Assessing the Performance of Urban Public Transport using Population Grid Data

A new analysis, published in September 2022, assesses the performance of (urban) public transport in 197 European cities, by comparing accessibility and proximity of residential populations.

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The study utilised a grid-based concept of urban centres alongside population estimates in a 200 x 200m grid cell. For every populated place inside an urban centre, the study aimed to answer to what extent people that are living within a certain radius can be reached within a certain travel time, by means of public transport and/or by means of a short walk.

The results by city demonstrated a wide variety in transport performance, both for trips up to 30 minutes and up to 45 minutes. On average, 36% of people living in an 8km radius could be reached within 30 minutes in the cities analysed. Whilst trips up to 45 minutes reach almost 54% of people living in a 12km radius. For short trips (up to 30 minutes) public transport performed better overall in smaller cities compared to larger ones, whilst the relationship between city size and performance was less clear for trips up to 45 minutes. 

The results of this analysis have been published in an interactive map to visualise the variability of accessibility and proximity of populations within urban centres, available here.

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Source: Eltis