, the taxi trip extraction process was developed using Hadoop Hive to process a large quantity of data spanning a one-month period to derive the origin and destination (OD) of each trip. Secondly, for van data, a Java program was used to construct the ODs of van trips. Thirdly, another Java program was used to create the ODs of the electric rail lines. All OD locations of these three modes were aggregated into transportation analysis zones (TAZ). The major taxi trip destinations were found to be international airports and provincial bus terminals. The significant trip destinations of vans were provincial bus terminals in Bangkok, electric rail stations, and the industrial estates in other provinces of BMR. In contrast, electric rail destinations were electric rail line interchange stations, the central business district (CBD), and commercial office areas. Therefore, these significant destinations of taxis and vans should be considered in electric rail planning to reduce the air pollution from gasoline vehicles (taxis and vans). Using the designed procedures, the up-to-date dataset of public transport can be processed to derive a time series of human mobility as an input into continuous and sustainable public transport planning and performance assessment. Based on the results of the study, the procedures can benefit other cities in Thailand and other countries.

Population Levels of Well-Being In a Peri-Urban Area of a Metropolitan Region, A Case Study of Selangor Northern Corridor, Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 76-83
Author(s):  
Y. Saleh Et.al
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Transportation Network ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Socioeconomic Environment ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Study Results

This article seeks to identify the levels of well-being of residents of Selangor Northern Corridor, Lembah Klang-Langat Extended Metropolitan Region (EMR). The study involved 400 respondents consisting of the heads of household in peri-urban areas of Selangor Northern Corridor of Lembah Klang-Langat EMR. Respondents were selected via a simple random sampling method. A 1-5 Likert scale questionnaire was used as a research instrument. Based on the well-being index, a variety of variables involving well-being were listed, although the author of this study used four variables, namely housing, transportation, socioeconomic environment and land use. The housing variable consisted of three sub-variables, comprising area selection, safety and facilities. The transport variable included two sub-variables: public transportation and transportation network. The socioeconomic variables society and economy, while the sub-variables for land use were types of activities and property ownership. The study results indicate that the questionnaire’s reliability level was acceptable as the Cronbach’s alpha value of each variable exceeded 0.8. Transportation and socioeconomic environment stood at high levels, while housing and land use were at moderate levels. These findings demonstrate that the level of some of the community’s well-being was high or moderate due to urban sprawl. This means that humans will adapt to the environment in various ways so that it can accord with human needs.

Implementation of Lean Six Sigma in Saudi Arabian organisations

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 508-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saja Ahmed Albliwi ◽  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Norin Arshed ◽  
Abhijeet Ghadge
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Saudi Arabian ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Although the popularity of the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology has illustrated many benefits over the years for those organisations who have implemented it, this strategy has received less attention in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to critically assess the current status of LSS implementation in Saudi Arabian organisations. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on a descriptive survey questionnaire which has been derived from two systematic literature reviews. The survey was distributed to 400 organisations in Saudi Arabia using Qualtrics online software. In total, 146 responses were received where 102 responses were completed and analysed. Findings The findings of the survey highlighted that the implementation of LSS is still in the early stages in organisations within Saudi Arabia. This was clearly shown by many factors such as years of deploying LSS, LSS infrastructure, level of awareness of LSS, impact of LSS on business functions and so on. Research limitations/implications The primary limitation of this study is that data has been collected from an online survey and therefore no deeper insights could have been captured from the survey. This calls for future research to be undertaken by executing semi-structured interviews in selective organisations within Saudi Arabia. Originality/value This paper contributes to the current status of LSS in Saudi Arabian organisations. It also gives recommendations to guide the future of LSS in Saudi organisations by comparing LSS literature with best practice.

scholarly journals PUBLIC TRANSPORT USERS' PREFERENCES AND WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR A PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION MOBILE APP IN MADRID

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo Velázquez Romera ◽  
Andrés Monzón
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Proactive Behaviour ◽  
Study Results

Today, smart cities are presented as a solution to achieve a more sustainable urban development while increasing the quality of life of its citizens through the use of new technologies (Neirotti, 2013). Smart Mobility is based on innovative and sustainable ways to provide transport for the inhabitants of cities, enhancing the use of fuels or vehicle propulsion systems that respect the environment, supported by technological tools and a proactive behaviour of citizenship (Neirotti, 2013). In urban mobility, the purpose of the Smart Cities is to develop flexible systems for real-time information to support decision-making in the use and management of different transport modes, generating a positive impact, saving users time and improving efficiency and quality of service. In this context, several solution types are being introduced in the world’s cities. They enable the improvement of the abovementioned factors acting on the demand side resulting in more efficient journeys for individual travelers, and improved satisfaction with the service. (Skelley et Al., 2013) with a lower level of investment than that of infrastructure deployment or an increase in the level of service. One of the most extended solutions is the use of mobile apps for providing the user with contextualized -static and real time- transport information. The study is based on a survey carried out among users of public transport in Madrid under the European OPTICITES project of the 7th Research Framework Programme. The survey contained items on their transportation habits, their level of skills and technological capabilities, and their main expectations about the possibility of using a new application, the main desired capabilities and willingness to pay for use. The study results show the preferences of users of public transport capacity, static, real-time search and in-app services for a multimodal real-time application and willingness to pay for this service, all analyzed by different Slicers users. The results also establish the basis for an estimate of the usefulness of these applications for users of public transport.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2016.3498

