Transit integration: why bother?

It has become generally accepted that to maximise patronage, transit must take people to where they want to go in a timely and convenient fashion. The benchmark in this case may be the most attractive available alternative mode, such as the private car with its door-to-door high level of service. Terms such as ‘integrated’, co-ordinated’ and ‘seamless’ are often associated with transit systems planning, project funding and evaluation, operations and performance monitoring. The paper defines those terms in the different contexts, as well in their broader multi-modal and land use implications. Discussed here are performance indicators which may be used to evaluate the degree to which integration attempts lead to the achievement of overall community and operator objectives. Ways in which those measures may be obtained in practice are also canvassed. It is concluded that there is a need for transit planners and operators to be more rigorous in performance measurement of integration and ‘seamlessness’. Changes in perceptions of travellers with respect to transit accessibility and ease of use need to be captured in more tangible ways than has been the case in the past.