Accessibility Barriers in Urban Public Transport for Disabled Users: An AHP-Based Severity Index and Behavioral Regression Analysis

This study examines accessibility barriers experienced by individuals with disabilities in urban public transportation and analyzes how these barriers influence their travel behavior. Survey data were collected from 450 participants with different disability types in Alanya, Turkey, a tourism-oriented city characterized by pronounced seasonal mobility fluctuations. To ensure internal consistency and analytical robustness, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to prioritize seven accessibility criteria, and the consistency of pairwise comparisons was verified prior to analysis. Based on the AHP-derived weights, a composite accessibility-based Problem Severity Index (PSI) was constructed and integrated into regression models to quantify behavioral effects. The results show that the Problem Severity Index (PSI) is strongly associated with satisfaction (R 2 = 0.895), frequency of public transport use (R 2 = 0.924), and perceived travel difficulty (R 2 = 0.924), reflecting constrained mobility conditions and limited modal alternatives rather than improved service quality. Deficiencies in bus stop design and vehicle accessibility equipment were identified as the most influential barriers affecting public transport experience. Beyond the case study context, the proposed AHP–regression framework provides a structured analytical approach for evaluating accessibility performance and generating empirical evidence to inform inclusive and sustainable urban mobility planning. The findings offer empirical evidence on the relative importance of accessibility barriers and highlight critical infrastructure and service deficiencies. Rather than constituting a decision-support tool themselves, these results provide structured information that, when appropriately contextualized, can inform and guide transport authorities and urban planners in prioritizing accessibility improvements and enhancing inclusive public transport performance over time.