Measuring Public-Transport Network Connectivity Using Google Transit with Comparison across Cities

The aim of the study was to construct a framework to determine interconnectivity among public transport routes using the information provided by Google Transit and to apply this framework to appraise and compare the network connectivity of Auckland, London, and Paris. Google Transit provides both spatial and network data that are sourced directly from transport agencies, thus making it an efficient tool for retrieving the data required to measure connectivity. This study contributes to previously-developed methodologies for determining connectivity by (a) including the qualitative measures, which are smoothness of transfer and information availability, along with the quantitative measures, and (b) using Google Transit as an alternative data source. The results showed that the overall public transport connectivity of the network in Paris is better than that in London and Auckland. Auckland's network had the most poor connectivity values. Findings suggest that Auckland's network would benefit from more integrated services.