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Question 1.1.a Discuss in detail how you will assess the demand for bus
services to Windhoek. In your discussion, make sure you address the
following: give a detailed discussion of all the methods, steps, and primary
distinctions as well as the relationships between the methods you will use:
Demand is a crucial factor that drives the success of any business venture. Similarly,
the transport sector is affected either positively or negatively by fluctuations in
demand along the designated routes (Medeiros, 2019). Given the inherent
uncertainty of the future, it is crucial for businesses to accurately predict market
trends for both short-term and long-term planning purposes. This allows them to
position themselves for profitability and success. The passenger transport industry
heavily relies on passenger demand as the services offered are meant to be
consumed by passengers. Therefore, the scope of this discussion and business in
this industry is largely determined by the level of demand from passengers. Every
aspect of transportation planning, from designing route networks to selecting
vehicles with appropriate seating capacity and pricing inventory for each route, relies
on accurate demand estimation. This essay focuses on the important topic of
passenger demand forecasting, as passenger transport plays a significant role in the
global business industry. Various methods can be used to assess demand. This
essay will utilise the following major methods. Forecasting demand is an essential
aspect of business and commerce.
Aggregating boarding and alighting data
According to Cordera, Canales, Dell`Ollio and Ibeas (2015), the boarding and
alighting surveys in the transport industry are a technique that indicates the number
of customers present on each bus route and the number of customers boarding and
alighting at each bus stop. To calculate the number of customers on each bus route,
add the boarding and alighting numbers at each stop and then determine the
onboard customers for each link (Oeschger, Carroll, & Caufield, 2018). In cities
without designated bus stops, the BRT planner can divide the entire network into
segments and calculate the total number of customers boarding and alighting at
each segment.
Cities like Johannesburg, which have both APC data and GTFS data, can attribute
the APC boarding and alighting data to each route mapped on GTFS. This creates a