Application of behavioral theories to increase the resilience of transit systems based on user–operator interaction

This doctoral research aims to articulate the potential of “user–operator involvement” in transit operations to manage growing mobility needs us-ing emerging user-centric innovations in transport. While the convergence of a responsible approach in new technology implementation and policy development can bring sustainable behavioral change to the system, it is essential to understand users’ cognitive and affective decision-making processes to offer the best possible transit service. The research frame-work corroborates the positive impact of user-centric service design on transit system resilience, following an unconventional path of exploring the potential of user-operator involvement on transit information shar-ing, disruption management, and integrated mobility solutions, from a socio-technical perspective. Three different research experiments were executed in the province of Tyrol in Austria and Copenhagen– facilitating a comparative case study to examine research hypotheses in a cross-cul-tural setting. The integration of behavioral theories and advanced mod-eling techniques in this research contributes to more in-depth insights into users’ perspectives about service quality attributes and user-oriented design for transit system advancement. While the fi ndings with different theories obtained specifi c measures and policy implications, synergisti-cally, they can work effi ciently in achieving a transit environment that increases ridership, reduces car dependency, and induces sustainable mo-bility behavior.