SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM FOR LAST MILE CONNECTIVITY TO MAJOR WORK CENTRES AND THE MODE CHOICE OF EMPLOYEES (Paper 827)

Mostly public transit is not designed to provide a door-to-door connectivity unlike personalized modes of transport and improving the availability of feeder modes will make the public transit more accessible and attractive. Access and egress are the weakest links in public transport and this constitute a major chunk of the total travel time of a commuter.A well designed public transit system incorporating eco-friendly feeder modes also, could improve the Last Mile Connectivity (LMC)to the work centresand can create a positive spiral whereby the ridership of public transport increases, its financial viability also improves and the environment goes greener.Prior to any infrastructure planning it is essential to study the user’s behavior and preferences for ensuring the viability and effectiveness of implementation. Mode choice forms an integral part of this process as it gives a complete insight to the mode choice preferences of the commuters.Thisresearch paperdetails on the traffic and travel characteristics and the mode preferencesof two major workcentres in Kerala i.e. Information Technology (IT) campuses of Technopark in Trivandrum and Infopark at Kakkanad, both of them being major trip attraction centres. Socio economic and travel characteristics of the commuters to the work centre are analysed based on a comprehensive data collected by conducting surveys. Choice of commuters for varied modes of feeder service for last mile trip is inferred based on the user preference surveys conducted. Mode choice modeling is attempted based on a ranking approach for different mode choices in a scenario where different modes of feeder service co-exist.