Spatio-temporal and demographic distribution of public transport accessibility: A GIS-based method using OpenTripPlanner

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1231-1952.33.2.04

Keywords:

GIS, public transit, accessibility, spatio-temporal analysis, open-source

Abstract

This study develops and demonstrates an open-source, reproducible workflow for measuring the temporal (service-time) accessibility of public transport for a specific age group (university students), and translates it into an operational, planner-oriented metric. Using OpenTripPlanner, GTFS and OpenStreetMap data, campus accessibility in six Polish cities is computed at one-minute resolution over a 16-hour window, as the cumulative minutes a campus is reachable within 30 minutes. Combined with census data, this yields the share of the student-aged population with access. The results consistently link rail infrastructure to higher, more stable accessibility and reveal marked central–peripheral disparities, offering planners a transparent diagnostic tool.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

AITKEN, I. T., PALM, M. and FARBER, S. (2024), ‘Exploring the interplay of transportation, time poverty, and activity participation’, Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 26, p. 101175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2024.101175

ALSHALALFAH, B. W. and SHALABY, A. S. (2007), ‘Case Study: Relationship of Walk Access Distance to Transit with Service, Travel, and Personal Characteristics’, Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 133 (2), pp. 114–118. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9488(2007)133:2(114)

BARADARAN, S. and RAMJERDI, F. (2001), ‘Performance of Accessibility Measures in Europe’, Journal of Transportation and Statistics, 4 (2–3), pp. 31–48, https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/58460 [accessed on: 02.08.2025].

BENENSON, I., MARTENS, K. and ROFÉ, Y. (2010), ‘Measuring the Gap between Car and Transit Accessibility: Estimating access using a High-Resolution Transit Network Geographic Information System’, Transportation Research Record, 2144 (1), pp. 28–35. https://doi.org/10.3141/2144-04

BIURO INŻYNIERII TRANSPORTU (2019), Plan Zrównoważonego Rozwoju Publicznego Transportu Zbiorowego dla Miasta Poznania na lata 2014-2025, Transport, Poznan.pl, https://www.poznan.pl/mim/komunikacja/-,p,47184,47185.html [accessed on: 10.08.2025].

BOHANNON, R. W. and WILLIAMS ANDREWS, A. (2011), ‘Normal walking speed: a descriptive meta-analysis’, Physiotherapy, 97 (3), pp. 182–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2010.12.004

BOISJOLY, G. and EL-GENEIDY, A. M. (2017), ‘How to get there? A critical assessment of accessibility objectives and indicators in metropolitan transportation plans’, Transport Policy, 55, pp. 38–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2016.12.011

BRUINSMA, F. and RIETVELD, P. (1998), ‘The Accessibility of European Cities: Theoretical Framework and Comparison of Approaches’, Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 30 (3), pp. 499–521. https://doi.org/10.1068/a300499

BURDZIEJ, J. (2019), ‘Using hexagonal grids and network analysis for spatial accessibility assessment in urban environments - a case study of public amenities in Toruń’, Miscellanea Geographica. Regional Studies on Development, 23 (2), pp. 99–110. https://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2018-0037

CASCETTA, E., CARTENÌ, A. and MONTANINO, M. (2016), ‘A behavioral model of accessibility based on the number of available opportunities’, Journal of Transport Geography, 51, pp. 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2015.11.002

CHIA, J., LEE, J. (Brian) and KAMRUZZAMAN, M. (2016), ‘Walking to public transit: Exploring variations by socioeconomic status’, International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 10 (9), pp. 805–814. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2016.1156792

CONWAY, M. W., BYRD, A. and EGGERMOND, M. van (2018), ‘Accounting for uncertainty and variation in accessibility metrics for public transport sketch planning’, Journal of Transport and Land Use, 11 (1). https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2018.1074

DE VOS, J., CHENG, L., ZHANG, Y., WANG, K., MEHDIZADEH, M. and CAO, M. (2025), ‘The effect of ease of travel on travel behaviour and perceived accessibility: A focus on travel to university campus’, Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 109, pp. 1170–1181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2025.01.035

