Beyond Ridership Counts: What Trip Requests Reveal About Urban Mobility

Using data provided by public transport associations, new opportunities arise today to investigate passenger demand and user behavior in public transport. Of particular interest is information about the locations and times at which passengers use – or would like to use – public transport services. By analyzing the requests submitted to the electronic timetable information system (EFA), conclusions can be drawn regarding passenger demand and user behavior. Although electronically submitted requests represent only a portion of actual users, they can serve as an indicator for real passenger demand. In this paper, a methodology is developed for analyzing EFA request statistics and comparing them with real passenger volumes. The aim is to assess the informative value of the request data and to carry out an exemplary analysis and interpretation of these data.