scholarly journals INCIDENCIA DE LA DISTRIBUCIÓN TERRITORIAL EN LA MOVILIDAD COTIDIANA DE MUJERES CASO DE ESTUDIO: CIUDADELA JAIME ROLDÓS DE CUENCA, ECUADOR

2021 ◽  
pp. 60-77
Author(s):  
Karla Monserrath Ulloa-Chacha
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Right To The City ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Cartography ◽  
Daily Mobility ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Bus Service ◽  
The City ◽  
Public Transport Service

Las condiciones de movilidad de los ciudadanos no son equitativas, están atravesadas por diversos factores como el nivel socio-económico, las capacidades motrices, la edad y el género. Esta investigación se enfoca en la movilidad en transporte público de mujeres que residen en un barrio precario de Cuenca: la Ciudadela Jaime Roldós; se estudia la incidencia de la distribución territorial en sus desplazamientos. Para ello, se analiza, mediante entrevistas semi – estructuradas y cartografía social, de qué forma perciben sus recorridos en autobús al atravesar la ciudad. Se encuentra que el defciente servicio de transporte público produce viajes extensos, lo que provoca que las entrevistadas inviertan mucho tiempo en movilizarse. Así también, la percepción de inseguridad constante, el acoso y violencia sexual es un factor que defne sus viajes; no obstante, preferen el autobús por su economía. Estudios como este permiten visibilizar que las condiciones de movilidad aún están lejos de ser equitativas para todos los ciudadanos.  Palabras clave: Transporte público, derecho a la ciudad, movilidad cotidiana, barrio precario, equidad de género AbstractThis thesis focuses on the daily mobility on public transportation of women residing in a precarious neighborhood of Cuenca. The incidence  of territorial distribution on displacements was studied. To achieve this, an analysis, through semi - structured interviews and social cartography on how they perceive their bus routes when crossing the city, was carried out. It was found that poor public transport  service produced extensive travel, which caused respondents to spend a lot of time to get around. Likewise, the perception of constant insecurity,harassment and sexual violence was a factor that defned their travels. Yet, they preferred bus service for its economy. Keywords: Public transport, right to the city, daily mobility, slum, gender equality.

scholarly journals Effects of the built environment on physical activity: a systematic review of longitudinal studies taking sex/gender into account

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonina Tcymbal ◽  
Yolanda Demetriou ◽  
Anne Kelso ◽  
Laura Wolbring ◽  
Kathrin Wunsch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Road Density ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Positive Effect

Abstract Background Individual health behavior is related to environmental and social structures. To promote physical activity (PA) effectively, it is necessary to consider structural influences. Previous research has shown the relevance of the built environment. However, sex/gender differences have yet not been considered. The aim of this systematic review was to identify built environmental determinants of PA by taking sex/gender into account. Methods A systematic literature search was carried out using six electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, SportDiscus, PsycInfo, Scopus, Web of Knowledge) to identify studies analyzing the effect of changes in the built environment on PA, taking sex/gender into account. To be included, studies had to be based on quantitative data and a longitudinal study design. Changes in the built environment had to be objectively assessed. The methodological quality of the studies was examined using the QualSyst tool for examining risk of bias. Results In total, 36 studies published since 2000 were included in this review. The data synthesis revealed that the majority of reviewed studies found the built environment to be a determinant of PA behavior for both, males and females, in a similar way. Creating a new infrastructure for walking, cycling, and public transportation showed a positive effect on PA behavior. Findings were most consistent for the availability of public transport, which was positively associated with overall PA and walking. The improvement of walking and cycling infrastructure had no effect on the overall level of PA, but it attracted more users and had a positive effect on active transportation. In women, the availability of public transport, safe cycling lanes, housing density, and the distance to daily destinations proved to be more relevant with regard to their PA behavior. In men, street network characteristics and road environment, such as intersection connectivity, local road density, and the presence of dead-end roads, were more important determinants of PA. Conclusion This review sheds light on the relevance of the built environment on PA. By focusing on sex/gender differences, a new aspect was addressed that should be further analyzed in future research and considered by urban planners and other practitioners.