DIEBIG, M., LI, J., FORTHMANN, B., SCHMIDTKE, J., MUTH, T. and ANGERER, P. (2021), ‘A three-wave longitudinal study on the relation between commuting strain and somatic symptoms in university students: exploring the role of learning-family conflicts’, BMC Psychology, 9 (1), p. 199. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00702-7

FAN, Y., GUTHRIE, A. and LEVINSON, D. (2012), ‘Impact of light-rail implementation on labor market accessibility: A transportation equity perspective’, Journal of Transport and Land Use, 5 (3), pp. 28–39. https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.v5i3.240

FARBER, S., MORANG, M. Z. and WIDENER, M. J. (2014), ‘Temporal variability in transit-based accessibility to supermarkets’, Applied Geography, 53, pp. 149–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2014.06.012

FAYYAZ, S. K., LIU, X. C. and PORTER, R. J. (2017), ‘Dynamic transit accessibility and transit gap causality analysis’, Journal of Transport Geography, 59, pp. 27–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.01.006

FAYYAZ, S. K., LIU, X. C. and ZHANG, G. (2017), ‘An efficient General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) enabled algorithm for dynamic transit accessibility analysis’, PLOS ONE, edited by X. Ma, 12 (10), p. e0185333. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185333

FINN, B., HEDDEBAUT, O., KERKHOF, A., RAMBAUD, F., LOZANO, O. S. and SOULAS, C. (2011), Buses with high level of service: fundamental characteristics and recommendations for decision-making and research results from 35 European cities, Brussels] [Strasbourg: COST European science foundation, https://www.cost.eu/publication/buses-with-high-level-of-service-final-report/

FORD, A. C., BARR, S. L., DAWSON, R. J. and JAMES, P. (2015), ‘Transport Accessibility Analysis Using GIS: Assessing Sustainable Transport in London’, ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 4 (1), pp. 124–149. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4010124

FORTIN, P., MORENCY, C. and TRÉPANIER, M. (2016), ‘Innovative GTFS Data Application for Transit Network Analysis Using a Graph-Oriented Method’, Journal of Public Transportation, 19 (4), pp. 18–37. https://doi.org/10.5038/2375-0901.19.4.2

GEORGE, S., SALOMO, K. and HELBIG, M. (2025), ‘Spatial advantages of highly educated individuals in Germany: Is sustainable mobility an expression of privilege?’, Cities, 156, p. 105507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2024.105507

GEURS, K. T. and VAN WEE, B. (2004), ‘Accessibility evaluation of land-use and transport strategies: review and research directions’, Journal of Transport Geography, 12 (2), pp. 127–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2003.10.005

GIANNOULAKI, M. and CHRISTOFOROU, Z. (2024), ‘Pedestrian Walking Speed Analysis: A Systematic Review’, Sustainability, 16 (11), p. 4813. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114813

GOLISZEK, S. (2021), ‘GIS tools and programming languages for creating models of public and private transport potential accessibility in Szczecin, Poland’, Journal of Geographical Systems, 23 (1), pp. 115–137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-020-00337-z

HANSEN, W. G. (1959), ‘How Accessibility Shapes Land Use’, Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 25 (2), pp. 73–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944365908978307

HAUSCHILDT, K., GWOSC, C., SCHIRMER, H. and WARTENBERGH-CRAS, F. (2021), Social and Economic Conditions of Student Life in Europe: Eurostudent VII 2018-2021, Synopsis of Indicators, Bielefeld: wbv Publikation. https://dx.doi.org/10.3278/6001920dw

HIGGINS, C., PALM, M., DEJOHN, A., XI, L., VAUGHAN, J., FARBER, S., WIDENER, M. and MILLER, E. (2022), ‘Calculating place-based transit accessibility: Methods, tools and algorithmic dependence’, Journal of Transport and Land Use, 15 (1), pp. 95–116. https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2022.2012

INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT FORUM (2019), ‘Benchmarking Accessibility in Cities: Measuring the Impact of Proximity and Transport Performance’, International Transport Forum Policy Papers, (68). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1787/4b1f722b-en

JÄRV, O., TENKANEN, H., SALONEN, M., AHAS, R. and TOIVONEN, T. (2018), ‘Dynamic cities: Location-based accessibility modelling as a function of time’, Applied Geography, 95, pp. 101–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2018.04.009

