A new tool for the assessment of public transportation systems: the METRIX / Uma nova ferramenta para avaliação de sistemas de transporte público: o METRIX

Abstract

Many transit performance indicators collect excessive data, which are costly, complex, and arduous. An excessive dependence on the availability of various data makes benchmarking difficult and sometimes impossible. However, other methods are simple but too limited to capture a systemic global view. This study presents an efficient tool that acknowledges the current situation of the transit system of a given metropolis and enables comparisons with several national and international references. The Metropolitan Transit Index (METRIX) is the relationship between the number of trips by quality public transit (QPT) modes in a workday and the number of inhabitants in a given metropolitan region. It was applied to 25 metropolises worldwide for the year 2018, which were then ranked from the highest to lowest to score their transit development. Our results show that Tokyo and Paris are two of the most transit-oriented metropolises globally, while Seattle, Atlanta, and Los Angeles are the most automobile-oriented. Additionally, we found that Asian and European metropolises have a higher METRIX, whereas South American and North American metropolises (especially US cities), except São Paulo, have a lower METRIX. The data indicate a trend towards greater METRIX in cities that chose a greater proportion of rail over bus QPT services.