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In an effort to reduce traffic congestion and excess dependency on private vehicles in Riyadh City, authorities are considering introducing public transport infrastructure and enforcement policies. This study was conducted to evaluate whether the current Riyadh City transport policy measures are adequate to encourage public transport ridership and identify relevant transport policy measures to encourage a shift from use of private cars to public transport. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted in Riyadh during June and July 2015. Seventeen study participants were selected to represent local stakeholders including transport experts and representatives of Riyadh City authorities. It was found that existing transport policy measures involve conventional approaches, for example, increasing road infrastructure to match growth in private vehicle ownership. There is, however, considerable support for reshaping the existing travel demand management policies and measures along with introducing a public transport system. Improving infrastructure to enhance accessibility to and from transit stations, selecting appropriate transit-oriented development sites, parking charges, separate carriages for families, and promoting the safety of public transport facilities are perceived as the most effective strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Equity refers to a fair sharing of costs or resources. Horizontal equity concerns distribution among individuals or groups with the same necessities, whereas vertical equity should be considered in situations with different levels of needs. This paper deals with transit service, looking at how to make it equitable from a spatial and social point of view. Traditionally equity has been neglected in transit planning, being in the best cases an afterthought during service provision. Hence, we propose a methodology to plan and design public transport routes, which meets the needs of communities fostering equitable accessibility. In this paper we put forward a method to incorporate horizontal and vertical equity goals in a Transit Network Design Problem. We study how the costs of the system change with the attained level of equity and found that higher overall costs may be born if more equitable service provision has to be pursued. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since 2008 most older people in England have benefited from unlimited area-wide free travel by bus after the morning peak period. The official policy rhetoric supporting implementation of the measure drew significantly on the need to reduce social exclusion amongst older people. However, despite a substantial increase in the number of concessionary journeys in England and the associated cost liabilities for local authorities and possibly also operators, there is currently only limited understanding of the wide ranging effects on bus use of providing a free pass, and in particular to whom benefits from the policy accrue. In part, this circumstance results from a methodological focus by evaluation studies hitherto that has emphasised aggregate-level data, often at the expense of the very rich contextual information about how the individual benefits from using a pass. This article presents insights into the perceptions, motivations and decisions relating to use of free bus passes, highlighting the existence of both tangible and intangible benefits which arise. It offers a fresh insight into previously undefined uses and benefits derived from possessing and using a concessionary bus pass. This article concludes by noting possible policy implications of the research in the context of the UK's ageing population and for other international contexts where the transport intervention of free bus travel is being considered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]