Effects of Transfers on Public Transport Travel Experience and Wellbeing: Evidence from Hong Kong

Abstract

Public transport transfers impose additional waiting time, physical effort, and uncertainty on passengers, commonly referred to as the “transfer penalty”. Despite the importance of transfers in public transport networks, the microscopic transfer environment (including station design, facilities, and service coordination) remains underexamined. This paper investigates how transferrelated factors affect passenger travel experience and subjective wellbeing in Hong Kong, one of the world’s most transit-oriented cities. Drawing on an online survey of 119 validated respondents across bus-bus and metro-metro transfer contexts in 2025, regression analysis was used to examine the determinants of travel satisfaction, while discrete choice modelling was applied to analyse passenger preferences for transfer improvements. Results show that perception of facing many barriers and travel delay during transfer and negatively associated with travel satisfaction. Timetable coordination, seat availability, and basic facility provision are the most preferrable improvements. Policy implications for infrastructure design and regulatory frameworks are discussed.