SPbGASU graduates solve transport problems in their FQWs

Transport problems are pertinent for most Russian regions, and with growth of population and heavier motorization of large cities, they become more sensitive. Graduates of the Department of Transport Systems of the St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering in their graduate qualification works seek to contribute to solving these problems.

Master’s degree student Nikita Leikutsis, a student in the field of training «Technology of transport processes», devoted his work to the assessment of the quality of passenger service in transport hubs (THs). The student’s supervisor is Professor of the Department of Transport Systems, Andrei Gorev, Doctor of Economics.

«Nowadays in Russia, unfortunately, there is no methodology for assessing the level of passenger service in thesis supervisors; that’s why I undertook to develop it in my FQW. I devoted Bachelor’s degree final qualifying work to the development of TH «Lakhta», and in my Master’s degree work I’m dealing with a broader issue, i.e., the assessment of the quality of service. The technique is based on feedback received from passengers,» says Nikita.

The student’s work is the first experience in developing such a methodology in Russia, so Nikita studied foreign practices.

As part of his FQW, the graduate student was dealing with the integration of foreign experience and domestic research. He found a paper in which the key needs of passengers using public transport were identified. Nikita has developed a model, using which you can control the level of quality of passenger service at transport hubs. When developing the methodology, he used the Brussels Pyramid of Customers Needs (the «Client Needs Pyramid», built on the model of Maslow’s pyramid of needs known in psychology). The pyramid allows you to determine and rank according to the degree of significance the most important for passengers indicators during the transfer process (time, speed, passenger safety in TH, schedule work, overall emotional effect, etc.).

The student not only completed the main task of the work, i.e., created a unique model, but also developed the measures necessary to improve the quality of service. The key one is the introduction of a transport travel card for travel not only on city public transport, but also on trains. It will allow passengers to significantly save time during the transfer.

«In Europe, they have such a system: in Brussels, for example, there is a MOBIB card that performs similar functions. I used it myself and I can say that it is extremely convenient,» adds the graduate.

As part of activities designed to improve the quality of service, Nikita also created a simulation model of the Ladozhsky Station in the «Any Logic» program, which clearly shows how the passenger transfer time changes when using this card. It began to comply with regulatory requirements (SP 42.13330.2016 Urban planning. Planning and development of urban and Rural Settlements).

«Of course, I want the results of my work to be put into practice. I hope my FQW will help solve the issue of assessment, management and improving the quality of passenger service», said Nikita.

«The theme chosen by Nikita Leikutsis for his work is perfectly pertinent, since the integration of various types of public transport is an acute issue in large cities. Nikita analyzed in detail the movement of passengers in the node of the Ladozhsky station, developed a simulation model and using it found solutions to significant reduction of the transfer time. The student made full use of the knowledge gained during the training and correctly applied it to solve the problem. At the defense of FQWs, we will recommend his methodology for use at other interchange nodes in the city,» said Andrey Gorev.

Master’s degree student of the Department of Transport Systems Evgeny Kozlov as part of his final qualification work formulated factors for the effective functioning of car sharing in a metropolis. The relevance of this area is associated with an increase in demand for this service. The graduate studied theoretical materials, analyzed the car-sharing system in Russia and abroad, and on the basis of the obtained data he identified several factors of car-sharing efficiency: social (the influence of user parameters, their requirements, consumer awareness of car-sharing services and the availability of car-sharing services); technological (the impact of the switching scheme between consumers, owners, dispatchers, including the availability, understandability, and ease of use of services); the factor of competitiveness (influence of pricing policy of a service provider); the factor of prospective development (the influence of the prospects and feasibility of developing this service on a particular market).

At the example of one of the companies, the graduate student developed recommendations for improving efficiency with the account of these factors. He recommended to create a technical development department in the management division, whose functions should include research on consumer response, collecting data on the social characteristics of service users, assessing the awareness of potential customers about the possibilities of using car sharing.

Eugene’s supervisor, Associate Professor Svetlana Skhanova, Candidate of Economics, Department of Transport Systems, highly appreciates the student’s research: «Car sharing as a new type of urban transport has a number of advantages for both drivers, pedestrians, and transport infrastructure, since it allows unloading roads and parking spaces (in this case, one car can replace ten personal ones). It also has a high degree of accessibility. The effectiveness of the development of this system largely depends on taking into account the operating conditions during its organization, and therefore the work of Evgeny Kozlov is undoubtedly important.

The scientific novelty of the work is the improvement of methodological support for the increase of the efficiency of the car sharing system. The topic is interesting and promising in both scientific and applied aspects,» she said.

Text: Anastasia Blinova

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