Spatial coverage analysis of public transport bus stops through a citizen perception study. Case study: Manizales – Colombia

The development of urban public transport systems today has focused on increasing their operability, trying to minimize travel times and mobilize the greatest number of users by increasing operational speed, renewing the vehicle fleet, and increasing frequencies, among others. However, in addition to restructuring the operating distance and the location of the bus stops, this process of increasing operational capacity has paid little attention to the people's perception of these stop systems’ location and coverage. This causes, largely, users’ apathy to take advantage of the system, promoting the use of other means of transport, or in the least cases, to make stops within the system in unauthorized locations.

Considering the above, the aim of this research is to analyze the overage variation of bus-stop sets, based on the perception of users in normal and eager conditions, through the application of an analysis of population and zonal coverage, in which physical and operational variables of interest are considered, complemented with geostatistical models and digital tools that allow implementing a set of bus stops creating an inclusive environment with a broader vision of the ideal conditions for the definition of bus-stop sets. Within the research process, it is necessary to structure a statistical sampling, which allows for characterizing the population of public transport systems. Therefore, Manizales, the capital of the department of Caldas − Colombia, through its 12 district clusters and 378,000 inhabitants, is taken as a focus of study. However, due to the conurbation agreement with the municipality of Villamaría, the inclusion of its urban framework is carried out, resulting in a total population of 424,300 inhabitants.