Classification of taxi khattee (jitney) lines based on topography and line cost indices

•In this paper a method to classify taxi khattee lines (jitney) is provided.•The goal is to substitute uneconomical lines with other modes.•The classification is based on topography and line cost indices.•82% Of taxi khattee lines are more economical if be replaced with van.•18% Of other taxi khattee lines are more economical if be replaced with bus.

Taxi khattee is a mode of transportation in Iran that is similar to jitney, which is very common in many developing countries. Jitney is obsolete and illegal in many developed countries. Some researchers show jitney is not an economical mode of urban transportation because of many harmful side effects. Even though this mode is not generally economical, there are some situations where it is a good option. Since people’s transit habits have been formed along this mean of transportation for many years, the immediate elimination of this mode would not be possible. In this paper a methodology is provided to classify taxi khattee lines in order to substitute uneconomical lines with other modes. The methodology is based on topography and line cost indices. The case study of this research is in region one of Tehran, Iran. Results show taxi khattee is not economical on none of the present lines.