Public transport for tourists: an evaluation framework from the multimodality viewpoint

This thesis proposes a framework for the evaluation of tourist accessibility at a destination, focusing on infrastructure of the public transportation system under the lens of multimodality. There are many studies on multimodality and tourist transportation, but few has looked at these in combination. Furthermore, by investigating Rimini, a coastal destination looking to better integrate the various modes of public transit, the study also examines the effectiveness of the framework, and aims to deliver recommendations to municipal policymakers. By incorporating data from GTFS-based online routing platform (Google Transit) and micromobility service (Lime), the study constructed an accessibility index, and other indicative metrics to assess major transport routes used by tourists in the peak season. Supplemented by micromobility potential time savings if integrated into the system, individual trips were analysed and generalised to identify pain points in the system. The result reveals that Rimini visitors benefit from well-planned links when getting to Rimini, but suffer inconveniences when visiting different, especially peripheral, attractions. The main weaknesses are lack of coordination between modes, and underdevelopment of transport infrastructure in the northern areas. Moreover, current micromobility tend to serve well-connected areas, and need to expand to help improve low-connectivity districts. Suggested enhancements include improved scheduling and stop location, tourist-geared transport supplement, and targeted infrastructure improvement. The evaluation model shows potential in assessing the transport system of the destination as a whole. However, limitations including limited temporal scope, reliance on commercial engine, lack of detailed data, should be addressed in future research.