A Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Applications Supporting Public Transport Users

Abstract

Reducing the energy consumption of transport in urban areas is possible if appropriate measures are taken to make public transport more attractive. These include all kinds of journey planners that are part of the passenger information system. Various applications available on the market allow passengers to evaluate their usability. This paper presents and compares nine of the most popular journey planners available to iOS and Android users travelling in Krakow. The comparison took into account all the information obtained from the surveys. In addition, using a multi-criteria approach, the final ranking of the set of journey planners was developed. The assessment was made on the basis of a set of nine criteria indicated by travellers as the most important ones. The obtained results showed disproportions in the functionality of particular solutions. They also indicated the apps that are most frequently and willingly used by local (urban city/agglomeration) travellers.