JAŻDŻEWSKA, I. A., LECHOWSKI, Ł. and BABUCA, D. (2022), ‘GIS-Based Approach for the Analysis of Geographical Education Paths’, ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 11 (1), p. 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11010041

KASZCZYSZYN, P. and SYPION-DUTKOWSKA, N. (2019), ‘Walking Access to Public Transportation Stops for City Residents. A Comparison of Methods’, Sustainability, 11 (14), p. 3758. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143758

KENYON, S. (2011), ‘Transport and social exclusion: access to higher education in the UK policy context’, Journal of Transport Geography, 19 (4), pp. 763–771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2010.09.005

KOBUS, M. B. W., VAN OMMEREN, J. N. and RIETVELD, P. (2015), ‘Student commute time, university presence and academic achievement’, Regional Science and Urban Economics, 52, pp. 129–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2015.03.001

KRIZEK, K. J., IACONO, M., EL-GENEIDY, A., LIAO, C. F. and JOHNS, R. (2009), ‘Access to Destinations: Application of Accessibility Measures for Non-Auto Travel Modes’, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/150621 [accessed on: 18.09.2025].

KRYGSMAN, S., DIJST, M. and ARENTZE, T. (2004), ‘Multimodal public transport: an analysis of travel time elements and the interconnectivity ratio’, Transport Policy, 11 (3), pp. 265–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2003.12.001

LEE, J. (Brian) and SALIH, S. H. (2024), ‘Passive transit accessibility: Modelling and application for transit gap analysis and station area assessment’, Journal of Transport Geography, 114, p. 103757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2023.103757

LINDNER, A., KÜHNEL, F., SCHRÖMBGES, M. and KUHNIMHOF, T. (2024), ‘When to Measure Accessibility? Temporal Segmentation and Aggregation in Location-Based Public Transit Accessibility’, Urban Science, 8 (4), p. 165. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8040165

LIU, B. (2025), OSM by the Slice, https://slice.openstreetmap.us/ [accessed on: 25.09.2025].

LIU, S. and ZHU, X. (2004), ‘An Integrated GIS Approach to Accessibility Analysis’, Transactions in GIS, 8 (1), pp. 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9671.2004.00167.x

MALEKZADEH, A. and CHUNG, E. (2020), ‘A review of transit accessibility models: Challenges in developing transit accessibility models’, International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 14 (10), pp. 733–748. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2019.1625087

MAVOA, S., WITTEN, K., MCCREANOR, T. and O’SULLIVAN, D. (2012), ‘GIS based destination accessibility via public transit and walking in Auckland, New Zealand’, Journal of Transport Geography, 20 (1), pp. 15–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2011.10.001

MESBAH, M., CURRIE, G., LENNON, C. and NORTHCOTT, T. (2012), ‘Spatial and temporal visualization of transit operations performance data at a network level’, Journal of Transport Geography, 25, pp. 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2012.07.005

MILLER, E. J. (2018), ‘Accessibility: measurement and application in transportation planning’, Transport Reviews, 38 (5), pp. 551–555. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2018.1492778

MONKIEWICZ, S., UJAZDOWSKI, Z., BRZEZIŃSKI, A., DYBICZ, T., SZAGAŁA, P., WŁODAREK, P., SZYMAŃSKI, Ł., HOCH, J., ŻAKOWSKA, K. and JAŹNICKA, M. (2005), Warszawskie Badanie Ruchu 2005 wraz z opracowaniem modelu ruchu, Warszawa, https://siskom.waw.pl/komunikacja/WBR2005-raport-koncowy.pdf [accessed on: 02.08.2025].

NIEDZIELSKI, M. A., GOLISZEK, S. and GÓRKA, A. (2024), ‘Signals, tracks, and trams: public transport signal priority impact on job accessibility over time’, Scientific Reports, 14 (1), p. 23459. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-74960-x

OECD (2024), OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance 2024, Paris: OECD Publishing, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-regions-and-cities-at-a-glance-2024_f42db3bf-en/full-report.html [accessed on: 09.08.2025].

