Does Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) Meet the Citizens' Mobility Needs? Evaluating Performance for the Case of Multan, Pakistan

Bus rapid transit (BRT) has emerged as an efficient and cost-effective transport system for urban mobility that offers safe and high-quality transport services for city dwellers. Recent research has widely discussed BRT systems' performance evaluation, but such assessments have remained limited in the South Asian context, where users' needs might be distinct. The present study addresses this research gap and evaluates the performance of the BRT system in Multan, Pakistan, based on the passengers' perceptions and the BRT standard scorecard. The data were collected at 21 BRT stations, and a face-to-face questionnaire survey was carried out with 420 users. The BRT standard scorecard method was also applied by conducting an observation survey and semi-structured interviews based on the aspects as specified by the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP). The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software package was mainly utilised for data analysis. This research concluded that around 54% of passengers are highly satisfied and opted for BRT due to comfort. Cronbach's Alpha reliability analysis concluded that most of the BRT stations possess the acceptable value (0.8 > alpha >= 0.7), with only six out of 21 stations categorised as unacceptable (alpha < 0.5). Multan BRT achieved overall 79 scores and classified as Silver-Standard BRT. The study suggests critical insights to improve the citizens' mobility with the existing BRT system, serving as a benchmark for policymakers and transport planners.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the performance of the BRT system in Multan, Pakistan, finding that a majority of passengers are highly satisfied with the system primarily due to its comfort. Most BRT stations have performance values within an acceptable range, and Multan BRT was classified as a Silver-Standard BRT.