Infrastructure, land use, and the uneven performance of public transport services

Raul Pezoa; Franco Basso; Marco Batarce; Camila Núñez; VARAS VALDÉS, MAURICIO ANDRÉS

doi:10.1177/23998083261417768

Infrastructure, land use, and the uneven performance of public transport services

Journal

Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science

ISSN

2399-8083

Date Issued

2026-01-22

Author(s)

Raul Pezoa

Franco Basso

Marco Batarce

Camila Núñez

VARAS VALDÉS, MAURICIO ANDRÉS

Facultad de Ingeniería

Type

journal-article

DOI

10.1177/23998083261417768

URL

https://hdl.handle.net/123456789/12099

Abstract

Ensuring high-quality public transport is a key challenge for cities aiming to reduce car dependency and promote more sustainable and equitable urban mobility. This study examines how infrastructure and urban configuration shape the operational performance of public transport services, using Santiago, Chile, as a case study. We analyze three quality indicators—average speed, frequency compliance, and regularity compliance—and show that measured performance is not only a function of operator efficiency but also of structural factors beyond their control. Our findings demonstrate that external factors play an important role in quality indicators, with implications for contract design: when contracts involve relative performance comparisons between operators, contextual factors should be incorporated to avoid unfair penalization, while in systems like Santiago that use absolute standards, these factors could inform bidding decisions and performance evaluation frameworks. More broadly, our results suggest urban transport policy should consider contextual factors appropriately in contract design and performance evaluation.