Innovative Measures in Transport: the Czech example

Jana VALKOVA

20/05/2014

TRANSPORT RESEARCH CENTREDivision of Human Factor in Transport and Transport Modelling

Mobility of elderly peopleConsidering mobility, the senior population is heterogeneous in terms of:– mobility preferences and behaviour – choice of mode,

mode availability, frequency– socio-demographic characteristics – age, gender,

employment, income– attitudes and cultural values

In order to adjust policy planning and transport measures to the needs of elderly it is necessary to explore in detail mobility behaviour and preferences of this group!

Segmentation of the heterogeneous target group

Studied aspects of mobility (Haustein, 2011):– Infrastructural variables: spatial characteristics

and accessibility to transport systems– Sociodemographics, social network and health– Perceived danger for various transport modes– Mobility-related attitudinal variables– Mobility behaviour

Outcomes• Captive car users: good access to car, low access to

public transport, low preference for other modes• Affluent mobiles: highest access to car, low access to

PT, soft modes accepted positively, high income, large social network

• Self-determined mobiles: good access to car and PT, positive attitude towards soft modes, no high pressure for mobility

• Captive public transport users: lowest access to car, highest access to PT, no preference for cycling, but for walking, low income

Good practices clustersPractices targeting elderly people:

– Personal transport schemes– User training– Public transport information and provision– Pricing and incentive measures– Policies for older drivers– Health issues

Practices targeting stakeholders, authorities, designers:– Planner and transport operator staff training– Urban environment design– Integrated accessibility planning

Background in CONSOL Project co-financed by the DG MOVE (www.consolproject.eu)

Relevance of measures to different segments of elderly people

User Training – Senior Academy in Brno

Brno Municipal Police runs Senior Academy :– special study programme in a form of life-long learning

designated for senior citizens– study subjects are focused on crime, order, traffic and fire

risks issues which all nowadays endanger seniors– in the course of last six years the fields of study were

extended by a number of subjects which contribute to the awareness of senior public of consumer, health, social and financial questions

– 270 admissions in 2012– funded by Brno Municipal Police and Brno City Municipality

Senior Academy in Brno: Programme Structure

Senior Academy in Brno: Results

• Over 800 absolvents• Best Project in Crime Prevention for Seniors Award

(2011) – prize from Regions, cities and municipalities of the Czech Republic, awarded by the Ministry of the Interior of the CZ

• Involved in the HELPS project by the Academy of Science

• Chosen as the best practice at city level within the NLAO: Cities for Active Inclusion project in 2012

Pricing policyIn general 3 alternatives can be observed in Czech context:– Free public transport: Prague (65+),

Brno (70+), Ostrava (70+)– Reduced fares: Pardubice, Hradec

Králové (65 – 70, 70+), Opava (70+)– Combination of both: Czech Railways

- IN Karta allows for free travel in regular trains and 50% discount on other trains (fast, intercity, EC)

Pricing policy: the Prague case

In 2011 major changes in fares introduced:• Children aged 6 to 15 (used to be 6 to 10) and

seniors aged 65+ (used to be 70+) travel for FREE• Raise of single ticket fares by 6 CZK Financial expectations: • Losses: 240 Mio CZK• Gains: 206 Mio CZK

Elderly as the target group of safety campaigns

Cycling Academy: guide for stakeholders

• Cycling Academy provides support to cities who want to strengthen cycling in their urban areas

• Provides guide for cities and other stakeholders how to organise motivational campaigns for seniors towards cycling with stress on health benefits of cycling

• Tips for other soft measures – involvement of other stakeholders

Any hard measures? YES!5 new low-floor minibuses were introduced within CIVITAS ELAN project in BrnoAims:• improve acceptance by the

population with limited mobility

• ensure the operation of the public transport in areas where the demand is low especially during off-peak hours

Low-floor minibuses in BrnoEvaluation approach • Reduction of operating cost per km by 0.5 euro/km: fuel use and

operational costs extracted out of the financial data of DPMB• Reduction of the pollution caused by the bus fleet: this is evaluated

based on the emission standards of the different types of buses• Improved customer satisfaction, in particular of the people with

limited mobility: evaluated in a qualitative way in a focus group with disabled people, recording user numbers

• Enhancing number of connection by better public transport provision in the city centre: calculated based on the number of stops of the minibuses

Low-floor minibuses in BrnoKey result 1 – Lower emissions (CO, NOX, particles, HC)• The emissions decreased because the emission standard of

the buses is higher (old buses - EURO 0 vs. minibuses - EURO 4). Low-floor buses (BAU) have the same emission standard as the minibuses. The targeted decrease by 30% was exceeded.

Key result 2 – Improved vehicle fuel efficiency• Minibuses with lower fuel consumption (19l/100 km) are more

than 2.5 times more fuel efficient than the standard low-floor buses (fuel consumption 45 l/100 km) and 1.9 times more efficient than the old buses (fuel consumption 36 l/100). The initial goal to save 10l/100km was therefore exceeded.

Low-floor minibuses in BrnoKey result 3 – Decreased operating costs• Represented by cost on fuel. The operation of the minibuses (0.20

€/km) is 1.7 times cheaper than the operation of the old buses (0.33 €/km). The alternative solution – the operation of the standard low-floor bus (0.53 €/km) would be 2.6 times more expensive regarding the fuel costs in comparison to the minibuses. The target of saving 0.5 €/km was not defined realistically, as the original costs were only 0.33 €/km.

Key result 4 – High acceptance of the measure• According to the organised meeting with the target group (disabled

citizens) appreciates the direct connections with the city centre and the hospitals provided by minibuses, especially during the winter when it is difficult to use other connections such as the low-floor trams, trolleybuses or buses.

Low-floor minibuses in BrnoKey result 5 – Number of use• The planned target to raise the number of transported

disabled people by 10% was not met. On the contrary, the number of the users of the minibuses is decreasing from 2009. But it can be explained as a result of the increasing number of low-floor vehicles in the public transport fleet. Therefore the disabled passengers have now more possibilities to travel and they are using other PT vehicles than minibuses.

Key result 6 – Increased number of connections• The targeted increase in the number of connections by 50%

was not met, although there was an important increase in the number of connections between 2009 and 2011 on both lines, due to the better manoeuvrability of the minibuses.

Low-floor minibuses in BrnoKey result 7 – Positive CBA The one-to-one comparison of the Business As Usual analysis (BAU) (standard low - floor buses) with the measure (the minibuses) found a positive Net Present Value (NPV) of 318,585 € over 10 years.

The measure total costs (sum of capital, maintenance and operational costs) are lower than the reference case throughout the lifetime. Although the initial investments for the new minibuses were high, their operational savings have been very significant so the initial investment should be repaid within the minibuses lifetime.

Thank you for your attention!

Jana VALKOVATransport Research Centre

Lisenska 33a636 00 Brno

Phone: +420 541 641 357Email: jana.valkova@cdv.cz