THE STATISTICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS ON THE IMPACTS OF SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS ON BUS-STOP DAILY BOARDING IN RICHMOND CITY

摘要

At present, Richmond, Virginia only has bus transit services provided by the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) and primarily concentrated within the boundary of Richmond City. GRTC is impacted by both supply-side and demand-side factors, notably socioeconomic characteristics of bus riders, bus ridership is unevenly distributed across different bus stops.This thesis will conduct statistical and geographical analysis on the impacts of socioeconomic characteristics on bus-stop daily boarding in Richmond City. The statistical analysis includes both correlation analysis and regression analysis, assuming one dependent variable (bus-stop daily boarding) and fourteen independent variables (most of which describe socioeconomic characteristics of bus riders) at aggregated census block group levels. The research concentrates on local bus routes and the block groups with local bus stops in Richmond. This empirical study aims to identify the significant factors impacting bus ridership and assess the bus service situation for affected block groups (under-served or over-served). The study outcomes, such as the number of bus lines as the most important factor impacting ridership, will have important implications for Richmond’s local transit planning and decision-making.