Impact of the macrobus line on users' origin-destination travel times and costs, guadalajara metropolitan area, 2012

Introduction: We analyzed the impact of the BRT system, Macrobús, on origin-destination (O-D) costs and travel times in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (ZMG), considering individual characteristics of users and their frequency of use. Methods: They applied an O-D survey to 384 users over 15 years of age in May 2012, in the 27 stations of the corridor. They used Aschman's method and software such as SPSS, STATA and Excel for processing. They classified users into low, medium and high frequency. They evaluated variables such as gender, age, income, transfer time and cost, perception of service, and number of transfers. Results: They determined that 66.41% of the users reported shorter travel time after the implementation of the Macrobús. A total of 85.16% did not perceive an increase in costs, and only 14.84% did. Most of the users were women, young and low-income. They confirmed statistically significant associations between frequency of use and variables such as occupation, monthly income, travel time and number of transfers. However, there was no significant association with age, sex, schooling or perception of the service. Conclusions: They confirmed that the Macrobús system reduced commute times and had a minimal economic impact for the majority. They concluded that public policies are needed to strengthen multimodal transportation integration and promote intermunicipal connectivity. The objective of the study was met by demonstrating the positive impact of the system based on the characteristics and frequency of use of the users.