01594836

Component

Recent empirical research on crowding cost functions explored how passenger discomfort increases with the density of users on board. This paper investigates analytically how public transport providers can use this information in the optimization of crowding-related supply-side decisions. The optimal crowding surcharge, which is a part of the optimal fare, internalizes two types of external costs: seat occupancy externalities and density-based externalities. Applying the model on a realistic demand pattern based on smart card data the authors conclude that due to the complementary role of the two externalities the socially optimal average crowding surcharge is almost independent of density when all seats are occupied. However, the probability of finding a seat severely distorts the distribution of marginal external costs: those who board earlier impose significant external disutility costs on those who thus have to stand on subsequent crowded line sections. Therefore, in the ideal case fares should be differentiated between origin-destination markets, based on the probability of finding a seat. The authors show how operators can derive the optimal crowding surcharge for each origin-destination pair of a metro line.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABE20 Standing Committee on Transportation Economics.

01584066

16-2629

English

15p

2016

Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting

Web

Figures; References (16)

Crowds; Economic models; Origin and destination; Passengers; Public transit; Ride quality; Ridership; Traffic density

Economics; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2016 Paper #16-2629

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 12 2016 5:09PM