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The present paper aims at measuring the satisfaction of travellers and stakeholders on perceived quality of service provided at the Latvian interchange “Riga International Coach Terminal” and understand whether there are any gaps between the two groups of involved parties, based on their perceptions and expectations. To this end, a travellers’ attitudinal survey was organized and interviews with representative stakeholders were conducted, in order to capture and analyse their attitudes and preferences and extract those attributes that affect their satisfaction. Results showed that the interchange performs well in physical quality attributes, such as travel and wayfinding information provision, but in terms of access and aesthetics expectations in the internal and external design, some contradictory findings were revealed between travellers and stakeholders, validating the fact that understanding users’ perceptions can work as vital input to policy makers’ perceptions of an integrated sustainable public transport system.

This paper examines the impact of gender on transit travelers’ quality assessment considering 26 indicators’ importance and performance ratings. Through an online survey and using a 5 point Likert scale, transit travelers were asked to rate both the importance and the performance they recognize for the examined quality indicators. The online survey was distributed to a list of contacts, organizations, businesses, universities and operations’ websites in three Greek cities (Athens, Thessaloniki and Volos), aiming to cover all modes and quality conditions someone may face in Greek transit operations. In total, 211 PT users (96 male and 116 female transit travelers) provided their feedback that was further analyzed, aiming to underline the impact of their gender on transit quality importance and performance assessments. Research results, showed that women attribute a higher importance than men on route and service related characteristics, cleanliness and safety and security related indicators, along with the availability of shelter and benches at stops, the ease of purchasing ticket and the use of ecological vehicles. Similarly, women recognize a higher performance for the ease of purchasing ticket. Research results explicitly analyze the gender impact on transit quality assessment, providing useful knowledge and insights for decision makers planning and operations.

The present paper aims at analysing the concept of “urban interchanges” as a solution towards seamless transportation and sustainable mobility. Based on an extensive review of policies, initiatives and data analysis coming from interviews and meetings with stakeholders, a coherent interchange design typology was formulated that links seamless transport and urban interchanges to spatial and urban planning. Focusing on the impact of user satisfaction as a priority towards user travel choices, a list of indicators was valuated. The comparative analysis of interchange typology performance formulated by the users’ perception regarding network accessibility, surrounding area, offered interchange time facilities and environmentally friendly services and infrastructure revealed fruitful findings on proper interchange design towards sustainability and reformation of the city-hubs into true green urban interchanges.

This study aims at revealing the institutional identities of Greek primary schools through analysis of their websites. The sample consisted of 150 randomly selected websites. The grid of content an...

Considering that resilience implies the ability of a system to continuously adapt in order to respond to its operational goals, a system is considered as more or less resilient depending on the level and time of recovering from disruptive events and/or shocks to its initial state. RESOLUTE (RESilience management guidelines and Operationalization appLied to Urban Transport Environment) Horizon 2020 research project is answering those needs, by proposing, among others, to conduct a systematic review and assessment of the state of the art in resilience assessment and management concepts. In this view, the present paper investigates resilience management in transport applications, by examining the behavior of selected case studies under acute disruptions. An extended state-of-the–art review of a number of initiatives in different countries has been conducted, to examine resilience management methodologies and applications in transport systems. Based on social factors, timing, economic characteristics, environmental aspects, system characteristics and physical dimensions, the findings of the above review are presented, along with a comparative and critical analysis of the examined solutions.

In terms of the present paper, the clean vehicles vision, operation and necessity are being discussed pointing out the need to raise awareness to citizens and keep them informed about the potentials of newer technologies and clean vehicle usage. The approach is based on a concise analysis of the current policies and applications, examining a number of case studies that can be considered as coming close to the notion of “green mobility” and are treated as best practices. By identifying the greening mobility necessities, this research concludes on proposing a greening mobility framework to “clean” transportation and support the global vision to accommodate seamless, efficient, personalized and user friendly travel services and promote sustainable travel options.

Travellers formulate their optimal strategyto follow for their trip, every time they may shift to another mode. Trip generalized cost is perceived based on quality of service aspects and type of traveller. One of the most known models to assess service quality is the GAP model, proposed by Parasuraman et al. (1985), which considersboth consumer and provider beliefs, expectations, perceptions and standards. The present paper deals with the fifth GAP of the model, known as the quality GAP, thus expected versus perceived quality of service, for the assessment of the transit service quality. This GAP has been estimated for the case of the transit system in Greece. An internet based questionnaire was used to collect user expectations and perceptions of 26 selected transit quality indicators, based on a 5 point likert scale. Then, a decision tree was developed, using the J48 algorithm, which linked user perceptions and expectations with the overall service quality assessment. The decision tree analysis depicts the importance of various quality components in the generalized cost estimation. Findings showed that the performance indicator “Availability of information by phone, mail”, was the most crucial parameter for the overall assessment of the service, while both performance and importance variables participated in the tree formulation. Tree paths provide guidance for transit operators and/or decision makers for increasing the quality of their services and at the same time enhance performance efficiency and operation profitability.

