Valuation of a transfer in a multimodal public transport trip

• A survey with stated choice experiments was conducted among Dutch train users.
• We analyze the experienced transfer disutility of a transfer between BTM and train.
• Total disutility depends on time distribution of access, transfer, waiting time, and headway.
• Optimal transfer time is 8  min, with variations by respondents and stations.

Improvement of chain mobility is considered a major issue in public transport use. Transfers within a public transport trip are the least appreciated part of the trip. This research quantifies the experienced transfer disutility of a transfer between BTM and train. The influence of travel time, transfer time, headway, costs and station facilities on the valuation of a transfer is estimated, based on a web-based stated preference (SP) experiment with over 1145 respondents. A set of mixed logit models was estimated, including sub-models by trip purpose, travel frequency, access/egress mode and journey stage (access or egress). The modeling results show that the total disutility during the interchange depends on the total time, the distribution of the time spent (access, transfer, waiting time) and headway. In general, the most optimal transfer time is found to be 8 min, but relevant differences are found among respondents and stations. The highlighted preferences of different groups of travelers can be used by public transport service to meet the travelers' needs in a transfer, and decrease the transfer disutility.