Transit accessibility for commuters considering the demand elasticities of distance and transfer

In this paper, a “by transit accessibility (BTA)” measure to evaluate the impacts of travel distance and transfer tolerance on the convenience of commuting by transit on a regional scale is proposed. Considering the spatiotemporal factors for commuting efficiency evaluation, the timetable-dependent passenger carrying capacity of the transit station and the time-varying passenger demand at originating sites have been formulated into the BTA model. Moreover, the proposed BTA measure could reflect the commuting trip demand elasticity, which is caused by travel distance and transfer tolerance. In the meantime, this BTA measure can provide an important basis for transit timetable adjustment in the study area during different time periods. The proposed measure is tested on a small transit network to display its function, and finally, it is applied to an empirical case to draw practical findings.