Abstract

Some municipalities cannot succeed at making its citizens use public transportation. The use of private cars is usually preferred and this leads to more congestion, longer commuting time, more fuel consumption and gasses’ emissions. Travel preferences of commuters are commonly estimated with discrete choice methods that consider their socioeconomic characteristics, along with some form of travel cost, failing to incorporate any measure of comfort. This research develops a standardized indicator of comfort for mass transportation systems. The functional form for a proposed index is developed over three key indicators: vehicle vibrations, air quality and noise levels, and the index is illustrated on a case study of the city of Montreal with comparisons to London and Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). The index was developed in a way that allows an objective calculation, avoiding qualitative judgment from commuters, thus eliminating individuals’ subjectivity, and enabling comparisons among cities and modes. It was found that the automobile is the most comfortable mode, explaining its popularity. The data showed that, the number of stops is the most important factor affecting total vibration levels, and hence the comfort of buses and trains. Noise was found to be linked to vehicle’s vibrations. Newer metro cars in London and Dominican Republic showed better comfort levels, suburban trains in Montreal performed better and close to their counterparts in the United Kingdom. Express bus line was more comfortable than the local bus, performing better in the level of vibrations and noise, but not in terms of air quality.