Studying the effects of economic and demographic parameters on public transport demand (Case study: the Damascus city and its suburbs)

Abstract

Public transport Demand is affected by a number of factors, including those related to the transport system (quality of public transport service, fare,

frequency, comfort, safety, reliability, etc.) and others related to the surrounding environment in which the transport company operates, i.e. the economic situation of the city and the social and demographic situation of the population ( Population, employees, income, car ownership, etc.), and an accurate understanding of the impact of these factors on the transport demand constitutes the basic building block in setting policies and taking decisions related to improving and developing the transportation system (expanding the road network or introducing new modes of transportation).

In this research, we were studying the effect of population density, number of employees, income, density of the public transport network, car ownership, and fare on the number of public transport trips between the city of Damascus and its suburbs. A simple non-linear regression model was reached, using which to calculate the amount of increase or decrease in the number of public transport trips at any change in these economic and demographic parameters.