This paper investigates the accessibility level of the International Coach Terminal in Riga, Latvia, determining crucial parameters, such as needs, elements and policies that can reform existing transportation hubs into fully accessible ones for all citizens. In order to receive users’ feedback on the existing conditions of the terminal and gather their expectations for future interventions, a questionnaire survey was conducted by the Transport and Telecommunication Institute in cooperation with the terminal administration. Achieving a response rate of 95%, 239 users provided useful information about their travel habits, preferences and level of satisfaction, by rating thirty indicators. The results of this survey were also compared, through a meta-analysis approach, with relevant findings of similar surveys realized in five European transport interchanges.

The rapid growth of mobile computing in combination with the advances of the internet and the smartphones boosted the smart mobility. The recent advances changed the way people travel and an emerging need for multimodal traveling support either in urban areas or among cities arose. Commuters used to travel with a mixture of public transports which is supported by many applications currently. Nowadays, many carpooling and car sharing applications are revealed which provide additional transport type for travelling. Carpoolers can either share driving and expenses or one person may drive most or all of the time, in which case the passenger shares operating expenses with the driver. The paper introduces a mobile application called RideMyRoute that provides a multimodal routing solution using public transports with car pooling. The application develops a new carpooling model which targets to optimise the inter-modality of carpooling with existing transport and services within European cities.

The present paper explores the perceptions and the users’ level of satisfaction when using the New Railway Station of Thessaloniki, Greece, in terms of services’ provision and station’s operation. Eight clusters of indicators were tested, including: mobility provision, way-finding information, time and movement issues in the station, accessibility, comfort, station image and attractiveness, safety and security, and handling of emergency situations. Data were collected through an internet-based questionnaire survey, where 244 travelers participated and stated their perceptions and satisfaction related to the aforementioned clusters of indicators. In addition, a decision tree approach was used to indicate the key performance indicators in users’ satisfaction formulation for the urban transport interchange. Findings revealed the most significant parameters that need to be modified in order to increase users’ satisfaction, which will gradually also increase the overall image and attractiveness of the station.

This paper aims at identifying the performance level of Riga’s International Coach Terminal, by assessing its design and operation. Based on an extended state-of-the-art review of best practices, a list of representative indicators, grouped into eight groups, were used and evaluated by terminal’s users. These groups deal with mobility provision, way-finding information, time and movement issues in the terminal, accessibility, comfort, station image and attractiveness, safety and security, and handling of emergency situations. The objectives of the research are to: (a) point out the level of user’s satisfaction from the current terminal operation, infrastructure and services, and (b) correlate the above attributes with the overall terminal assessment. For the data collection, a face-to-face and internet-based questionnaire survey was conducted, with users stating their perceptions and level of satisfaction, related to the terminal infrastructure, operation and services, as classified in the aforementioned eight groups of indicators. A decision-tree approach was applied to indicate the key performance indicators in users’ assessment formulation for the case study. Research findings reveal the most significant parameters that need to be modified in order to increase users’ satisfaction, which will gradually increase the overall image and attractiveness of the terminal and the usage of its services.

This paper introduces a decision tree approach, which can be used for the assessment of the design, operation and services provided at urban transport interchanges. Realizing a customer satisfaction survey, feedback was received from 239 users of the Riga International Coach Terminal on crucial attributes, including: travel information, wayfinding information, time and movement, access, comfort and convenience, station attractiveness, safety and security, emergency situation handling and overall satisfaction. Findings revealed the most significant parameters that need to be addressed in order to increase users’ satisfaction, which can gradually improve the overall attractiveness of the terminal and the efficient provision of its services.

The object of this research was the planning and organisation of a sustainable urban transport system in the “Upper Town” of Thessaloniki. In this article the main findings of a household travel survey held before and after the operation of a new bus line in the area will be discussed. Then what will be presented are the specific measures and interventions aiming at the safeguard, maintenance and enhancement of the special characteristics of this residential area, adopting a “green” mobility approach The Upper Town is a historic district situated in the north-east part of the intra muros city with traditional architecture and organic urban tissue. Steep slopes, a complex network of narrow paved streets, dead-ends, small glades and picturesque squares compose the road system. These characteristics cause unfavorable travel conditions for pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles. The findings of the research show that the improvement of infrastructure for pedestrians, the development of a dense public transport network connecting the district with the city centre, the improvement of the urban landscape and the preservation and enhancement of its spatial features are the main priorities. The operation of the new bus line has to meet the expectations of the residents and serve the mobility needs of the area. The participation of the citizens constitutes an important tool for the development, acceptance and implementation of an integrated and sustainable public transport system.

This paper focuses on active travel accessibility and the required actions to achieve a satisfying level of non-motorized access to urban interchanges. To this end, a systematic literature review was conducted, related to active travel policy measures and actions, as well as to measures aiming at the promotion of walking and cycling and the improvement of access to public transport terminals. This process was necessary in order to identify good practices and successful interventions implemented in Europe, but also to indicate potential legal, operational and infrastructure gaps and bottlenecks. Based on the above, the public transport system of Riga was investigated in terms of legislation, infrastructure, safety and space availability, addressing active travel accessibility to and from the main urban interchanges: Riga International Coach Terminal, Riga Central Railway Station and Riga Passenger Port Terminal. The critical assessment of the literature review findings and the analysis of the Riga transport system facilitated the drafting of recommendations for stakeholders and decision makers, who wish to put together action plans geared towards tackling the issue of active travel accessibility at urban interchanges.