Sitting, waiting, wishing: Waiting time perception in public transport

Waiting for public transport services is one of the most important factors deteriorating public transport customer satisfaction. Although there are several approaches for enhancing the waiting experience for passengers, little consolidated knowledge exists concerning the effects of particular offers under different circumstances such as site characteristics or group preferences. This contribution introduces an approach for measuring the influence of different waiting activities on the perception of waiting times. We analyzed the activities and waiting time perception of 1215 public transport passengers in three types of stations in order to explore the effect of particular entertainment offers on the ability to estimate the duration of waiting times. The results indicate strong influences of station characteristics as well as user characteristics on waiting activities and time perception.