Analyzing Public Transport Wait Times and Identifying the Most Affected Users in the Metropolitan Area of Valparaíso, Chile

Public transportation wait times are a crucial factor influencing users’ perception of the system’s efficiency, their satisfaction, and their willingness to continue using these services. This study analyzes long wait times in public transportation and identifies the most affected users in the Metro...

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Main Authors: Felipe González, Vicente Aprigliano, Sebastian Seriani, Alvaro Peña
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/5969
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author Felipe González
Vicente Aprigliano
Sebastian Seriani
Alvaro Peña
author_facet Felipe González
Vicente Aprigliano
Sebastian Seriani
Alvaro Peña
author_sort Felipe González
collection DOAJ
description Public transportation wait times are a crucial factor influencing users’ perception of the system’s efficiency, their satisfaction, and their willingness to continue using these services. This study analyzes long wait times in public transportation and identifies the most affected users in the Metropolitan Area of Valparaíso, Chile. Using data from the Gran Valparaíso Mobility and Transportation Survey conducted by the Transportation Planning Secretariat (SECTRA) in 2014, only public transportation trips were selected, resulting in a dataset of 17,951 records. Exploratory data analysis techniques and Artificial Intelligence algorithms, such as DBSCAN clustering, were applied, as well as Moran’s Index for spatial autocorrelation, in order to identify patterns and groups of users experiencing prolonged wait times. The results show that certain demographic groups and specific geographic areas face longer wait times, negatively impacting equity and accessibility within the public transportation system. This study provides insights for improving transportation planning by identifying patterns and user groups that experience extended wait times, which can guide decisions to enhance user satisfaction and promote the use of public transportation.
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spelling doaj-art-4ef151b9313e428199e3c48dab8152472025-08-20T02:23:00ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-05-011511596910.3390/app15115969Analyzing Public Transport Wait Times and Identifying the Most Affected Users in the Metropolitan Area of Valparaíso, ChileFelipe González0Vicente Aprigliano1Sebastian Seriani2Alvaro Peña3Escuela de Ingeniería de Construcción y Transporte, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Avda. Brasil, Valparaíso 2147, ChileEscuela de Ingeniería de Construcción y Transporte, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Avda. Brasil, Valparaíso 2147, ChileEscuela de Ingeniería de Construcción y Transporte, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Avda. Brasil, Valparaíso 2147, ChileEscuela de Ingeniería de Construcción y Transporte, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Avda. Brasil, Valparaíso 2147, ChilePublic transportation wait times are a crucial factor influencing users’ perception of the system’s efficiency, their satisfaction, and their willingness to continue using these services. This study analyzes long wait times in public transportation and identifies the most affected users in the Metropolitan Area of Valparaíso, Chile. Using data from the Gran Valparaíso Mobility and Transportation Survey conducted by the Transportation Planning Secretariat (SECTRA) in 2014, only public transportation trips were selected, resulting in a dataset of 17,951 records. Exploratory data analysis techniques and Artificial Intelligence algorithms, such as DBSCAN clustering, were applied, as well as Moran’s Index for spatial autocorrelation, in order to identify patterns and groups of users experiencing prolonged wait times. The results show that certain demographic groups and specific geographic areas face longer wait times, negatively impacting equity and accessibility within the public transportation system. This study provides insights for improving transportation planning by identifying patterns and user groups that experience extended wait times, which can guide decisions to enhance user satisfaction and promote the use of public transportation.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/5969waiting times in public transportationartificial intelligencecluster analysismetropolitan area of Valparaísospatial analysisDBSCAN
spellingShingle Felipe González
Vicente Aprigliano
Sebastian Seriani
Alvaro Peña
Analyzing Public Transport Wait Times and Identifying the Most Affected Users in the Metropolitan Area of Valparaíso, Chile
Applied Sciences
waiting times in public transportation
artificial intelligence
cluster analysis
metropolitan area of Valparaíso
spatial analysis
DBSCAN
title Analyzing Public Transport Wait Times and Identifying the Most Affected Users in the Metropolitan Area of Valparaíso, Chile
title_full Analyzing Public Transport Wait Times and Identifying the Most Affected Users in the Metropolitan Area of Valparaíso, Chile
title_fullStr Analyzing Public Transport Wait Times and Identifying the Most Affected Users in the Metropolitan Area of Valparaíso, Chile
title_full_unstemmed Analyzing Public Transport Wait Times and Identifying the Most Affected Users in the Metropolitan Area of Valparaíso, Chile
title_short Analyzing Public Transport Wait Times and Identifying the Most Affected Users in the Metropolitan Area of Valparaíso, Chile
title_sort analyzing public transport wait times and identifying the most affected users in the metropolitan area of valparaiso chile
topic waiting times in public transportation
artificial intelligence
cluster analysis
metropolitan area of Valparaíso
spatial analysis
DBSCAN
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/5969
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AT sebastianseriani analyzingpublictransportwaittimesandidentifyingthemostaffectedusersinthemetropolitanareaofvalparaisochile
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