OLEŚKÓW-SZŁAPKA, J., PAWŁYSZYN, I. and PRZYBYLSKA, J. (2020), ‘Sustainable Urban Mobility in Poznan and Oslo-Actual State and Development Perspectives’, Sustainability, 12 (16), p. 6510. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166510

O’SULLIVAN, D., MORRISON, A. and SHEARER, J. (2000), ‘Using desktop GIS for the investigation of accessibility by public transport: an isochrone approach’, International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 14 (1), pp. 85–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/136588100240976

OWEN, A. and LEVINSON, D. (2012), ‘Access to Destinations: Annual Accessibility Measure for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area’, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/181425 [accessed on: 18.09.2025].

OWEN, A. and LEVINSON, D. M. (2015), ‘Modeling the commute mode share of transit using continuous accessibility to jobs’, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 74, pp. 110–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2015.02.002

PEREIRA, R. H. M., SARAIVA, M., HERSZENHUT, D., BRAGA, C. K. V. and CONWAY, M. W. (2021), ‘r5r: Rapid Realistic Routing on Multimodal Transport Networks with R5 in R’, Findings. https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.21262

PFERTNER, M., BÜTTNER, B. and WULFHORST, G. (2023), ‘An Open-Source Modelling Methodology for Multimodal and Intermodal Accessibility Analysis of Workplace Locations’, Sustainability, 15 (3), p. 1947. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031947

PÖNKÄNEN, M., TENKANEN, H. and MLADENOVIĆ, M. (2025), ‘Spatial accessibility and transport inequity in Finland: Open source models and perspectives from planning practice’, Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 116, p. 102218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2024.102218

QU, Y., CURRIE, G. and WEBB, G. I. (2025), ‘Spatial resolution impact on public transport accessibility measurement error’, Journal of Transport Geography, 129, p. 104408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2025.104408

ROSIK, P. (2012), Dostępność lądowa przestrzeni Polski w wymiarze europejskim = Surface sibility of the space of Poland in the European dimension, Warszawa: PAN IG i PZ, http://fbc.pionier.net.pl/id/oai:rcin.org.pl:17917

ROSIK, P., PUŁAWSKA-OBIEDOWSKA, S. and GOLISZEK, S. (2021), ‘Public transport accessibility to upper secondary schools measured by the potential quotient: The case of Kraków’, Moravian Geographical Reports, 29 (1), pp. 15–26. https://doi.org/10.2478/mgr-2021-0002

SHI, Y., BLAINEY, S., SUN, C. and JING, P. (2020), ‘A literature review on accessibility using bibliometric analysis techniques’, Journal of Transport Geography, 87, p. 102810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102810

SHOMAN, W., ALGANCI, U. and DEMIREL, H. (2019), ‘A comparative analysis of gridding systems for point-based land cover/use analysis’, Geocarto International, 34 (8), pp. 867–886. https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2018.1450449

SOLDATKE, N., SYDORÓW, M. and ŻUKOWSKA, S. (2024), ‘Assessment of the accessibility of public transport in the Tricity (Poland): analytical use of geographical information systems (GIS) in the context of selected public transport measures’, International Journal of Digital Earth, 17 (1), p. 2344586. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2024.2344586

STARIKOVA, A. V. (2019), ‘Spatial Behavior Of Students And Their Role In Polarized Development: Comparative Studies Of Yaroslavl Oblast And Bavaria’, GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY, 12 (2), pp. 18–28. https://doi.org/10.24057/2071-9388-2019-49

STATISTICS POLAND (2024a), Ludność w rejonach statystycznych i obwodach spisowych według płci, ekonomicznych i 10-letnich grup wieku; Population in statistical areas and census tracts by sex, economic and 10-year age groups, stat.gov.pl, https://stat.gov.pl/spisy-powszechne/nsp-2021/nsp-2021-wyniki-ostateczne/ludnosc-w-rejonach-statystycznych-i-obwodach-spisowych-wedlug-plci-ekonomicznych-i-10-letnich-grup-wieku,12,1.html [accessed on: 14.09.2025].

