Towards Understanding the Benefits and Challenges of Demand Responsive Public Transit- A Case Study in the City of Charlotte, NC
Access to adequate public transportation plays a critical role in inequity and socio-economic mobility, particularly in low-income communities. Low-income workers who rely heavily on public transportation face a spatial disparity between home and work, which leads to higher unemployment, longer job searches, and longer commute times. The overarching goal of this study is to get initial data that would result in creating a connected, coordinated, demand-responsive, and efficient public bus system that minimizes transit gaps for low-income, transit-dependent communities. To create equitable metropolitan public transportation, this paper evaluates existing CATS mobile applications that assist passengers in finding bus routes and arrival times. Our community survey methodology includes filling out questionnaires on Charlotte's current bus system on specific bus lines and determining user acceptance for a future novel smart technology. We have also collected data on the demand and transit gap for a real-world pilot study, Sprinter bus line, Bus line 7, Bus line 9, and Bus lines 97-99. These lines connect all of Charlotte City's main areas and are the most important bus lines in the system. On the studied routes, the primary survey results indicate that the current bus system has many flaws, the major one being the lack of proper timing to meet the needs of passengers. The most common problems are long commutes and long waiting times at stations. Moreover, the existing application provides inaccurate information, and on average, 80 percent of travelers and respondents are inclined to use new technology.