Income, Weather, and Transit Dependence: Examining Public Transportation Ridership in the Chicago Metropolitan Area
McCormack | Page 1 Income, weather, and transit dependence: Examining public transportation ridership in the Chicago Metropolitan Area Kristen McCormack April 23, 2015 Pomona College, Claremont, CA I. Introduction Weather and Public Transit In the United States, there is an ongoing debate about the future of public transit systems. Many factors affect the popularity of public transit, including the quality, price, and convenience of services, the characteristics of alternatives to services, demographic factors, and cultural norms. The effects on transit demand of many of these factors, including the price of public transit, the price of gasoline, service quality and frequency, income, car ownership, and attitudes towards transit have been studied extensively. The relationship between weather and public transit ridership, however, has only recently been explored. Weather is expected to cause changes in transit ridership by affecting the quality of service, travel time, and experience travelling to and waiting for transit service. The effect of weather on transit decisions can be characterized by two key behavioral responses. First, people may substitute one form of transportation for another. For example, if heavy snow increases traffic congestion or causes roads to seem less safe, people may decide to use public transit instead of travelling by car. Second, weather may affect ridership by changing the type, frequency, and timing of discretionary trips. For example, pleasant weather may lead to more frequent trips to the park while rain may cause cancellations in sporting events or outdoor public gatherings. People may plan more flexible errands around weather; for example, people may delay trips to the grocery store if, on a given day, they expect the experience of accessing public transit to be particularly undesirable.
[Show full text]