STATISTICS POLAND (2024b), Szkolnictwo wyższe w roku akademickim 2023/2024; Higher education in the 2023/24 academic year – preliminary data, stat.gov.pl, https://stat.gov.pl/en/topics/education/education/higher-education-in-the-202324-academic-year-preliminary-data,10,10.html [accessed on: 02.09.2025].

STĘPNIAK, M. and GOLISZEK, S. (2017), ‘Spatio-Temporal Variation of Accessibility by Public Transport—The Equity Perspective’, [in:] IVAN, I., SINGLETON, A., HORÁK, J. and INSPEKTOR, T. (eds), The Rise of Big Spatial Data, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 241–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45123-7_18

STĘPNIAK, M., PRITCHARD, J. P., GEURS, K. T. and GOLISZEK, S. (2019), ‘The impact of temporal resolution on public transport accessibility measurement: Review and case study in Poland’, Journal of Transport Geography, 75, pp. 8–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2019.01.007

TENNØY, A., KNAPSKOG, M. and WOLDAY, F. (2022), ‘Walking distances to public transport in smaller and larger Norwegian cities’, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 103, p. 103169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2022.103169

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD and NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, EnGINEERING, AND MEDICINE (2013), Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual, Third Edition, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24766

VALE, D. and LOPES, A. S. (2023), ‘Accessibility inequality across Europe: a comparison of 15-minute pedestrian accessibility in cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants’, npj Urban Sus­tainability, 3 (1), p. 55. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-023-00133-w

VAN SOEST, D., TIGHT, M. R. and ROGERS, C. D. F. (2020), ‘Exploring the distances people walk to access public transport’, Transport Reviews, 40 (2), pp. 160–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2019.1575491

VAN DER VLUGT, A.-L., CURL, A. and SCHEINER, J. (2022), ‘The influence of travel attitudes on perceived walking accessibility and walking behaviour’, Travel Behaviour and Society, 27, pp. 47–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2021.11.002

WACHS, M. and KUMAGAI, T. G. (1973), ‘Physical accessibility as a social indicator’, Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 7 (5), pp. 437–456. https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-0121(73)90041-4

WILLBERG, E., FINK, C. and TOIVONEN, T. (2023), ‘The 15-minute city for all? – Measuring individual and temporal variations in walking accessibility’, Journal of Transport Geography, 106, p. 103521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2022.103521

WONG, D. (2009), ‘The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP)’, [in:] FOTHERINGHAM, A. S. and ROGERSON, P. A. (eds), Sage Research Methods - The SAGE Handbook of Spatial Analysis, SAGE Publications, Ltd, pp. 105–123, https://methods.sagepub.com/hnbk/edvol/the-sage-handbook-of-spatial-analysis/chpt/modifiable-areal-unit-problem-maup [accessed on: 21.09.2025].

WU, B. M. and HINE, J. P. (2003), ‘A PTAL approach to measuring changes in bus service accessibility’, Transport Policy, 10 (4), pp. 307–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0967-070X(03)00053-2

WU, J., DU, B., GONG, Z., WU, Q., SHEN, J., ZHOU, L. and CAI, C. (2023), ‘A GTFS data acquisition and processing framework and its application to train delay prediction’, International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, 12 (1), pp. 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijtst.2022.01.005

YOUNG, M. (2021), OpenTripPlanner - creating and querying your own multi-modal route planner, https://github.com/marcusyoung/otp-tutorial [accessed on: 24.08.2025].

YOUNG, M. (2022), otpr: OpenTripPlanner REST API wrapper for R, https://github.com/marcusyoung/otpr [accessed on: 24.08.2025].

ZMUDA-TRZEBIATOWSKI, P., BAR, K. and BIEŃCZAK, M. (2025), ‘Coverage of digital public transport information in Poland’, Journal of Civil Engineering and Transport, 2025 (7), pp. 19–34. https://doi.org/10.24136/tren.2025.002

Downloads

Published

2026-10-19

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Kaczorowski, Michał, and Wiktor Wróblewski. 2026. “Spatio-Temporal and Demographic Distribution of Public Transport Accessibility: A GIS-Based Method Using OpenTripPlanner”. European Spatial Research and Policy 33 (2). https://doi.org/10.18778/1231-1952.33.2.04.

Most read articles by the same author(s)