O.R. on a trip to London

We went to London for a two-day break last week, and, inevitably, I looked at some of the experience with a pair of O.R.-problem-seeker's spectacles. Two of the things I saw are worth recording.

We went to the theatre (Phantom of the Opera); earlier in the year we had booked online and bought the cheapest tickets on sale ... even for a treat like this, we couldn't face paying some of the prices. The cheapest seats are £25; in Exeter and Taunton, where we generally go to the theatre, the most expensive seats are less than £20. When we got to the theatre, we discovered that the section in which our seats were located was closed for the evening, and we were bumped up to higher quality seats ... in fact the most expensive ones, at £59 each. At no charge, of course. So here is the cheapskate's optimal policy for theatre-going. Book well in advance, for a midweek (less popular) evening, in the cheapest section fof the theatre. Then wait and see what happens when you arrive. At worst, you have your seats. But you may get an upgrade instead. (Oh, and take your own chocolates ... theatre prices are high!)



We bought Oyster cards to pay for the trips around London on the bus and tube. The cost of fares is deducted from the balance on the card, up to a daily maximum, which depends on where you travel and when. So, off-peak, in zones 1-2, the cap is £5.60, which is also the price of a day card. We didn't save much except time with that. We did save when we used the tube in the morning rush-hour. Even then, the scheme has a cap on the day's deduction. Looking at the calculation of caps, we spotted an anomaly. For someone whose use of the system consists of one journay in the morning rush-hour and a number of journeys in the off-peak season, the cap may be more than the combined rush-hour fare and the cost of the day card. So it is better not to use the same Oyster card for the rush-hour and the rest of the day. So here's the optimal strategy for anyone doing this type of day's travelling very often. Have two cards. Use one for the rush-hour, and the other for the wandering about. It depends on what zones you are using, so I am not going to spell out what to do ... an exercise for the reader.

Commuting Behaviour

A further observation from my trip to London is how there is a great difference between the social mix of commuters on public transport between Exeter and London. In Exeter, relatively few male executives use public transport. The rail lines are reasonably busy, but few males use the buses for commuting. But in London, it is quite normal and acceptable to use public transport. Of course, the infrastructure is better, but there is a difference in psychology as well. I wondered what research had appeared about the popularity of public transport commuting in cities of varying sizes.

It is relevant to O.R. because anyone working on transport models needs to remember the acceptability and feasibility of different modes of transport in different places. Behavioural psychology has its place in operational research.

Google turned up some figures for the United States. The comments are interesting. I wonder how much correlation there is between population and these percentages? And is there a similar set of data for other countries? And are there geographical effects to take into account?

RAW DATA: PUBLIC TRANSIT USE

Top 5 Cities for Public Transit Use

• 54.63% New York, NY
• 37.72% Washington, D.C.
• 32.66% San Francisco, CA
• 31.65% Boston, MA
• 25.92% Philadelphia, PA

With the exception of Washington , D.C. , every city here grew up in the horse and buggy days, with streetcar rail systems. The District of Columbia is part of the 1960-70s "graduating class" of newly subway-enabled cities, along with Atlanta (MARTA) and San Francisco Bay Area cities San Francisco and Oakland (BART). BART reaches regional airports, commuter rail systems CalTrain, ACE and Amtrak, and someday it may even roll down to suburban San Jose . Atlanta is planning to extend MARTA with its back-to-the-future PeachTree Street Trolley and improved bus service.

Bottom 5 Cities for Public Transit Use

• 1.07% Fort Worth, TX
• 1.03% Tulsa, OK
• 0.97% Oklahoma City, OK
• 0.54% Virginia Beach, VA
• 0.40% Arlington, TX

Surprise! These southern cities would benefit from re-installing light rail systems. Adding rail would provide residents relief from high gas prices -- and improve these cities' economic competitiveness. With air-conditioning thrown in, light rail would also provide relief from summer humidity.