Research project CP/63 (Research action CP)
Context
Public transport subsidies play an important role in the present policy measures in the Belgian mobility policy. The introduction of “free” bus transport in Hasselt in 1997 was an important starting point. Later, the Flemish government elaborated in cooperation with De Lijn the so-called third-payer system for target groups. The price of public transport is not paid by the user or the provider, but partly or completely covered by a “third party”. For the moment, this kind of “free” public transport is unique in Europe.
In addition to mobility effects, these measures have social, economic and environmental implications, affecting for example people’s attitudes towards public transport, generating capacity problems, influencing the seat occupancy etc.
Description of the project
Objectives
The objective of this project is the analysis of the effect of third payer system in Belgium from a sociological, economic and a geographical point of view. An interdisciplinary approach is proposed for one case study.
This academic year (2003-2004) an initiative started for the students of Flemish colleges and universities in Brussels. Brussels was selected for the case study, because in the same city, there is a group of students that benefits from the measure, and another group (students from French speaking universities and colleges) that doesn’t. This will allow us to compare the current travel behaviour between the students benefiting from the measure, and those who don’t. It will also allow us to compare the change in travel behaviour.
Methodology
The sociological analysis focuses on perception and appreciation issues, and their impact on travel behaviour is analyzed and compared. The public transports users and non-users profiles are analysed and compared too. The attitudes of the Flemish students is compared with similar groups not benefiting of similar conditions, such as their French-speaking counterparts. At least 60 in-depth interviews will be taken: 30 for students on Dutch speaking colleges, 30 on French speaking colleges. This sample is based on three factors: sex, educational level and place of residence. Interviews are taken face-to-face by a researcher on the basis of common guideline. The interviews are then written down for further analysis.
The economic analysis consists of an integrated social cost-benefit analysis, taking into account a wide range of effects, including environmental effects, translated into monetary terms, in order to assess the global character of the measure. A multi-criteria analysis takes into account the same types of effects, but a monetarisation is not necessary for this type of analysis. A better analysis from the point of view of the various communities of interests can emerge from this model. For the students, a survey is conducted to analyse their current mobility pattern (number of trips, motives, costs, distribution of trips in time, start and endpoints) and to reveal possible changes compared to the previous year.
The geographical dimension focuses on the question whether the introduction of free public transport has spatial and temporal effects on the travel behaviour and thus the travel demand and the demand for urban facilities. The public transport supply and the different urban functions are mapped using the URBIS parcel and building map and address data from colleges, universities, sport and recreation facilities, cultural facilities, horeca, etc. The actual activity patterns of the students are collected through the survey. A specific approach by means of mental maps and appreciations allows mapping of the perception of Brussels.
Interaction between the different partners
The interaction between the research partners occurs by e-mail and internal working meetings. The frequency of these meetings varies during the project: more frequent during the preparation and execution of the interviews, less frequent during the analyses, and at least 10 times a year.
Expected results and/or products
The scientific dissemination will include publications in international journals and participations at scientific conferences. The involvement of POLIS will allow a broad dissemination of the research results among European cities. The presence of the "Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde" and of the "International Association for Public Transport" in the users group will allow a broad dissemination of the results among transport professionals at regional and international levels.
Partners
Activities
KULeuven
Spatial Applications Division Leuven (SADL) is a multidisciplinary research group specialized in processing spatial data. SADL applies specialized technical knowledge in the fields GIS and Remote Sensing on subject matters ranging from hydrology studies to traffic safety.
VUB
Research group Business Economics and Strategic Management is specialized in complex evaluations of projects and policies where different shareholders, from private companies as well as public institutions, are confronted with many interest groups and different objectives have to be taken into count. The unit carried out many evaluations of complex transportation projects which have lead to a substantial knowledge in modeling complex decision strategies and putting into practice of strategic decision instruments in the areas of infrastructures, traffic safety, etc.
UCL
Unit of Anthropology and Sociology is a research and educational unit. The research is structured along four main axes of which the first one deals with “Space, Work and Mobility”. This specialization is focused on the analysis of individual and aggregate behavior within a spatio-temporal perspective.
Contact Information
Co-ordinator
Thérèse Steenberghen
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KULeuven)
R&D – Divisie Ruimtelijke Informatieverwerking Leuven (SADL)
Vital Decosterstraat 102
B-3000 Leuven
Tel: +32 (0)16 32 97 32
Fax: +32 (0)16 32 97 24
Therese.steenberghen@sadl.kuleuven.ac.be
http://www.sadl.kuleuven.ac.be
Partners
Cathy Macharis
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Vakgroep voor Bedrijfseconomie en Strategisch Beleid
Pleinlaan 2
B-1050 Brussel
Tel: +32 (0)2 629 22 86
Fax: +32 (0)2 629 20 60
cathy.macharis@vub.ac.be
http://www.vub.ac.be/bedr/
Pierre Lannoy
Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL)
Unité d'Anthropologie et de Sociologie (ANSO)
1, place Montesquieu
B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Tel: +32 (0)10 47 25 34
Fax: +32 (0)10 47 42 67
lannoy@anso.ucl.ac.be
http://www.anso.ucl.ac.be
Users committee
Name Organisation
Cédric Van De Walle, Bureau Fédéral du Plan, TF Développement Durable
Bttb (Bond Trein-, Tram- en Busgebruikers)
Cedric Decubber, NMBS
Christophe Kelecom, Communauté Française de Belgique
Eddy Klijnen, Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde
Eric Pruyt, VUB
Georges Jamart, Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid
Gabriel Torres, Institut Bruxellois pour la Gestion de l'Environnement
Hilde Van Dongen, Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid
Jean Darcis, NMBS – Direction Voyageurs
Julie Ochem, Fédération des Etudiant(e)s Francophones (FEF)
Leni Pou, NMBS – Jongeren Segment
Louis Hugo Sermeus, MIVB/ STIB - DBA
Marianne Van Laethem, vzw Quartier Latin
Michèle Pans, Centrale Raad voor het Bedrijfsleven
Steve Muylle, Vlerick School
Sylvaine Morelle, SPF M&T
Tania Vanmierlo, LIN Vlaanderen
Tony Dufays, UITP
Willy Van Hoef, Fédération des Etudiant(e)s Francophones (FEF)
Jeroen Borst (to confirm), TNO -INRO
Impact of "free" public transport on travel behaviour: a case study : final report
Steenberghen, Thérèse - Macharis, Cathy - Lannoy, Pierre ... et al Brussels : Belgian Science Policy, 2006 (SP1579)
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