Valuation of transfer for bus users: The case of Gran Canaria

This paper analyses travelers’ preferences for the main attributes defining public bus transport services when evaluating connecting versus direct services in the island of Gran Canaria (Spain). The information is gathered through a Stated Preference experiment for bus users who make a transfer during their journey. In order to study the preference heterogeneity mixed logit and latent class models are estimated. The preference heterogeneity identified is different according to the estimated model. For Mixed Logit model, it is defined by type of transfer interacting with the transfer waiting time and for mandatory trips interacting with in-vehicle travel time. For Latent Class model, this preference heterogeneity is identified by three classes where the perception of the modal attributes is different in each class and non-compensatory behavior is identified. Moreover, the transfer waiting time is significant in all three classes. Thus, the results depend on the estimated model and a comparison is made with those results. The findings obtained seem to indicate that the improvement opportunities for transport systems should focus on the reduction in the transfer cost with the exception of individuals of class 2 and the improvement in the level-of-service.