The demand determinants for urban public transport services: A review of the literature

The future always includes some degree of uncertainty and reducing it is of special importance for decision makers. This is also valid for the decision makers in the public transport area. The uncertainty in the future demand and the need to know the factors that influence the demand make the area much interested in by the decision makers for the sake of planning and making right decisions. In this sense, knowing about the demand driving factors and determining future demand for public transport services are very basic managerial instincts for those who perform in the area. However, the subject is quite wide and public transport literature investigates the issue from many different perspectives. The issue is highly relevant to not only decision makers but also researchers. Nevertheless, the results of research in the area are spread out and therefore need to be combined together. This study reviews the current literature with respect to the factors that affect the demand for city public transport services and summarizes the findings. The literature is investigated especially from the operational point of view in order to clear the issue and to help the public transport operators, decision makers and researchers who make decisions and research based on the demand for public transport services and those who understand the factors that shape it. © 2012 Asian Network for Scientific Information.