One of the most pervasive problems in Australian public transport network design is the issue of servicing large low density suburban areas using expensive fixed route bus resources. There is now much evidence that consolidation of fixed route services into straighter, higher frequency corridors acts to improve ridership and service effectiveness. However this results in longer walk access distances creating a ‘first/last mile’ access problem for older and disabled passengers and disenfranchises many low density remote suburbs, many of which are built on a non-linear design which are harder for a traditional bus to access.
This projects explores user and operator impacts of route concentration and practical first/ last mile solutions to address resulting service gaps. The research includes transit network modelling, comparative analysis of public transport networks in various cities as well as best practice analysis for first/last mile solutions.
This project is part of the Sustainable and Effective Public Transport – Graduate Research Industry Partnership (SEPT-GRIP) and was supervised by Professor Graham Currie. The project was undertaken by Nora Estgfäller and sponsored by Transdev Melbourne and Monash University.
The thesis is available online here.