Assembling the wheels: The Rapid Transit Shuttle

Abstract

The passenger numbers in the Danish public transportation is stagnating. This is a critical issue if the passenger increase – and carbon emission targets set by the government for public transportation should be achieved. Consequently and effort in this thesis has been made to identify how this issue can be solved. It is identified that the overall value proposition offered by public transportation is too low and is one of the main reasons why congestion in the road-traffic is still increasing. As a result of the preliminary findings, this thesis focuses on commuters, who are the main market segment for public transportation, since they have a continuously need for transportation. Furthermore the focus is on suburbs of the capital region of Denmark. This focus is taken because most of the cars, that are creating congestion, stems from the commuters living in the suburbs. These commuters do not have a better alternative to their car. Through conducted interviews and collected data the following findings have been identified. (1) It is recommended that changes in the current setup within public transportation are necessary. It is critical to amplify partnerships between the different factions of public transportation, enhancing knowledge sharing and co-development to boost innovation of public transportation as a whole. The partnerships are also important because commuters see public transportation as a whole. (2) When the partnerships are developed, it is necessary to co-develop ‗Rejseplanen‘ into a real-time travel planner, which utilizes the internet and smartphone technologies already present to a higher extent. This should be seen as a tool that would benefit the commuters when travelling with public transportation, thereby increasing the overall value proposition. (3) To facilitate a better utilization of public transportation and a higher overall value proposition it is recommended that a new public transport solution is implemented. The current setup does not fulfil the commuters‘ needs, and therefore it is difficult to change the commuters‘ behaviour. The Rapid Transit Shuttle (henceforth, RTS) is a small bus combined with a flexible and user friendly solution that appeals to the commuters. Besides the commuter appeal it has a high complementary effect within public transportation, because the RTS‘s primary function is acting as a feeder transport solution for the main types of transportation (i.e. Trains, Regular Buses and Metro). (4) It is recommended that the RTS idea should be implemented as a part of an innovated business model. The four recommendations above will result in a higher increase of commuters within public transportation, because it will ensure a better utilization of public transport. It is found that a better utilization will have a positive effect on the environment. (5) The final recommendation is to implement an RTS solution based on electric powertrains and electric vehicle infrastructure. This will generate a decrease in carbon emissions, which will contribute to meet the carbon emission target set by the Danish government. It is concluded that if the thesis‘ recommendations are followed, developed and implemented the public transport sector will have a higher probability of reaching and contributing to the government‘s targets.