Evaluation of the Relationship between the Transit Ridership and Accessibility Variables: A Case Study of the Bangkok Metro Stations

Abstract

Many studies and planning projects related to Thailand metro system is now highly concentrating on the improvements of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and the feeder system to ensure smooth transferring for users traveling from their origins to destinations. Leaving off policies related measures, improvements that could immediately focus in order to enhance the smooth transfer services are infrastructure and land-use developments. This study evaluates relationships of accessibility variables, focused on service design and land-usages, and demand of metro ridership. The objective is to improve the understanding of what types of expanding infrastructures or land deployments that could help to support the metro system and encouraging more transit ridership. The existing Bangkok metro stations are the case study area for this research. Gathered data are transport services, roadway infrastructures, and land use. These data are available in the Geographic Information System format and ready to extract as testing variables at each station. Relationship between the number of transit ridership and variables form transport services, network connectivities, and land use are explore based on the correlation analysis. Results from the study found that the number of bus lines, bus stops, and railway stations are associated with the transit ridership, while there is no relationship between ridership demands and ferry services. Further for land-use perspective, the commercial, industrial, and mixed-used area have a significant influence on the ridership demand while there is no signal from the Residential area.