We are not all the same: Preference-Based Market Segmentation among Public Transport Users in Soweto, South Africa

Identifying travel needs and preferences of different market segments is important in planning public transport systems. Preference-based market segmentation has been researched globally but rarely in the Sub-Saharan African context. This paper seeks to investigate variations in mode preference behaviour amongst public transport users in Soweto, Johannesburg. Revealed and stated preference surveys were conducted to capture travel choices in hypothetical scenarios involving bus rapid transit (BRT), bus, minibus taxis, Gautrain, car, and walk modes. The survey data was used to determine if preference heterogeneity exists amongst the respondents through a priori segmentation based on income and estimating multinomial and nested logit models, and by applying a latent class model. The latent class model identified two segments, labelled as, a “transfer sensitive” group and a “walk sensitive” group. The transfer sensitive group does not like using an access mode, transferring, and waiting, while the walk sensitive group tolerates access trips, transferring and waiting but do not like walking. The paper discusses the implications for public transport design. These include strategies that minimize transfers and reduce stop distances to attract both potential user groups as the network connectivity and access characteristics of a mode determine its attractiveness to different user groups.