One way to view the quality of transit in cities is from the perspective of the customer – the rider.
By YAIR ASSAF-SHAPIRAUpdated: FEBRUARY 11, 2016 20:31Public transit use rate 2013,14(photo credit: JERUSALEM INSTITUTE FOR ISRAEL STUDIES)
Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, www.jiis.org In large cities, public transit is a critical factor that, in addition to personal mobility, enables economic development, social, commercial and cultural life.One way to view the quality of transit in cities is from the perspective of the customer – the rider.In its annual social survey, the Central Bureau of Statistics asks participants about their use of and satisfaction with public transit in their city. In the 2013-2014 surveys, about 69 percent of Israelis aged 20 and over stated that they use public transit. This percentage may seem high, but in the 2005-2006 surveys, it stood at 73%.One could expect to find a higher percentage of users in big cities. This is true for Jerusalem, Haifa, Ashdod and Petah Tikva (where usage rates are 84%, 79%, 78% and 71% respectively), but usage in Rishon Lezion and Tel Aviv is lower (63% and 65% respectively).Factors influencing the capital’s exceptionally high usage rate stem from the combination of its size in terms of distances, with some of the neighborhoods located far from activity centers; its large population of young adults, including students; its relatively low socioeconomic status; and its well-developed network of buses and light rail, compared to other Israeli cities.The reforms undertaken in Jerusalem and Haifa’s transit systems may contribute to the fact that these are the only two metropolises in which a rise in transit use was recorded. Usage in Haifa and in Jerusalem rose by 4 and by 1 percentage points respectively, whereas in the other large cities a drop of 1 to 4 percentage points was recorded.How about satisfaction with the transit service? Apparently the high rate of public transit users in Jerusalem is not indicative of satisfaction. Only 45% of Jerusalem’s transit users stated they were satisfied or very satisfied with the public transportation in their area of residence. This figure is low compared to both the nation (58%) and the other large cities (67% to 75%). The combination of a high user rate and low satisfaction rate suggests that Jerusalem’s transit riders are to some degree a “captive audience,” using transit from necessity, not because it is the best option to get around in the city.On the other hand, Jerusalem is the only city in Israel with a light rail line, which significantly transformed transit in the city. As the system is still expanding, one has grounds to hope that we are on a learning curve as the situation improves.
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