A multi-criteria decision model for urban mass transit systems

Traffic congestion in major cities is one of the main problems of modern life. To eliminate this problem or at least to minimize the effects of it, more attention should be given to efficient public transport but selecting an appropriate mass transit system has several conflicting criteria. This study aims a multi criteria decision making recommendation by evaluating suitable mass transit systems for urban transit corridors based on these conflicting criteria. For this purpose, as the problem on hand is a network model because of interconnections among criteria, Analytical Network Process is selected for the treatment of the problem. The proposed approach is utilized at a case study where the decision problem whether to place Bus Rapid Transit or Light Rail Transit for a transit corridor in Istanbul is examined.