Smart Technologies for Sustainable Mobility

2016 ◽  
pp. 288-310
Author(s):  
Ozge Yalciner Ercoskun
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Transit Services ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Smart Technologies

The emergence of easy mapping tools, widespread cellular network, declining costs of smartphones and increasing internet use by public agencies provide new opportunities towards the betterment of public transport management. Applying decision support systems such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to public transportation tailors transit services to urban dwellers' needs, reducing eco-footprint while making them more accessible. This chapter aims to explore how GIS and ICT can be used for more eco-friendly public transport and improved sense of community. The chapter posits the positive impact of mobile phones and social media towards sustainable mobility. Multi-modal journey planners, mobile bus ticketing, demand responsive transit systems, eco-taxis, electric car and bicycle sharing are explained with examples from the world. The chapter concludes with a discussion of challenges and future options for using smartphones, social networking and the position of disadvantaged groups in sustainable mobility.

scholarly journals Elderly Sustainable Mobility: Scientific Paper Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaniz Fatima ◽  
Sara Moridpour ◽  
Chris De Gruyter ◽  
Tayebeh Saghapour
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Scientific Paper ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Travel Patterns ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Paper Review ◽  
Elderly Mobility

The number of elderly people as a proportion of the world’s population is growing significantly. Special attention to the accessibility and mobility requirements of this group is needed. The contribution of this paper is a review of travel patterns, mode preferences, infrastructure solutions, accessibility indices, mode choice models and datasets as they relate to elderly mobility. Key findings highlight the role of residential location characteristics in shaping elderly travel patterns, helping to explain why research on elderly travel has largely relied on case studies to date. The review also summarizes a range of indices that have been developed to measure public transport and walking accessibility among the elderly, including distance and time-based methods. Future research should consider the dominance of private transport in facilitating elderly mobility and its implications for cities experiencing an aging population.

scholarly journals Towards Low Carbon Society: Exploring Users Perceptions on the Service Quality Level Performance of Public Transport Staff in the Klang Valley

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (8) ◽  
pp. 138-149
Author(s):  
Khairul Baharein Mohd Noor ◽  
Kamariah Dola
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Interaction Analysis ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Quality Level ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Klang Valley ◽  
Level Performance

In the midst of Malaysia to become developed nation by the year 2020, there are many strategies implemented, including to encourage the usage of public transportation and carbon reduction. This research study was undertaken to determine the service quality level performance of supporting employees of the public transport as provided to the bus and train users in Klang Valley in Malaysia in effort to explore the level of quality for attracting more users. Questionnaire survey was conducted on users within two pre-determined localities in the capital city. A multi-stage approach was used where data were collected primarily through survey questionnaires. This was supported through semi-structured interviews with selected individuals and site observation of facilities provided and staff-customer interaction. Analysis of findings generally suggested that the service quality performance level generally was considered as ‘average’ for a number of soft trait dimensions. All these dimensions are personal interaction between the staff and the users. What emerged from the findings also suggested that there was a wide gap between service given and what is perceived and expected by the users. Such instances suggested that the service provided by the staff has yet to be considered as achieving excellent quality service level from the viewpoint of the users. As such, considerable improvement was needed to enhance the attitudes and behaviors of the staff to a level of service that would certainly satisfy and delight the users.

scholarly journals Improving the UX for Users of Automated Shuttle Buses in Public Transport: Investigating Aspects of Exterior Communication and Interior Design

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Andreas Riener ◽  
Dominik Schlackl ◽  
Julia Malsam ◽  
Josef Huber ◽  
Benjamin Homm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interior Design ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
User Centered Design ◽  
The Public ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Current State ◽  
Human Driver ◽  
Study Participants

As a precursor to future public transportation, automated shuttle buses can already be experienced in some test regions, but the general public still has reservations and may not yet be ready for this change. For example, the fact that such vehicles might operate independently (without a human driver) creates a barrier of uncertainty and mistrust among people. In this work, we aim to identify and classify the prevailing reservations and propose solutions. We followed the User Centered Design (UCD) process to design concepts that are specifically tailored to the needs of future public transport users. After related work analysis, on-site research, and pre-studies, two main studies were conducted specifically to address communication in the exterior (n = 24) and interior/service design (n = 21). For both studies, we applied a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative measures. Our results indicate that, in general, existing ways of communication in the exterior are insufficient to meet future needs. The two visualization concepts for external communication developed in this work were rated (significantly) better in most dimensions of the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ), when compared to the baseline condition with no additional visualization. Furthermore, preferences among the study participants towards simple, highly visible, and well-known lighting concepts could be observed. As for the interior, the results show that participants rated attractiveness highly for the two design concepts (closer, further in the future) as compared to current, state-of-the-art solutions (automated buses currently in operation). For the “near future” concept, the pragmatic quality dominated, while in the other (the “far future”) concept the hedonic quality was in the foreground. From the results, design recommendations in different categories were derived, which reflect the general openness of the public towards new technologies and interior approaches, but also point out the importance for privacy and designated personal spaces inside an (automated) shuttle bus. Some of the results do not strictly apply to automated shuttle buses, and can serve as valuable suggestions for improving conventional shuttle buses.

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