Using Smart Card Fare Payment Data To Analyze Multi-Modal Public Transport Journeys in London

Abstract

This paper contributes to the emerging literature on the application of smart card fare payment data to public transportation planning. The research objective is to identify and assess complete, multimodal journeys using Oyster smart card fare payment data in London. Three transfer combinations (bus-to-Underground, Underground-to-bus, and bus-to-bus) are considered to formulate recommendations for maximum elapsed time thresholds to identify transfers between journey stages for each passenger on the London network. Recommended elapsed time thresholds for identifying transfers are 20 min for Underground-to-bus, 35 min for bus-to-Underground, and 45 min for bus-to-bus, but a range of values that account for variability across the network are also assessed. Key findings about bus and Underground travel in London include an average of 2.3 daily public transportation journeys per passenger, 1.3 journey stages per public transportation journey, and 23% of Underground journeys involving a transfer to or from a bus. The application of complete journey data to bus network planning is used to illustrate the value of new information that would be available to network planners through the use of smart card fare payment data.