The Effects of a Real-Time Public Transport Information App on Travel Behaviour, Traffic Levels and the Environment

Abstract

In this paper, we go beyond the current state-of-the-art, by analysing the modal choice changes induced by the use of a mobile-phone app for real-time public transport information, and estimate the effects on motorised traffic levels (vehicle-kilometre travelled -VKT) and pollutant emissions. A survey was conducted through the nation-wide public transport app Red in Chile, and responded by 3681 travellers from 15 medium-sized cities. We find that urban buses gain 50% more users than it loses, and that the main competitors are shared taxis and ridesourcing services. Logit models show that public transport attracts short-distance travellers with a good perception of the safety of the transport system and without vulnerability conditions. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations show that the app reduces total VKT (probability P = 0.98), which implies saving up to 88 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. Finally, we discuss the policy and technology implications of our findings.