Validating travel behavior estimated from smartcard data

•OD matrices obtained from smartcard and GPS data are validated.•Using endogenous and exogenous data we explore the validity of methods and parameters.•The results show high percentages of correct estimation.•The validation process is also useful to develop methods improvements.

In this paper, we present a validation of public transport origin–destination (OD) matrices obtained from smartcard and GPS data. These matrices are very valuable for management and planning but have not been validated until now. In this work, we verify the assumptions and results of the method using three sources of information: the same database used to make the estimations, a Metro OD survey in which the card numbers are registered for a group of users, and a sample of volunteers. The results are very positive, as the percentages of correct estimation are approximately 90% in all cases.