CATCHMENT AREAS FOR BUS PUBLIC TRANSPORT A Stated Preference investigation into the factors influencing a travellers’ willingness to walk to a bus stop.

In recent years, new methods for defining walking catchment areas have arisen, refuting the generally used 400m distance threshold. Accurate catchment area definition can assist transport operators, urban planners and real estate developers in enlarging potential ridership for bus public transport. Studies presented evidence that there are many other factors, apart from distance, that influence a travellers’ willingness to walk. Aspects such as bus service and waling routes as well as amenities present at a bus stop are found to be of influence on the distance a traveller is willing to walk to a bus stop. For these reasons, the aim of this study is to investigate possible factors that influence a travellers’ willingness to walk, create a better understanding of catchment area definition and to introduce methods to increase potential ridership for bus stops. A stated preference experiment is performed in order to identify the influential factors. The results of the experiment were analysed a multinomial logit model and showed that the frequency of service was the most important factor influencing a travellers’ willingness to walk. The estimated model showed that walking route attributes only start becoming influential if the walking distance is more than 500m. Additionally estimated models for separate groups showed that one’s willingness to walk is also influenced by gender, affinity with bus use and affinity with walking for both leisure and utilitarian purposes.