Measuring the quality and diversity of transit alternatives

This research proposes new tools to evaluate transit trips quality and diversity by considering all the transit alternatives to link an origin and a destination. We calculate descriptive indicators for each route, including an improved estimation of waiting time, transfer cost (to measure its tediousness) and consideration of the trip directness. We then filter and rank the results and finally compute two aggregate indicators for each Origin-Destination pair, a Quality Indicator and a Diversity Indicator. For our case study, the Quality Indicator varies between 30% and 70% and captures many local transit features while the Diversity Indicator varies from 1 to 9. Furthermore, by considering the level of similarity between transit alternatives it provides a more accurate representation of actual opportunities than the total number of alternative transit routes. These indicators are excellent diagnostic tools for planners looking to improve transit service.